Al Fouta Park

Al-Fouta Park (Arabic: حديقة الفوطة, possibly attributing to Ghouta), is a municipal park in the al-Fouta neighborhood of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, located south of the Red Palace. Established in 1957 on the grounds of unowned palm groves,[1] it is considered to be the first public park in Riyadh. As per widely held beliefs, the park's name is an aberration of Ghouta, a countryside suburban area of the Syrian capital Damascus. The name was purportedly suggested by a Syrian engineer employed in the Riyadh Municipality who, owing to its verdure, attributed it to the place .[2] However, its historical accuracy has been often contested.[3] The park started to receive large number of visitors after its complete rehabilitation and reopening by Prince Dr. Abdulaziz Ayyaf al-Muqrin in 2008.[4] It is part of the King Abdulaziz Historical Center.