Covering an area of 31.8 hectares (79 acres), the square served as a horse racecourse from the early 20th century until 2002,[2] before being reopened as the largest public park in the country in 2013.

After the ascension of King Saud in 1953, he initiated the relocation of government ministries from Jeddah to Riyadh and launched a housing project for the employees, thereby turning the area into an urban neighborhood between 1953 and 1957 and gradually making it hard for the sustainability of horse racing.

[9] The square was also a popular destination for several foreign dignitaries and head of states between 1968 and 2002, including Queen Elizabeth II, Giovanni Leone, Indira Gandhi, Qaboos bin Said, Valéry d'Estaing, etc.

[9] In 1997, Crown Prince Abdullah instructed plans to relocate the Equestrian Club to the outskirts of Riyadh and intended the square to be turned into a public park and its preparation neared in 2001.

[12] In February 2010, the three-year project of the construction of the park was signed by Prince Salman, the 11th Governor of Riyadh at the time[13] with Rawabi Fayfa for Agriculture and Contracting Company.