Riyadh, the undisputed metropolis of the Arabian Peninsula, impresses with a mix of dunes and skyscrapers.
The air shimmers over the asphalt, dust swirls in the dry heat, while new skyscrapers rise into the sky between the wide boulevards. The desert stretches out on the horizon - and Riyadh rises impressively from the centre.
What was once a small desert village is now the undisputed metropolis of the Arabian Peninsula: political center of power, economic engine - and recently also a cultural stage.
The Bedouin tribes were once united from here, and it was in Diriyya that the House of Saud laid the foundations for the kingdom and the state religion, Wahhabism. If you stroll through the historic Al-Turaif district today, you will see the adobe buildings and palaces of that time - above all the mighty Salwa Palace, which extends over seven floors. But just a few kilometers further on, another world is pulsating: gleaming malls on Olaya Street, the Al Faisaliyah Center with its restaurants high above the city, new leisure areas such as Boulevard World or Sports Boulevard, which paint a picture of the future.
And spectacle also awaits beyond the city limits: in the south-west, the Red Sand Dunes, where off-road vehicles race through the dunes and camels swing their rounds; in the north-west, the "end of the world", a dramatic rock formation on the Tuwaiq Mountains, where caravans once traveled and today visitors marvel at the endless expanse.
7.8 million people now live here; young, international, full of a spirit of optimism.
The "Riyadh Art" project aims to transform the public space into a gigantic gallery with more than 1,000 works of art within five years. It is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's ambitious "Vision 2030", which aims to make Riyadh the most liveable city in the world - a goal that he has already come noticeably closer to achieving.
