Al Batʼha (Riyadh)
Al-Batʼha
Little Bangladesh | |
|---|---|
Commercial district | |
 Al Batha Street on the side of Thulaim district, 2023 | |
| Nickname: Hillat al-Kuwaitiyyah (formerly) | |
| Coordinates: 24°38′47″N 46°42′55″E / 24.64627°N 46.71524°E | |
| Country |  Saudi Arabia |
| City | Riyadh |
| Region | Old Riyadh |
| Emerged | 1940s |
| Named for | Wadi al-Batʼha |
| Boroughs | |
| Language | |
| • Official | Arabic |
| • Spoken | Bangla, Hindi, Urdu, Filipino, Malayalam |
 | |
Al-Batʼha (Arabic: البطحاء, romanized: al-Baṭʼḥāʾ, lit. 'the wide valley'), also simply romanized as Batha,[1][2][3] is a colloquial umbrella term used for the agglomeration of certain parts of neighborhoods in downtown Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, that are primarily situated along the al-Batʼha Street on the either edge of the now-dried up stream of Wadi al-Batʼha,[4] located between al-Murabba and the Qasr al-Hukm District. It is one of the oldest commercial districts in Riyadh and the financial nerve center of the city's downtown area,[5][6] covering east of al-Futah and al-Dirah whereas west of al-Amal, Margab, Thulaim and to some extent, al-Oud. It emerged in the 1940s as Hillat al-Kuwaitiyyah (Arabic: الحلة الكويتية, lit. 'quarter of the Kuwaitis') during World War II when a number of Kuwaiti merchants and traders chose to set up an auction market just outside the northeastern fringes of the erstwhile walled town.[7][8]
Besides being a open-air marketplace that hosts a number of large and medium-scale trading centers,[9] the surrounding locality has been the heart of the city's Bangladeshi community since the oil boom of the 1970s,[10][11] alongside Indians, Pakistanis, Filipinos and Sri Lankans, who altogether contribute in almost 70% of the economic activity in the area.[12][13][14][15]
Traditional Kuwaiti goods accounted for majority of Batha's imports during the early days of its emergence , however, products from various countries like the United Kingdom, Spain, China, Taiwan, Switzerland, Vietnam and Thailand soon began increasing the diversity of Batha's trading centers.[16]
Public transport services were introduced In the area in the 1960s.[17] 1977, the Riyadh Municipality created the al-Batha Sub-Municipality,[18][19] one of the 16 sub-municipalities of Riyadh, that also includes two of five neighborhoods that constitute the Batha area, namely ad-Dirah and Margab.
Gallery[edit]
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Al Batha Street, 1983
References[edit]
- ^ "Downtown Batha still an attraction". Arab News. 2014-05-06. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
- ^ "Four more arrested in Batha daylight robbery". Arab News. 2016-05-24. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
- ^ "Riyadh municipality in drive to clear Al-Batha of illegal stores". Saudigazette. 2013-05-28. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
- ^ Cuddihy, Kathy (2012). Anywhere But Saudi Arabia!: Experiences of a Once Reluctant Expat. Barzipan Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9567081-3-7.
- ^ "تاريخ "البطحاء" لا يحترق "2"؟". Al Riyadh. 2007-10-07. Archived from the original on 2021-06-02. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
- ^ Koelbl, Susanne (2020-09-15). Behind the Kingdom's Veil: Inside the New Saudi Arabia Under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Mango Media Inc. ISBN 978-1-64250-345-6.
- ^ Dawsarī, ʻAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʻAlī (1995). أوليات سعودية (in Arabic). دار الندى الدولي،. ISBN 978-9960-27-899-5.
- ^ محمد, قشعمي، (2001). بدايات (in Arabic). دار الكنوز الأدبية،.
- ^ "ماهو سر "البطحاء" والفشل؟!". Al Riyadh. 2013-08-27. Archived from the original on 2021-06-02. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
- ^ "طرد البنغاليين...لماذا؟". Al Riyadh. 2009-08-16. Archived from the original on 2016-12-07. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
- ^ "البطحاء تستنشق رائحة الخطر والمخالفات من أنفاس العمالة الوافدة". صحيفة الاقتصادية (in Arabic). 2009-10-17. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
- ^ ""بطحاء الرياض" يذر الرماد في العيون". www.dammamsheds.com. November 2016. Archived from the original on 2021-06-02. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
- ^ Asian Business. Far East Trade Press. 1995. p. 70.
- ^ "البطحاء.. سوق الغربة وتجاوز القانون". صحيفة الاقتصادية (in Arabic). 2012-07-24. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
- ^ "Batha 'home' to expat workers in Riyadh". Arab News. 2013-01-24. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
- ^ "تاريخ " البطحاء " لا يحترق "1" ؟". www.alriyadh.com (in Arabic). 6 October 2007. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
- ^ Motabalawwd@, متعب العواد (حائل) (2018-02-27). "بعد 59 عاماً.. الرياض وجدة: إحالة «خط البلدة» و«مناحي» للتقاعد". Okaz (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-07-01.
- ^ "اهلا وسهلا بكم في بلدية البطحاء". Archived from the original on 24 March 2021. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
- ^ الرياض, أمانة منطقة. "Batha'a Sub-Municipality". www.alriyadh.gov.sa. Retrieved 2021-10-11.