Al Dirah (Riyadh) in the context of Al Marqab (Riyadh)

The walled town of Riyadh was the original core of Riyadh, the modern-day capital of Saudi Arabia, located on the western edge of Wadi al-Batʼha in present-day districts of ad-Dirah and ad-Doho. It emerged from the city-state of Migrin around 1746 when Dahham ibn Dawwas built a wall and a Al Hukm Palace within it, and ruled as the settlement's chieftain until his overthrow by the First Saudi State in 1773. It was later the center of power of the Second Saudi State for most of 19th century following brief Ottoman presence in the Najd. Abdulaziz ibn Saud recaptured the town in 1902 and made it the base for his 30-year long unification wars that led to the establishment of Saudi Arabia in 1932. The town served as the administrative center of the Saudi government before King Abdulaziz ibn Saud moved his workplace and residence to the Murabba Palace in 1944. In 1950, he instructed the dismantling of the fortifications in order to expand the settlement into a metropolis and the walled town eventually ceased to exist. The area covering the perimeters of the erstwhile town was renamed as the Qasr al-Hukm District in 1973 with the aim of preserving its historical and architectural significance.

Al-Doho (Arabic: حي الدحو), formerly Haara al-Hilla (Arabic: حارة الحلة) and alternatively transliterated as al-Daho or al-Dahu, is a historic neighborhood situated within the former old city walls of southern Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, located in the Qasr al-Hukm District of al-Batʼha sub-municipality. It is the most preserved neighborhood in terms of heritage and the only quarter from the former walled town that is recognized by the Riyadh Municipality, while the rest of extinct settlements lie in the adjacent ad-Dirah district.

Bordered by King Faisal Road to the east, al-Thumairi Street to the north, al-Madinah al-Munawwarah Road to the south and Sheikh Muhammad bin Ibrahim Street to the west, it is considered to be one of the last remnants of the old city neighborhoods. The Royal Commission for Riyadh City (then The High Commission for the Development of Arriyadh) presented the plan to resuscitate the neighborhood in 2010 at the 2010 Saudi Travel and Tourism Investment Market and began its implementation 2013.

Qasr al-Hukm District (Arabic: منطقة قصر الحكم, romanized: Minṭaqaẗ Qaṣr al-Ḥukm, lit. 'Governance Palace District') or the Justice Palace District (Arabic: منطقة قصر العدل, romanized: Minṭaqaẗ Qaṣr al-ʿAdl, lit. 'Justice Palace District'), is a term used to define the area within the perimeters of the erstwhile walled town of Riyadh in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, encompassing present-day districts of ad-Dirah and ad-Doho, that lie on several extinct douars (Arabic: حِلَّة, romanized: ḥilla) that once fell within the enclosure of the gates of old city walls prior to its demolition in the 1950s. Named after the eponymous al-Hukm Palace, it is widely considered to be the antecedent to modern Riyadh since the metropolis outgrew as an offshoot of the walled town in the 1950s. Owing to its historical and architectural significance, it was rebuilt by the Saudi government from 1973 to 1992 and is situated southwest of al-Batʼha commercial area.

It hosts some of the most important cultural heritage landmarks in the city, such as Masmak Fortress, Imam Turki bin Abdullah Grand Mosque, Deera Square and the eponymous al-Hukm Palace besides several traditional marketplaces.