Al Malazz (Riyadh)
Al-Malazz
حي الملز | |
|---|---|
| Al Bilad Bank Head Office, Al Malazz Al Bilad Bank Head Office, Al Malazz | |
  Al-Malazz  Al-Malazz | |
| Coordinates: 24°39′53″N 46°44′7″E / 24.66472°N 46.73528°ECoordinates: 24°39′53″N 46°44′7″E / 24.66472°N 46.73528°E | |
| Country | Saudi Arabia |
| City | Riyadh |
| Named for | Al-Malaz Square |
| Government | |
| • Body | Baladiyah Al Malaz |
| Language | |
| • Official | Arabic |
Al-Malazz (Arabic: حي الملز, romanized: ḥaī al-Malaz), formerly al-Riyadh al-Jadidah (lit. The New Riyadh)[1] and the Red Sea neighborhood,[2] is a commercial and residential neighborhood and the seat of the sub-municipality of its namesake, Baladiyah al-Malaz in downtown Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Named after the al-Malaz Square (now King Abdullah Park), it was built between 1953 and 1957 by King Saud as a housing project for government employees and was later turned into a full-fledged district.
It the very first modern locality in the city which replaced the traditional Arab architecture with a modern one.[3] The area is also popular for hosting several iconic landmarks, supermarkets, streets and government ministries.[4]
History
Prior to its development and during the early days of Saudi Arabia's establishment, the area had several names such as Abu Makhruq, Wattah and al-Khirbat. The area barely had buildings or streets except an equestrian field, known as Al Malaz Square where King Abdulaziz enjoyed horse racing shows and from where the locality adopted the name Al Malaz by the end of his reign,[5] which was later shifted to Jenadriyah Farm in 2002.[6] After the ascension of King Saud bin Abdulaziz to the throne in 1953, he initiated the relocation of government ministries from Jeddah to Riyadh.[7] In order to meet the accommodation needs of the employees, he launched the 'Al-Malaz Housing Project' of almost 750 villas for the same. In 1957, the first campus of Riyadh University was established in the area, followed by Riyadh Zoo.[7] The area saw rapid development expansion during the economic boom of the late 1970s and early 1980s along with the expansion of the neighbourhood,[8] which later included several shopping centres, schools and restaurants.
References
- ^ "Riyadh Architecture in One Hundred Years". Center for the Study of the Built Environment. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
- ^ "وسط الرياض.. حنين على ما تبقى من ذكريات!". www.alriyadh.com. 2014-07-06. Retrieved 2022-03-06.
- ^ "الملز .. قصة الحي الخالد في الذاكرة السعودية "1"". صحيفة الاقتصادية (in Arabic). 2018-12-21. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
- ^ "حي الملز". مدونة عقار (in Arabic). 2021-02-07. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
- ^ الشامي, كتبه: خالد (2019-06-11). "سباقات الخيول في دول الخليج". خيار الكازينو العربي (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-05-20.
- ^ "سباق الخيول في ميدان الملك عبدالعزيز بالرياض". سائح (in Arabic). 2016-05-19. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
- ^ a b "حي الملز.. من صحراء إلى سكن للوزراء". صحيفة الاقتصادية (in Arabic). 2009-02-08. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
- ^ "حي الملز.. ربيع العمر و"طفرة التحضّر"!". Al Riyadh. 2011-11-25. Archived from the original on 2016-03-24. Retrieved 2021-05-20.