Al-Bujairi District

Al-Bujairi is a historic quarter of Diriyah, on the north-western outskirts of Riyadh. It stands on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, facing At-Turaif, the district inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List that served as the seat of government of the First Saudi State.

In the eighteenth century Al-Bujairi was known as the centre of learning and teaching in Diriyah. Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab lived there, and it contains the mosque associated with his name. After the fall of Diriyah in the early nineteenth century the quarter declined. In recent decades it was included in the programme to develop historic Diriyah: its buildings were restored and parts were rebuilt in the traditional Najdi style.

The quarter today has squares, lanes, a mosque and an area of restaurants and cafes overlooking the wadi, known as Bujairi Terrace. From there the visitor sees the walls and mud palaces of At-Turaif on the opposite bank. Al-Bujairi is the main point of entry for visits to historic Diriyah and a place of standing in the history of the Saudi state.