History of Riyadh Timeline

By 1935, the city had a population of 40,000 inhabitants, growing to 83,000 by 1949 as the capital of the young kingdom expanded.

The Murabba Palace was constructed starting in 1936 and completed in 1938, when a household of 800 people moved into it. In 1938, Ibn Saud moved there from the town's administrative center.

When King Saud came to power, he made it his objective to modernize Riyadh, and began developing Annasriyyah, the royal residential district, in 1950. The current form of the metropolis largely emerged in the 1950s following the dismantling of the old walled town's defensive fortifications.

The grid pattern in the city was introduced in 1953, shaping the modern expansion of Riyadh beyond the 18th-century walled town on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa.

The Department of Municipal Affairs (later Ministry of Municipalities and Housing) selected Doxiadis Associates (DA) in 1968 to prepare a masterplan for Riyadh. After preliminary studies, they submitted a plan that was approved in 1972.

In 1974, the government founded the High Commission for the Development of Arriyadh (later Royal Commission for Riyadh City), headed by then-governor of Riyadh Province King Salman Bin Abdulaziz, who oversaw Riyadh's development.

The 170 m (560 ft) Riyadh TV Tower, operated by the Ministry of Information, is a vertical cantilever structure built between 1978 and 1981. The first movie made in 1983 by the TV tower group was named '1,000 Nights and Night', starring Mohammed Abdu and Talal Maddah.

SCET International was assigned to revise and update the original Doxiadis plan to reflect drastic growth and offer adaptive measures, which were approved in 1982. That same year, King Fahd took the reins from his brother Khalid.

In 2019, King Salman launched a plan to implement 1281 development projects in Riyadh under Saudi Vision 2030, including 15 housing projects, a huge museum, environmental projects, sports areas, medical cities, and educational facilities. Al-Muqrin was appointed mayor that year, succeeding Tariq bin Abdul Aziz Al-Faris.

On 3 July 2020, Bloomberg reported that Saudi Arabia allocated $20 billion to the mega-project of tourism and culture in Riyadh branded as Diriyah, despite a double economic crisis amid rising coronavirus cases. Diriyah today is one of Saudi Arabia's flagship Vision 2030 projects.

On 13 July 2021, the Ministry of Investment and the Royal Commission for Riyadh City announced a partnership with SEK Education Group to open SEK International School Riyadh, its first campus in Saudi Arabia.

The bus network transported 50 million passengers in 2024, reflecting the rapid expansion of the city's public transportation infrastructure.

In July 2024, the plan to create the Sports Boulevard, which will include the world's tallest sports tower, was approved as part of Riyadh's ongoing Vision 2030 development.

Another well-known club, Al-Shabab, was established in 1947 and holds 6 championships in the Saudi Pro League.

Al-Riyadh Club was established in 1954, one of several major football clubs based in the city alongside Al-Shabab and Al-Hilal.

Al-Hilal was established in 1957 and has won 19 championships in the Saudi Pro League, making it one of the city's most successful clubs.

In 1999, a new central museum was built in Riyadh, at the eastern side of the King Abdulaziz Historical Center, becoming a major cultural landmark of the city.

The meteorite fragment known as the 'Camel's Hump', recovered in 1966 from the Wabar site and formerly displayed at King Saud University in Riyadh, became the new entry piece of the National Museum of Saudi Arabia.

The Turaif district in nearby Diriyah, an important archaeological site founded in the 15th century bearing a Najdi architectural style, was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List on 31 July 2010.

In March 2019, the Royal Commission for Riyadh City launched Riyadh Art, a public art project aimed at transforming Riyadh into an art hub. The season took place from October to December 2019.

On 29 February 2020, the world's richest thoroughbred horse race took place at the King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh, cementing the city's status as a global sporting venue.

After entering bidding on 26 April 2020 against rival Doha, Qatar, it was announced on 16 December 2020 that Riyadh will host the 2034 Asian Games.

The Saudi Esports Federation organized the Gamers8 festival in 2022 and 2023, building on the GSA E-Sports Cup of 2018. The 2023 edition offered a record $45 million prize pool. Gamers8 was replaced by the Esports World Cup in 2024, boasting a prize pool over $60 million across at least 20 tournaments plus a Club Championship.

On 1 and 2 April 2015, a massive dust storm hit Riyadh, causing suspension of classes in many schools and cancellation of hundreds of domestic and international flights.

Since 2017, Riyadh has been the target of missiles from Yemen. In March 2018, one person died as a result of a missile attack. In April 2018, heavy gunfire heard in Khozama led to rumors of a coup attempt.

Riyadh will host Expo 2030, becoming the second Arab city to host a World Expo after Dubai in 2020. By then the airport is planned to have six parallel runways and three or four large terminals, serving 120 million passengers per year, rising to 185 million by 2050.