The city is one of the hottest places in the world and an air conditioned hire car is essential. Use it to visit the area around Al-Dir’iyyah, the ancestral home of the Saudi royal family which is currently being renovated.
From just outside the compound, the view down over the city and the Wadi Hanifah is stunning. The Wadi itself is interesting, once a water source for the city it became arid and polluted decades ago but is currently being cleaned and cleared to form a national park. For shoppers, visit the 305m Kingdom Tower with its three shopping levels.
Riyadh Airport Mini Guide
Being based 35km north of Riyadh lies Riyadh Airport also known as King Khalid Airport (RUH). It has two runways which are over 4km in length each and run parallel to each other. As it runs on such an expansive area NASA Space Shuttles may use it for alternative landing sites. It owns one of the tallest control towers in the world standing at an incredible 81 metres and has 19 floors.
There are moving travelators for passengers to be transported along the 1200m walkways. There are also around 80 elevators and they are of very high safety standards. They can detect a fire and will automatically send the elevator back to the main floor.
Parking facilities, if you have booked a hire car at Riyadh Airport, are hugely catered for. Two enormous structures both having three levels are located just outside the terminal building adjacent to the mosque. They can hold 11,600 vehicles and have elevators in each one. Since 1998, the airport has carried upwards of 8 million passengers. In 2003 the number was tipping over 14 million and it is projected by 2010 that it will be 22 million.
There is an on-site mosque which covers over 5000 sq metres of floor space and can hold 10,000 worshippers inside and outside. Visit the capital city of Saudi Arabia with
car hire Riyadh, of course all our vehicles are air conditioned to withstand the intense heat of the Saudi Arabian desert.
Examples of the airlines who serve Riyadh airport are Pakistan International, Singapore and Egypt Air. The domestic flights are handled by Saudi Arabian Airlines and Nas Air.
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