The area barely had buildings or streets except an equestrian field, known as al-Malaz Square, where King Abdulaziz ibn Saud enjoyed horse racing shows and from where the locality adopted the name Al Malaz by the end of his reign,[9] which was later shifted to Jenadriyah Farm in 2002.

[10] After the ascension of King Saud bin Abdulaziz to the throne in 1953, he initiated the relocation of government ministries from Jeddah to Riyadh.

According to the scholar and urban planner Faisal al-Mubarak, Al-Malaz was a large-scale housing development encompassing 754 single-family homes, 340 apartment units, and a plethora of supporting facilities including a municipal hall, a library, a fire station, schools, a market, and recreation and health facilities.

[12] The Al Malaz suburb stood as an antithesis to the traditional mud communities surrounding the walled town.In 1957, the first campus of King Saud University was established in the area, followed by Riyadh Zoo.

The neighbourhood saw rapid development and expansion during the economic boom of the late 1970s and early 1980s,[13] which later included several shopping centres, schools and restaurants.