Riyadh

Riyadh (Arabic: الرياض) is the 3rd largest city in the Riyadh Islamic Federation, with a population of 1,894,739, From 1 December 1971 to 1 March 2013 it served as the capital of RIF, losing the title to Abu Dhabi.

Etymology
The land that eventually became the emirate of Riyadh was unusually green for its location, due to the nearby Ziyad Oasis. Taking this into account, after the end of the 1947 War between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the British established a new emirate, named Riyadh, which translates into "the gardens."

History
In 1947 a border dispute between Abu Dhabi and Dubai grew into a full scale war between the two. The British were unable delineate a border that both would agree on, leading to Dubai invading Abu Dhabi. The war dragged on for another 6 months before the British intervened. The United Kingdom proposed the formation of a new Sheikhdom between the two emirates, to act as a buffer zone. The original settlement was an insignificant village of less than 5,000 people.

When RIF gained independence from the United Kingdom, Riyadh was chosen as the capital over Abu Dhabi, due to Dubai's relations towards Abu Dhabi.

Cityscape
Riyadh has a rich collection of buildings and structures of various architectural styles. Many modern interpretations of Islamic architecture can be found here, and as a result of this boom, modern Islamic – and world – architecture has literally been taken to new levels in skyscraper building design and technology. A culmination point was reached in 2012 with the completion of the Khaleej Tower, the world's second tallest building. The completion of the Khaleej Tower, following the construction boom that began in the 1980s, accelerated in the 1990s, and took on a rapid pace of construction unparalled in modern human history during the decade of the 2000s, leaves Riyadh City with the second tallest skyline in the world.