We returned to old Diriyah today to see if the UNESCO World Heritage Site had been opened to visitors, but unfortunately they’re still working on it and all the museums and retail facilities that will accompany it. We were told by a delightful tour guide we met at the visitors center (which we finally found after coming to this town many times) that everything should be finished in four months.

We drove all around Diriyah, but the weather was ugly and it just wasn’t a great day for pictures. I did take some anyway (to justify the trip!), and this was a sign along the road for the many picnickers in the wadi: No hookahs and no cigarettes, in other words no smoking.