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At-Turaif District

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Through UNESCO and Arabian Peninsula

History

At-Turaif District was founded in the 15th century bearing the Najdi architectural style; this historical site was inscribed in UNESCO World Heritage List on July 31, 2010.

The various palaces in this area with an oasis and the Najdi architectural and decorative style was one of the UNESCO criteria to list the district as a World Heritage site. Moreover, The At-Turaif District was the first historical center with a unifying power in the Arabian Peninsula. As in the mid-18th century, Al-Dir'iyah became the capital of an independent Arab State representing an important phase in the human settlement of the central Arabian peninsula.

Sacked by the Ottomans in 1818 in the Siege of Diriyah, abandoned in favour of Riyadh, the area remained deserted until 2000, when the Ad-Diriyah Development Authority was commissioned to carry out an impressive restoration project aimed at transforming this settlement, recognized as a World Heritage Site, but unknown to most, into an international tourist destination.

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