Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The main path continues south, then east, then south again to the
Palace of Fahd
and
Palace of Ab-
dullah bin Saud
. Further south are the somewhat nondescript ruins of the
Palace of Thunayyan Bin Saud
,
behind which are good views out over the palm groves.
Returning to the main path, walk west for around 250m, passing the ruined
Palace of Mishaari
on the
right and the newly restored
Al-Turaif Bath
, with its decoratively painted doors. After a further 100m to the
west and northwest, respectively, you'll find the restored
Palace of Nasser
and the
Palace of Saad bin
Saud
, which has turrets, wall and door decorations. This is how much of Dir'aiyah must have once looked.
The main lane continues west before entering an open area where few houses remain. You can continue on to
the restored sections of the wall (which once ran for 15km around the perimeter of Dir'aiyah) or branch off to the
north to the
Tower of Faisal
. A different path twists back to the Palace of Saad bin Saud, passing en route
the ruined
Palace of Fahran bin Saud
and the
Saad bin Saad Mosque
.
Circle the Palace of Saad bin Saud from where a path heads north and then east back to the entry gate, passing
some of the best-preserved
houses
along the way.
Getting There & Away
There's no public transport to Dir'aiyah, which lies 25km northwest of Al-Bathaa. A one-
way taxi costs SR50 or expect to pay at least SR150 for a return taxi, including waiting
time.
If you're driving, take King Fahd Rd north and follow the signs off to the west after
passing Dallah Hospital. The road then turns north again - follow the brown signs marked
'Old Dir'aiyah'.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Sand Dunes
There are numerous stretches of sand dunes just off the Riyadh-Mecca Hwy.
The
Red Sands
, just west of the turn-off to Duruma around 40km west of Riyadh, are
probably the most evocative as they boast a backdrop of the cliffs of the Jebel Tuwaiq Es-
carpment - a great sight at sunset. To see them properly, you'll need a 4WD.
WORTH A TRIP
JUBBA
Northwest of Riyadh, the Najd plateau is hemmed in by the Hejaz Mountains to the west with sand deserts sur-
rounding the other three sides. Crossing the plateau, the drive between Riyadh and Madain Saleh is, for the most
