Everything Changes In Riyadh By Night

Everything changes in Riyadh by night.

- Richard Newton

The difference between Riyadh’s two principal neighborhoods is day and night. Literally.

Daytime Riyadh bakes in the desert heat, its modern skyline often blotted by heat haze, sand storms and pollution. From May to September, temperatures typically soar above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Locals and visitors do their best to reduce their exposure to the vicious sun, taking refuge in air-conditioned buildings and traveling between them in air-conditioned vehicles.