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![The prominent escarpment of Mount Ṭuwayq, south of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.[Credits : Jane Lewis/Stone]](http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/49/5949-003-E97CDEA3.gif)
The city of Riyadh is located approximately 1,950 feet (600 metres) above sea level in eastern Najd (“Highland”)—a region largely dominated by a rocky plateau landscape—in the centre of the Arabian Peninsula. Najd’s broad, mountain-studded plateau gives way in the centre and east to a series of escarpments arching from north to south, including Al-Khuff, Jilh Al-ʿIshār, and, the longest and highest of these, the Ṭuwayq Mountains. With a length of some 800 miles (1,300 km), the Ṭuwayq Mountains constitute the backbone of the most densely settled part of Najd, of which Riyadh is a part; the topography of Riyadh itself, however, is relatively flat. Soils in and around the city are made up of an alluvium of gravel, sand, silt, clay deposits, and a limestone subsoil.
The-landmark-tower-of-the-Markaz-al-Mamlakah-in-RiyadhThe landmark tower of the Markaz al-Mamlakah (“Kingdom Centre”) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.[Credits : Peter Macdiarmid—Reuters/Corbis]
[Credits : Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]
The-prominent-escarpment-of-Mount-Tuwayq-south-of-Riyadh-SaudiThe prominent escarpment of Mount Ṭuwayq, south of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.[Credits : Jane Lewis/Stone]
Ministry-of-Finance-building-in-Riyadh-Saudi-ArabiaMinistry of Finance building in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.[Credits : Diane Rawson—Photo Researchers]
Man-walking-through-a-garden-Riyadh-Saudi-ArabiaMan walking through a garden, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.[Credits : SuperStock]
Competitors-in-the-Kings-Camel-Race-Riyadh-Saudi-ArabiaCompetitors in the King’s Camel Race, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.[Credits : © Jodi Cobb—National Geographic/Getty Images]
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