Al Kharj A Riyadh, Saudi Arabia story
Cities
Deserts
Southeast of Riyadh, irrigation clearly increased between 1972 and 2019, particularly around the city of Al Kharj. The red circles are fields with center-pivot irrigation systems, drawing water from Saudi Arabia’s aquifers. This irrigation development resulted from the investment of part of Saudi Arabia’s oil revenues in an effort to modernize agriculture.
Location
Sep. 5, 1972, Landsat 1 (path/row 177/43) — Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia
June 24 and July 3, 1989, Landsat 5 (path/row 165,166/43) — Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia
June 13 and 20, 2002, Landsat 7 (path/row 165,166/43) — Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia
June 3 and 10, 2013, Landsat 8 (path/row 165,166/43) — Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia
June 20 and 27, 2019, Landsat 8 (path/row 165,166/43) — Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Additional Imagery & Stories
Buraydah
The smaller city of Buraydah, northwest of Riyadh, shows the same pattern of urban growth and agricultural development. From 1972 to 1986, the populat...
University
Princess Nora Bint Abdul Rahman University opened in 2011 just north of Riyadh. This change in land use is noticeable between King Khalid Internationa...