Дирийя: История и наследие первой столицы Саудовской Аравии

Town in Saudi Arabia, capital of the first Saudi state and Emirate of Diriyah

Diriyah (الدِرْعِيّة, ad Dir‘īyah, approximate meaning ‘place of armor’ ), formerly romanized as Dereyeh and Dariyya, Today, the town is the seat of the Diriyah Governorate—which also includes the villages of Uyayna, Jubayla, and Al Ammariyyah, among others—and is part of Ar Riyad Province. The Turaif district, the first capital of Saudis in Diriyah, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010. The layout of the city itself can be easily studied in the National Museum of Saudi Arabia with the help of a large scale detailed model of the city on display there. Diriyah also hosts the Diriyah ePrix race for the Formula E championship.

The ruins of the old city of Diriyah lay on either side of the narrow valley known as Wadi Hanifa, which continues southwards through Riyadh and beyond. Consisting almost entirely of mud brick structures, the ruins are divided into three districts, Ghussaibah, Al Mulaybeed, and Turaif set on top of hills overlooking the valley. Of the three, Turaif is the highest, and its bottom is easily accessible to tourists by foot. Part of the city wall, running along the edges of the wadi and also made of mud bricks, are still extant along with some short observation towers. The modern city is built at a lower altitude at the foot of the hill upon which Turaif is located. To the north of the town, inside the valley, are a number of gardens, palm groves, and small farms and estates. A dam known as Al Ilb lies further north.

In Muhammad's time the expedition of Muhammad ibn Maslamah took place here in Muharram, July 627 CE/6AH. A platoon of thirty Muslims under the leadership of Muhammad bin Maslamah was despatched on a military mission. It headed for the habitation of the Qurata, a sept of the Bakr clan of the Banu Kilab. The Muslims attacked that sept and dispersed them in all directions. The Muslims captured war booty and returned with the chief of the tribe of Banu Hanifa, called Thumamah Bin Uthal al Hanafi.

Although the location is sometimes identified with an ancient settlement mentioned by Yaqut and Al Hamadani known as "Ghabra", the history of Diriyah proper dates back to the 15th century. According to the chroniclers of Nejd, the city was founded in 1446–47 by Mani' Al Muraydi (مانع المريدي), an ancestor of the Saudi royal family. Mani and his clan had come from the area of Al Qatif in eastern Arabia, upon the invitation of Ibn Dir' (ابن درع), who was then the ruler of a group of settlements that now make up Riyadh. Ibn Dir' is said to have been a relative of Mani' Al Mraydi, and Mani's clan is believed to have left the area of Wadi Hanifa at some unknown date and were merely returning to their country of origin. Initially, Mani' and his clan, known as the Mrudah, settled in Ghusaybah (الغصيبة) and Al Mulaybeed (المليبيد). The entire settlement was named Al Dir'iyah, after Mani's benefactor Ibn Dir'. Later on, the district of Turaif (طُريف) was settled. The Ottoman Empire viewed the Arab challenge with alarm, especially after the loss of Mecca and Medina, and the removal of the Ottoman emperor's name from Friday prayers. An Egyptian army under Ibrahim Pasha was sent to recover lost territory. In 1818 the army entered Diriyah and after a six month siege penetrated the defences on the Turaif, totally destroyed the houses and cut down every tree in the palm groves. The Egyptians were estimated to have lost 10,000 men in the siege, and the Saudi forces 1,800. The town's original inhabitants left Diriyah after 1818, with the bulk of them moving to Riyadh. In The Kingdom (first published in 1981), British author Robert Lacey observed that the Al Saud had "left the shell of their old capital behind them, an enduring reminder of the frontiers of the possible" and compared the old Diriyah to "a sand blown Pompeii". This new city of Diriyah grew in size and is now a small but modern town and the seat of its own governorate. The ruins remain a tourist attraction and are subject to a slow restoration project on the part of the Saudi government.

Saudi Arabia has formed the Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA) to oversee the preservation and development of the historic site. Despite Wahhabi destruction of many Islamic, cultural, and historical sites associated with the early history of Islam and the first generation of Muslims (Muhammad's family and his companions), In 2018, Jerry Inzerillo, previously the CEO of Forbes Travel Guide, was hired to lead the new authority. In 2019, Inzerillo said that Diriyah would soon be known as "the Beverly Hills of Riyadh." Among the rebuilt structures are the bath and guest house, the Qasr Nasr, the Saad bin Saud Palace (finished by the early 90s), the Burj Faysal (a wall tower renovated in the 80s), major sections of the wall surrounding Turaif, and sections of the outer walls and some watchtowers surrounding the wadi. Outside of the Turaif district, on the opposite side of the wadi Hanifa, the region of the mosque of Muhammad ibn Abd al Wahhab has been completely remodeled, leaving only some of the more recent original structures standing to the north of the complex build on the site of the historic mosque. The "Turaif District Development Plan" aims to turn the district into a major national, cultural and touristic center. Before turning the complete site into a modern open air museum documentation and necessary investigations, including excavations especially in places that may need to be remodelled, are planned in three major phases. These will include sites such as:

The old city's historic structures include: a traditional building consisting of a number of small courtyards surrounded by rooms. The Bath House is famous for its different architectural styles and shows how the building was waterproofed by using different plasters. Both the Guest and Bath Houses were supplied with water from a well in the wadi. Imām Muḥammad bin Saʿūd Mosque, a mosque built first during the reign of Imām Mohammad bin Saud (1687–1765), perhaps replacing an earlier structure. Imām Abd al ʿAzīz bin Muḥammad Āl Saʿūd was assassinated here while leading Asr Salat in November 1803. The building fell into ruins afer the invasion of 1818 and the disappearance of the first Saudi state; only part of the structure on eastern side survived to the 1970s and is still preserved. A small mosque was built on the south west corner of the site some time in the first half of 20th century. Subsequently the location was excavated to reveal the large hypostyle mosque of the 18th century. The modern mosque was replaced with a traditional building as part of the development under the UNESCO heritage programme. Al Bujairi (البجيري), one of the districts of the city, directly adjacent to Qasr Salwa on the opposite side of the wadi. It was the religious centre of the historical settlement, surrounded by palm trees. The chief building was mosque of the Shaykh Muḥammad bin ʿAbd al Wahāb (محمد بن عبد الوهاب), now rebuilt and set in the al Bujairi Heritage Park. Shaykh Mohammad ibn Abdulwahab used to give lessons about his reformed movement of Islam in this mosque. It became a centre for religious education. Students used to travel to it from all parts of the Arabian Peninsula. Ghasiba (غصيبة), a walled historic site and on the edge of Wadi Hanifah, is to the north of old Dir'iyyah and is thought to date back to the 17th century CE.

Qasr al 'Ujā (قصر العوجا) is a large Saudi royal palace erected adjacent to the old city on the south bank of Wadi Hanifa. The mosque of al Zawiharah (مسجد الظويهرة) is located in the al Bujairi Heritage Park and is an old traditional building, restored and reopened in 2014. It is notable for the underground chamber or khālwa, a feature encountered in the older mosques in the Najd region. The mosque of al Sarikhah (مسجد السريحة) is a modern building made in the traditional central Arabian style. It is located on the west side of the al Bujairi Heritage Park. The mosque of Nakhil al 'Dhibah (مسجد نخيل العذيبة) is located a short distance to the west of the old city, in the farm of Sultan Bin Salman. It is built in the traditional central Arabian style.

A number of the palaces in the old city have been restored and are used as museums. Museum of Bygone Days (متحف السنين الماضية) is located north of al Bujairi and houses a collection reflecting everyday life in central Arabia in the early and middle twentieth century.

Al Maarefa University (جامعة المعرفة), is an educational institution to the north of the old city in Al Khalidiyah suburb of Riyadh. Mosim Park, Football ground in the Nakheel area. It is home to football team Mosim FC, who are called The Pride of Dir'iyah. Mosim Park was erected in 2007 after Mosim FC moved there from their old ground downtown of Riyadh. Diriyah Arena opened in 2019 is a sporting venue with a capacity of 15,000 seats.

In Diriyah the summers are long, sweltering, and arid, and the winters are cool and dry. Diriyah has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh).