"At the heart of Islam" a Riyadh Travel Page by bzh

Riyadh is the capital city of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is located in the middle of the country and is surrounded by the desert.

Saudi Arabia being home to Islam, mosques are as common here as churches in Italy. Prayer time occurs five times a day and, at that point, the city litterally stops for the duration of the prayers: everything closes and if you are in a shop or a restaurant, you will be asked to leave.

A century ago, Riyadh was mainly a fortess at the heart of the Kingdom. Today, you can still see parts of the original wall that have been restored, as well as Masmak fortress. The fortress was stormed in 1902 by Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman al-Saud who took power and, through more conquests builts what is now Saudi Arabia. To this day, the al-Saud family still rules the country. The fortress is now a musuem dedicated to Abdul Aziz.

Date palms are omnipresent in Saudi, as the date is the staple food of the desert, due to the fact that this is the only tree that can survive the very harsh climate of the country. Temperatures in Riyadh can go up to 80 Celsius (192 Farenheit) in the summer!