This is the heartland of the country, and in Arabic is known as Najd. Riyadh has predictably undergone a major transformation since the discovery of oil. In 1932 the city was only 8.5 square kilometers in area, but by 1994 it had expanded to over 1600 square kilometers. As a matter of fact, very little of what you see in Riyadh today is older than 50 years and a great deal is less than 20. Rain is not unusual in the winter, nor are sandstorms.
Summer is dry and hot, but without the uncomfortable humidity of Jeddah or Dhahran.