Metroji clue #83

Riyadh in five emoji

Saudi Arabia

A desert city of about seven million that had perhaps thirty thousand people a century ago. Everything here was built inside two generations.

What each emoji refers to

The name comes from the Arabic for gardens, because this was an oasis before it was a city.
The camel festival north of the city runs beauty judging alongside racing, with prize money in the tens of millions.
The oil is in the Eastern Province. Riyadh holds the ministries that decide what happens to it.
The Kingdom Centre has a bridge across the gap at the top, which is the shape people recognise.
The Empty Quarter to the south is the largest continuous sand desert in the world.

Riyadh at a glance

Country
Saudi Arabia
Coordinates
24.71° N, 46.68° E
First played

Nearest cities in the game

Distances are great-circle, the same measure the game reports after a wrong guess. The arrow is the direction you would need to travel from Riyadh.

City Distance Direction
ManamaBahrain 430 km
DohaQatar 490 km
Kuwait CityKuwait 530 km
Abu DhabiUnited Arab Emirates 780 km
MeccaSaudi Arabia 790 km
JeddahSaudi Arabia 850 km

Nearest cities we have written up

Today's city is a different one

Metroji picks a new city every day at midnight, wherever you are. Everyone gets the same one, so scores are comparable.

Play today's puzzle Replay Riyadh