The Gates of Riyadh Photo Gallery by Helen Betts at pbase.com

The Gates of Riyadh

One thing they do beautifully here is gates and doors, especially to private residences. I sometimes wonder if it's a competition between neighbors, or maybe architects. The idea for this gallery was suggested to me by Pbaser Will Hoskins, who sadly passed away last year, and so I dedicate this gallery to him. I'll be including a lot of previously posted gate images and some new ones, too.

NOTE: Newer entries are at the beginning of the gallery.

Goldwork	Understated gate	One of a kind	Partially lit
A substantial gate	Gold accents	Ornate gate	Attractive, and odd
Pretty in bronze	Out of the ordinary	The obsession with privacy	The surprisingly blue gate
Well protected	Late afternoon sun	Variations on a theme	Golden gate
Crossed door	In need of a touch-up	Lacy gate	3028
Glowing	A quiet gate	Golden door	Peachy
Intricately designed	Shadowy	Rust colored	Towering entry
Stately	Complementary lines	Balconied	Bold
Private	Intricate	Mystery gates (2)	Mystery gates (1)
Completely different, yet again	Pointed (2)	Pointed (1)	Utilitarian
Different	Available	Glassed in	Golden toned (2)
Golden toned (1)	Privacy first	Complementary	Arched
Delicate gates (2)	Delicate gates (1)	Bold	All alone
Curlicue	Stainless modern	Cornered	Burnished door
Burnished gate	Imposing	Different	Fit for a palace
Unique	No cars	Two of a kind (2)	Two of a kind (1)
Through the looking glass	The sunburst gate	Striking	Involved
Blue and gold	Not your everyday gate	Oriental	Looking up
Gate for the crenellated house	Not the last gate after all!	Last gate for now	Formal
Revisited	Another palace gate	Palace gate	Royal gate
Over the top	Starry	Circular	Wild lines
Silver gate	Diamond-y	Contrasty	Squeezed in
Eye catching	Exotic	Bursting	Gold
Reflective	Lace and light	Simple	Quaint corner
Monumental	One of a kind	Handsome	Diagonals
Reflective gate	Partially regal	Complementary	In the light
Dots, lines and curves	Nice	Formidable	Framed
Asian	Intricate	Checkered gate	Light
Contemporary	The green gate	Green entry and its shadow	Different
A nice pair	Gold-trimmed	Bizarre design	Imposing pillars
Closed: The end of an era	Arches within arches	Exotic	Elaborate
Unusual	Deceiving	A very striking entry	Gate with a view
Polished	Unusual gate, too	Unusual corner house	Villa Alhusaini
Beautiful gates	Same property, different style	Miniature gate	Another miniature gate
Lit up entry	Gate of a different sort	Closer view	Striking doors (4)
Striking doors (3)	Striking doors (2)	Striking doors (1)	Striking gate
Palatial	Mirrored gate and SP	What lies beyond	Straightforward
Impressive close up	Impressive	Private home entry	Modern gate
Elegant gate	Corner gate	Gate with very striking house	Hidden gate
Medieval gate	Angled gate	Bold gates	Half-lit gate
Ornate gate	Interestingly designed gate	Golden gate	Nouveau gate
Sunburst gate	Arched gate	Gate for an enormous house	Intricate gate
Woven gate	Simple gate	Similar gate	Angular gate
Chinese gate	Palace gate	A cut above	Shadowed gate
Ultra-modern gate	Burnished gate	Eclectic door	Two variations on a theme (1)
Two variations on a theme (2)	Gates squared	Gate of a different color	Crossed gate
Sturdy gate	Lined gate	Opposites attract	Opposites attract
Framed gate	Columned gate	Driver's entrance	Driver's entrance with charm
Different kind of gate	Utilitarian gate	Gate and stained glass	Lacy gate
New take on a traditional door	Najd Village	Contemporary gate	Compound gate
Traditional old gate	Back to where we started	Private home door	The door of doors
The door that started it all	Wadi gate	Wadi Hanifa: Gate to an expanse	Modernistic entry
Royal gate	Entry	Shura Council gate

Denise J T Lee		24-Mar-2025 01:09
It's a splendid huge collection of gates to the mansions. While shooting, was there a moment when someone suspected why you were doing this? Brave lady ! ~VV~

Dave Petersen Photography		28-Apr-2020 16:16
A totally amazing collection of images in this excellent gallery. I suspect the interiors are just as grand as the entrances. VV

Bart Aldrich		11-Apr-2020 15:25
A wonderful collection grows ever astonishing!

Marwan Habib		10-Apr-2020 20:10
I'm dicovering this gallery and you show us quite beautiful and extraordinary doors. I like the work done on each of them and I understand why took all of them in photo.

Dwight Rankine		06-Apr-2020 16:25
Very impressive collection of images, Helen, and photographed so superbly. BV

Kevin Warren		29-Mar-2020 16:49
Quite an impressive collection, you definitely have some great book material here and might be a big book!

Hank Vander Velde		29-Mar-2020 12:27
FANTASTIC gallery of beautiful gates and doors Helen. Well captured and well presented images.

Nestor Derkach		29-Mar-2020 08:16
A nice collection of entrance door and a collection that is not done in one visit, All nice sharp shots and compositions impressive. Vote

David Buzzeo		29-Mar-2020 00:55
Keeping people out seems like a big deal in Arab countries, they send a lot of effort building walls, doors and gates. The are however, quite artful. V

Hennie & Lies Lammers		14-Mar-2019 09:29
A wonderful collection of impressive gates Helen. V

Mac		22-Jan-2019 15:06
Creative gallery!

Jean D		03-Feb-2017 01:18
An outstanding collection of entrances, quite unique and a pleasure to view, Helen. ~V

Jean D		03-Feb-2017 01:16
An outstanding collection of entrances, q

Cemil Gursen		03-Jul-2016 08:06
Beautiful collection of gates. Very nice work. V

Mark Chambers ARPS AFIAP CPAGB BPE3		01-Jun-2016 20:45
A great collection of doors. V

Bart Aldrich		30-May-2016 14:43
Another spectacular collection, Helen! V

Zeeby		24-May-2016 06:37
Fantastic collections, very interesting. V

A.G. Arao / noyphoto		22-May-2016 14:36
Helen, you are doing an awesome job documenting the visual aspects of life in today's Saudi Arabia. I hope you will eventually publish a series of photo books made up of the many wonderful images you are accumulating there. Those books on "Life in the Desert" would surely be as fascinating as your PBase galleries and would likely sell very well in Saudi Arabia and around the Middle East, as well as in the West. One of the books could be on "The Gates of Riyadh." Thank you for giving us a cornucopia of interesting glimpses into Saudi life and doing it so well. -- A.G.

danad		17-May-2016 13:46
I comment again this impressive gallery : the lack of people on each image makes this wealthy gates and mansions look like Hollywood backlots...

Patrick Goossens		01-May-2016 10:05
This becomes a reference gallery that could be used by architects. Splendid

Regine L.		29-Apr-2016 20:06
Oh, whiĉh one do I like best? Which one leads to paradise whîch one is the gate to hell?

trento redento		26-Apr-2016 10:46
Original compliments gallery V

Rob Oele		23-Apr-2016 17:33
What a great and vast collection. Very well done! V

Gervan		12-Apr-2016 08:56
Phantastic collection . V.

Tom LeRoy		31-Mar-2016 17:25
A wonderful collection of impressive gates. A show piece of images that you will always have and can reflect on. V

joseantonio		22-Mar-2016 06:42
Great to see so many lovely doors and gates in the same gallery.Very nice work.V.

Pieter Bos		21-Mar-2016 19:05
Great collection of doors and gates, Helen! ~V

The Ellisons		21-Mar-2016 18:28
Such beautiful architecture, such a shame most of us will never be able to see this with our own eyes... Thanks to your work we get an excellent representation of what we are missing out on though, thank you so much!

Richard Calmes		20-Mar-2016 13:55
What a great assortment! So many! Well captured too! V

Philip Game		18-Mar-2016 21:09
You've unveiled what seems to be an important aspect of Gulf Arab culture, given their fixation with family privacy, coupled with the Islamic taboo on 'graven images' of living things. Where there are walls, there must be gates, so what better backdrop on which to unleash often-suppressed creative instincts? Could be the genesis of a coffee table book in all this!

William Barletta		18-Mar-2016 20:17
it is really quite an amazing variety!

Buz Kiefer		18-Mar-2016 17:12
Each one unique and crafted beautifully. A most interesting gallery, Helen. Vote.

Ika Zinka Eferl		16-Mar-2016 11:35
Very nice gallery of an excellent collection gates , Helen .V

Fran�ois Fauchard		15-Mar-2016 13:00
A superb collection of gates ! V

Hennie & Lies Lammers		15-Mar-2016 09:45
What a great idea and you made a fantastisch gallery of this subject!

KAI-WING LEUNG		15-Mar-2016 02:11
Excellent collection of of different gates! V

Buz Kiefer		14-Mar-2016 18:39
It looks like they compete with one another for the largest and most ornate entrance. Vote.

Alexander Kazakov		13-Mar-2016 17:56
Fantastic collection! Love all! BV

Jola Dziubinska		13-Mar-2016 00:42
Amazing collection of so many different gates! Great idea for a new gallery, Helen. V.

Patrick Goossens		12-Mar-2016 15:11
A great inside look on a not so Obvious subject. Very well executed and a fine diversity.

Zolt�n Balogh		12-Mar-2016 08:08
Great idea for a new gallery Helen, I like it! Superb, diverse images - congratulations! V

marie-jose wolff		11-Mar-2016 18:46
a great collection of wonderful gates, Helen! V

A.G. Arao / noyphoto		10-Mar-2016 18:35
Impressive gallery. Fascinating gates. Wonderful images. Terrific idea to collect and present them. -V-

William Barletta		10-Mar-2016 17:48
A super collection ~V~

janescottcumming		10-Mar-2016 13:59
Oh the things you have seen!!! Wonderful gallery Helen, thanks for sharing. V

barbarajoy		10-Mar-2016 11:43
This is a marvellous gallery of impressive portals! Each image superb but even better when the gallery is viewed as a whole. V

Dan Greenberg		09-Mar-2016 20:52
I can see why you decided to make a gallery for just this. There seems to be a never ending variety of unique and artistic doors and you always find the perfect way to capture and present them. Thanks so much, Helen. I am enjoying these a lot. ~VVV~

carabias		09-Mar-2016 15:46
Exquisite collection of beautiful doors and entrances, Helen! V

hamery		09-Mar-2016 15:26
Wonderful gates. Once you enter anyone gate and inside, another family story unfold ! V

Chris Gibbins		09-Mar-2016 09:16
What an amazing variety of splendid gates - quite spectacular, some of them. Great collection, Helen. V.

M Paula Neumann		08-Mar-2016 16:36
Another fabulous collection of gates. V

The Ellisons		08-Mar-2016 07:25
Superb collection Helen! If only we could find out a bit more of life behind them :-)

danad		07-Mar-2016 17:00
These gates tell so much about the people living inside... A superb collection...V. ..and a moving attention.

Jim Coffman		07-Mar-2016 15:32
A big congrats for this being the number one most popular gallery on Pbase!!!!

Claude Gagnon		07-Mar-2016 14:18
Beautiful galery with all these amazing doors :)) V

Hugh Rooney		07-Mar-2016 12:49
An excellent collection Helen...VVV

Marisa Livet		07-Mar-2016 08:36
A documentary collection which tells much more than what we can enjoy watching the elegant decorations of these gates....

roaldhadinegoro		07-Mar-2016 08:30
What an amazing collection. Could become a nice standard reference book for architects!

Jeff Real		05-Mar-2016 02:32
Helen, you have put together a really amazing collection here Such an amazing range of styles ~V~

Pierre		04-Mar-2016 20:04
Une très belle galerie illustrant bien la grande diversité des entrées et des portes! V

Carl H. Johnson		04-Mar-2016 16:44
Such a phenomenal gallery!!!~V~

John Hamers		04-Mar-2016 16:25
Great gallery of many beautiful gates and entrances Helen, Wonderful images !!V

victorswan		04-Mar-2016 09:11
Wow Helen what a wonderful gallery, with so many different entrance doors great work BV++

Karen Moen		04-Mar-2016 06:10
Wow, what an amazing variety of beautiful gates, each one is a work of art! You did an excellent job of capturing the unique structures. Voted.

click on thumbnails for full image