It was the original home of the Saudi royal family and was the country's first capital from 1727 until Ottoman control of the area in 1818.

[1][2] At-Turaif District was founded in the 15th century bearing the Najdi architectural style; this historical site was inscribed in UNESCO World Heritage List on July 31, 2010.

[1][3] The various palaces in this area with an oasis and the Najdi architectural and decorative style was one of the UNESCO criteria to list the district as a World Heritage site.

As in the mid-18th century, Al-Dir'iyah became the capital of an independent Arab State representing an important phase in the human settlement of the central Arabian peninsula.

[2] Sacked by the Ottomans in 1818 in the Siege of Diriyah, abandoned in favour of Riyadh, the area remained deserted until 2000, when the Ad-Diriyah Development Authority was commissioned to carry out an impressive restoration project aimed at transforming this settlement, recognized as a World Heritage Site, but unknown to most, into an international tourist destination.