Wadi Hanifah

Wadi Hanifah runs for around 120 kilometres through the Riyadh region, the valley on whose edge Diriyah and then Riyadh were founded, and by the late twentieth century it had become a channel for construction waste and untreated water. A rehabilitation programme through the 2000s cleared the dumping, built a bio-remediation system that treats water through a series of cells, and laid out parks, paths, dams and picnic areas along a long stretch of the valley floor, which won an Aga Khan award in 2010. Water now runs year round in sections and date palms and reeds have re-established. Riyadh families use it heavily in the evenings and at weekends.

What you actually see

• The rehabilitated valley - the parks and paths along the wadi floor.
• Running water - the treated flow through the bio-remediation cells.
• Date palms and reeds - the vegetation re-established along the channel.
• Evening use - the picnic and walking crowds from the city.

When to go

November to March; summer in Riyadh is extreme even in the evening. Late afternoon and evening are when the parks fill. Weekends are busiest. Flash flooding closes sections after rain.

Honest expectations

Water quality is treated effluent rather than natural spring flow and the smell can be noticeable in places. Litter accumulates at weekends. Some stretches remain unrehabilitated. Access points are scattered along the length and a car is needed.

Nearby

Diriyah lies on the wadi to the northwest; central Riyadh is east.