As Islam spread over the region, Riyadh was little more than a respite from the harsh desert, an area dominated by Wadi Hanifah, which stretched just over 100kms north-to-south where the locals grew dates and came across the odd train of camel caravans. Although the Ottoman Empire slowly expanded around the area in which Riyadh sits today from the 14th century, inland Arabia remained outside of the clutches of the world’s most powerful civilization of the time. In 1818 the Ottomans, weary of the Saudis’ growing influence, took the area but within 6 years this desert kingdom was back in the hands of the Sauds as the Second Saudi State was formed again in Riyadh. The Sauds restarted their ambitious building programme for the city as they kept in control of the area until 1891, when the dynasty was overthrown by a group farther north on the peninsula in Ha’il. 1938 proved to be another monumental year in the history of the kingdom as oil was discovered for the first time. As oil was increasingly pumped throughout Arabia, particularly around the Persian Gulf, Riyadh claimed the lion’s share of the riches as it grew exponentially from just over 30,000 when the ‘black gold’ started to flow to five million today. In 1953, the man that expanded the reach of Riyadh, King Aziz, passed away; but still the city and the country continued to develop as it became the largest oil producer in the world. As the House of Saud continued to pass the mantle down the family tree in Riyadh, the city continued through a difficult period as it carefully balanced relations with the West and the rest of the region. By the turn of the millennium, Islamic terrorism had struck Riyadh, the worst incident occurring in May 2003 when 35 died and 200 were wounded in a suicide bomb attack at the now notorious Vinnell Compound. | 
