Whatever the case, Philby remains the pioneering writer who produced the most detailed accounts of the city of Riyadh, closely observing—meticulously and continuously—its stages of development and growth from the early years of King Abdulaziz’s reign, may God bless his soul, during which he restored to Riyadh its glory and prestige, up to the later years of King Saud’s reign, may God have mercy on him, when the city entered the world of modernity.
The third and final article Philby wrote about Riyadh was a captivating piece published in Al‑Sharq Al‑Awsat magazine, Volume 13, Spring 1959, under the title “Riyadh Between the Present and the Past.”
It was the last article or study he wrote about the city he loved—a city in which he spent many years of his life, witnessing it as it broke out of its old walls, expanded in area, adopted modern amenities, embraced architectural styles unfamiliar to its long history, and saw construction spread over farms and orchards to accommodate its rapidly growing population. Riyadh was experiencing modern urban development to house large government buildings, following administrative reforms that transformed traditional offices—both in form and function—after the establishment of the Council of Ministers and the creation of modern ministries, and after the transfer of these institutions to the capital. The political leadership aspired to make Riyadh a modern capital with all the attributes of a contemporary city.
Several factors contributed to this transformation:
1. The Vision of King Abdulaziz
King Abdulaziz possessed an open and forward‑looking mindset, reflected in his desire to bring his capital out of the isolation it had lived in for decades. During his reign, Riyadh was connected to surrounding cities and capitals through modern communication systems such as the telephone. A major milestone was the construction of the first airport in the desert capital. This openness culminated in linking Riyadh to the Arabian Gulf through the first and only railway line in the Kingdom at the time—an achievement made possible by the exceptional character of a leader who surpassed his era in determination, resilience, and boundless ambition. Such qualities belong only to great founding leaders, and Abdulaziz was truly “one of a kind.” He laid the foundations and illuminated the path for his sons who succeeded him.
2. The Flow of Oil Revenues
The influx of oil revenues in the years following World War II played a major role in building and modernizing the capital.
3. The Aspirations of King Saud
The new Saudi leadership under King Saud—whose travels to many countries had a profound impact on his vision—was eager to see the capital rise to the ranks of modern world capitals. He led the development movement in a remarkable way, transforming the city’s urban landscape. Riyadh’s residents shifted from a community‑based lifestyle to a society‑based lifestyle, and the city began attracting diverse populations from various cultural and social backgrounds. It became a true capital with all the characteristics of a modern metropolis.
During his reign, major institutions were established, including:
- The large medical city: Al‑Shumaisi Hospital Complex, replacing the old single clinic.
- The first university in the Kingdom: King Saud University (est. 1377 AH / 1957 CE).
- King Abdulaziz Military College.
Riyadh thus became a destination for students, job seekers, and patients alike. Its urban expansion during this period was unmatched except by the boom of the mid‑1970s.
Despite all this growth—urban expansion, architectural development, and social diversification—the city preserved its foundational values, holding firmly to its inherited social norms and deeply rooted Arab and Islamic ethics. Even if Ibn Saud did not live to witness the full flourishing of his project, he left behind an enduring legacy containing the “key to the promising land.”
King Saud’s Role in Modernizing Riyadh
Saud himself was well prepared for this transformation through his recent travels—to Egypt and India during the war, and to the United States afterward—which enabled him to grasp the possibilities of growth in a country now capable of generating sufficient financial resources to make the desert “blossom like a flower.”
At that time, global admiration for Jewish development projects in Palestine had overshadowed the broader concept of desert transformation. Yet Saud bin Abdulaziz soon proved that the matter was not merely a theoretical project but one fundamentally tied to financial resources.
He had a refined taste for elegant buildings and landscaped gardens. While still Crown Prince, he supervised the first major experiment in developing and modernizing Riyadh. About three miles west of the city lay the al‑Nasiriyyah well and garden, a four‑acre retreat favored by King Abdulaziz during his afternoon excursions.
More deep wells were drilled nearby with impressive results. Fruit trees and ornamental plants—imported from America and other countries—were planted by horticultural experts brought from India and Bukhara. Soon, construction specialists from India and Syria began laying the massive concrete foundations for a grand two‑story royal palace.
Within a year or two, the Crown Prince was receiving his father’s guests there—visitors from all corners of the world, many of whom came from countries still suffering the hardships of the post‑war era, in stark contrast to the personal generosity of the Arabian desert.
The small desert garden—once used for growing alfalfa and a few palm trees—was rapidly transformed into a 100‑acre park of green lawns, blooming flowers, tree‑lined paths, cottages with flowering shrubs, citrus houses, orchards, and wooded areas planted with ornamental trees. The grounds also included swimming pools, tennis courts, and other recreational facilities.
Adjacent to the palace stood a mosque and an elegant school for the royal children, as well as a fully equipped football stadium with spectator stands.
Later, a small zoo was added to the palace gardens to welcome distinguished visitors arriving in Riyadh by air—one such visitor being a lion from Africa.
I have discussed al‑Nasiriyyah in some detail because it undoubtedly represents the first decisive step taken toward the development and modernization of the city of Riyadh. Its establishment made it necessary to construct a road linking it to Qasr al‑Murabba‘ and the old city—an expansive dual‑carriageway boulevard separated by a landscaped median. From this main artery branched a side road leading in one direction to the railway station, and in the other to the airport. Roads of this kind soon spread in all directions around the old city, through it, and outward toward the summer palace in al‑Badi‘ah, the main corridor of Wadi Hanifah, and other gardens and palaces belonging to members of the royal family. These new estates appeared suddenly, following the architectural model first introduced at al‑Nasiriyyah.
A little later, the program expanded to include wide asphalt roads that transformed the journey to al‑Dir‘iyyah and al‑Kharj into a pleasant experience, instead of the hardship it had been in the days of the old desert tracks. Work also began on roads that would eventually link Riyadh with both Mecca and the Arabian Gulf, regardless of the intermediate settlements along their routes.
However, the project to extend the railway line to Mecca—via al‑Qassim, al‑Madinah, and Jeddah—was the one major undertaking that faced delays. Meanwhile, the unresolved issue of repairing the Hijaz Railway between Medina and Damascus persisted without justification, despite having received serious attention for more than thirty years. It appeared that preference was shifting toward highways rather than railways.
The Historical Core of the Old City
Addressing the historical core of the old city clearly required great care and attention, as its narrow, winding streets were unsuitable for modern traffic. Yet it is striking that the first structure to undergo demolition and reconstruction under King Saud was the Great Mosque, the cornerstone of Wahhabi history and a symbol of Wahhabi architectural sensibilities, with its flat roof and short minarets. It was this mosque that King Abdulaziz had entrusted to his son—representing future generations—as part of the mission to modernize and develop the Saudi capital.
The initial step involved dismantling it in sections. The mud‑brick mosque and many surrounding houses were demolished and leveled. In their place rose a new reinforced‑concrete mosque, with two tall minarets and elegant rows of columns. Soon after, the old Imam Turki Palace was replaced by a massive building of foreign architectural design, containing residences, a courthouse complex, offices for the governor of Riyadh, and spacious public halls for royal ceremonies. From this point, modern streets radiated in all directions.
Public Health and Education
Public health in the civil community was supervised through three main hospitals, a maternity hospital, and numerous smaller facilities. The city’s youth had no complaints regarding education—religious or secular—especially with the recent completion of a new boarding school near al‑Nasiriyyah Palace. Although not yet operational, it was certain that once opened it would rank among the finest colleges in the world in terms of residential and educational facilities.
We must also note the newly established King Saud University, which made a promising beginning in the new district of Riyadh during the previous year, as well as the al‑Nasiriyyah Museum, whose building had been completed but which had not yet received its collections, temporarily housed in the museum in Jeddah.
Space does not permit more than a brief mention of the new municipal square, the public library, the horse‑racing track with its new grandstand, the numerous football fields and recreational facilities, and the lush gardens that offered residents relief from the modern buildings—gardens placed thoughtfully throughout the city. All of this demonstrates the great attention paid by local authorities, under the King’s direct supervision and guidance, to meeting the needs of a modern city whose population had reached approximately 300,000, covering an area of about 100 square kilometers, expanding in every direction from what had once been the 100‑acre heart of the Arabian Peninsula.
Traditional estimates indicated that daily water consumption in the new Riyadh could not be less than ten million gallons.
King Saud as the Architect of Modern Riyadh
We conclude that although King Saud himself paved the way for the modernization of his capital—beginning with the construction of his summer palace and the al‑Nasiriyyah estates—he may have regarded that effort merely as a preliminary experiment for greater undertakings. Indeed, only a few years later he boldly ordered the demolition of the entire complex to make room for a new palace more befitting the Kingdom’s rising stature on the international stage.
It must be acknowledged that the most beautiful group of buildings in the new Riyadh is the new al‑Nasiriyyah Palace complex, as seen from an elevated point on the eastern edge of its tall‑tree gardens. The material used was consistently a gray‑tinted concrete that blended harmoniously with the greenery, giving the impression of sandstone. At the center stood the cluster of flat domes forming the King’s residential palace, surrounded by verdant gardens, artificial lakes, and flowering trees. On the left façade lay the Royal Diwan—housing the secretariat offices, reception hall, and dining hall—along with the grand mosque and museum. On the right façade were the palaces of the royal women.
It is entirely justified to say that King Saud earned, with full merit, the title “Master of Urbanism.” The Riyadh we see today is unquestionably one of the hallmarks of his achievements. Even if only half a dozen Europeans had the privilege of seeing the old walled city before I did, tens of thousands have since delighted in witnessing the extraordinary transformation that has taken place since those bygone days. Gently but decisively, the old order gave way to the new, and God fulfills His promise through many means—lest a single good tradition, if left unchanged, should hinder the world’s progress.
Philby’s Final Reflections
This is the essence of why King Saud is called “the Master of Urbanism.” I return here to a historical insight provided by Philby—may God have mercy on him—which directly relates to the subject at hand. In his book A Pilgrim in Arabia, in the chapter devoted to Riyadh under the title “Bride of the Desert,” he had already offered a detailed study of the city during his first visit in 1917. He concluded his life’s work with another comprehensive study, “Riyadh Between Past and Present,” published in 1379 AH / 1959 CE, one year before his death.
I had the honor of collecting these three studies, translating them, and preparing them for publication in a forthcoming book titled “Riyadh as Philby Saw It,” which will, God willing, see the light soon.