Fort decoration - Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia (Arabic: السعودية‎ as-Su‘ūdīyah or incorrectly as-Sa‘ūdīyah, officially known as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Arabic: المملكة العربية السعودية‎ al-Mamlakah al-‘Arabīyah as-Su‘ūdīyah  Arabic pronunciation (help·info)), commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia ( ⁱ/ˌsaʊdi əˈreɪbiʌ/ or in American English as ⁱ/ˌsɔːdiː əˈreɪbiːʌ/) is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World, after Algeria. It is bordered by Jordan, and Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south.The Red Sea lies to its west, and the Persian Gulf lies to the northeast. Saudi Arabia has an area of approximately 2,149,690 km² (830,000 sq mi), and it has an estimated population of 27 million, of which 8.8 million are registered foreign expatriates and an estimated 1.5 million are illegal immigrants. Saudi nationals comprise an estimated 16 million people.

Arabic (العربية al-ʿarabiyyah^{[note A]} or عربي/عربى ʿarabī ^{[note B]}) is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book. This includes both the literary language (Modern Standard Arabic or Literary Arabic, used in most written documents as well as in formal spoken occasions, such as lectures and radio broadcasts) and the spoken Arabic varieties, spoken in a wide arc of territory stretching across the Middle East and North Africa. Arabic is a Central Semitic language, closely related to Hebrew and the Neo-Aramaic languages, and also related to the South Semitic languages (e.g. Amharic in Ethiopia, Tigrinya in Ethiopia and Eritrea, and Mehri in Yemen and Oman) and the extinct East Semitic languages (e.g. Akkadian, first attested nearly 5,000 years ago). The written language is distinct from and more conservative than all of the spoken varieties, and the two exist in a state known as diglossia, used side-by-side for different societal functions.

The Masmak (Arabic: Qaṣr al-Maṣmak قصر المصمك‎) is a clay and mud-brick fort, with four watch towers and thick walls, founded on stone blocks, lying in the center of Riyadh, in the old quarters. This building played a major part in the kingdom's history, as it was here that the recapture of Riyadh, led by Ibn Saud, occurred on January 14, 1902.

This building was built around 1865 under the reign of Mohammed ibn Abdullah ibn Rasheed (1289–1315 AH), the ruler of Ha'il to the north, who had wrested control of the city from the rival clan of Al Saud. In January 1902 the young Amir Abd al-Aziz ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Faisal Al Saud, who was at the time living in exile in Kuwait succeeded in capturing the Masmak fortress from its Rashid garrison. The event, which restored Al Saud control over Riyadh, has acquired almost mythical status in the history of Saudi Arabia and has been retold many times, but has as its central theme the heroism and bravery of the future King Abd al-Aziz.^{[citation needed]}

Among the companions of the Amir were Abd al-Aziz ibn Musa'id ibn Jiluwi, Abdallah ibn Jiluwi, Abd al-Aziz ibn Abdallah ibn Turki, the Amir's brother Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman, Abdallah ibn Ibrahim ibn Abdallah Al Saud (nicknamed Snaitan), Fahd ibn Ibrahim ibn Abd al-Muhsin Al Mushari and Nasir ibn Farhan ibn Saud Al Farhan.^{[citation needed]}

Riyadh (pronounced [riˈjɑːd]; Arabic: الرياض‎ transliterated Ar Riyāḍ pronounced [irriˈjɑːdˤ], English: The Gardens) is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of Riyadh Province, and belongs to the historical regions of Najd and Al-Yamama. It is situated in the center of the Arabian Peninsula on a large plateau, and is home to 5,254,560 people, and the urban center of a region with a population of close to 7 million people. The city is divided into 15 municipal districts, managed by Riyadh Municipality headed by the mayor of Riyadh, and the Riyadh Development Authority, chaired by the Governor of Riyadh Province, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz. The current mayor of Riyadh is Abdul Aziz ibn Ayyaf Al-Miqrin, appointed in 1998.