SPECIAL PLACES
Deerah
Land of the Unexpected Treasures
A local’s guide to navigating the most popular tourist destination. Addeerah is pretty popular with tourists visiting Riyadh. With the Masmak Palace nearby, and back alley shops filled with brass trinkets and camel dummies for them to take home, it’s the place tour guides go to when they want to show their charges an ‘authentic’ souq. But the area is so much more than the shallow surface its reputation scratches.
Municipality headquarters, the wholesale market, the biggest gold souk, as well as the Masmak Museum. Then there are the bisht sellers, the carpet hawkers and the farwa specialists. It’s also placed close to Abu Swailem Street, the one end all for all crafting and gift supplies. And every year, the city’s Eid celebrations are held there as well.
As a major hub in the city, Addeerah houses the Riyadh
Magical one stop for all things traditional, you say? Yes! It is.
80 DESTINATION RIYADH JULY 2015
SOURCE PHOTO/ VIRTUALTOURIST.COM
By Johara Al Mogbel