At-Turaif District

At-Turaif District is a historic mud-brick settlement in Diriyah, northwest of Riyadh, and it is where the story of the First Saudi State begins. Visitors come to walk through one of the largest mud-brick cities in the world and to see how the early Saudi rulers lived and governed. It is open to everyone, with no minimum age. Start with Salwa Palace, the seat of rule and administration in the First Saudi State. Inside it you will find the Diriyah Gallery. Elsewhere in the district are the Social Life Exhibition and the Military Exhibition, each of which looks at a different side of the period. At-Turaif Mosque is also here; when Imam Abdulaziz bin Muhammad bin Saud built it in 1765 CE, it was the largest in the district. The site is open from 09:00 to midnight on Sunday to Wednesday, and from 09:00 to 01:00 on the other days. The district dates to the mid-18th century and is a fine example of Najdi architecture, which pairs plain design with sturdy construction. UNESCO added it to the World Heritage List in 2010, the second Saudi site to be recognised after Al-Hijr (Madain Salih). A development project was inaugurated in 2018, and At-Turaif welcomed visitors again in 2022.