Dir'iyyah

A few days ago, Mark and Debbie (my friends and neighbors) took me to "Old Riyadh" also known as Al-Dirah. The town was founded in 1446, but reached its peak in the 18th century, until the Ottoman Empire sacked the city in 1818.

I got some great pictures:




The city wall:




Here is a giant Saudi flag. They are creating a tourist spot here. Between the flag and me, there is a valley where tradition has that Mohammad ibn Abdul Wahhab is burried. Wahhab's created a very conservative sect of Sunni Islam that still has a great influence over Saudi Arabia today. Wahhabism is linked to both the Mutawwa (religious police) and terrorism. The relationship between Saudi Arabia and conservative Islam is complex. Abdul Aziz used the Wahhabi religious fighters (Ikhwan) to consolidate his power in Saudi Arabia (1920s). Later, when they revolted accusing him of religious laxity, he got permission from the religious council to slaughter them (1930). Abdul Aziz renamed the region Saudi Arabia and appointed himself King (1932). Saudi Arabia was still a backwater fighting wars on the backs of camels, then in 1938 oil was discovered and the country was changed forever.




Here is a great picture of Debbie and me. We are inside the city with the wall behind us.