Al-Batʼha
البطحاء (Arabic)
আল বাথা (Bengali)
ബത്ത (Malayalam)
Little Bangladesh
Baladiyah
Al Batha Street on the side of Thulaim district, 2023
Al Batha Street on the side of Thulaim district, 2023
Coordinates: 24°38′47″N 46°42′55″E / 24.64627°N 46.71524°E / 24.64627; 46.71524
Country Saudi Arabia
CityRiyadh
RegionOld Riyadh
Emerged1940s
Named forWadi al-Batʼha
Boroughs
List
Language
 • OfficialArabic
 • SpokenBangla, 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 and Thulaim. It emerged in the 1940s 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 city walls.[7]

Besides being a open-air marketplace that hosts a number of large and medium-scale trading centers,[8] the surrounding locality has been the heart of the city's Bangladeshi community since the oil boom of the 1970s,[9][10] alongside Indians, Pakistanis, Filipinos and Sri Lankans, who altogether contribute in almost 70% of the economic activity in the area.[11][12][13][14]

Traditional Kuwaiti goods accounted for majority of Batha's imports during the early days of its establishment, 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.[15]

Public transport services were introduced In the area in the 1960s.[16] 1977, the Riyadh Municipality created the al-Batha Sub-Municipality,[17][18] 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.

References

  1. ↑ "Downtown Batha still an attraction". Arab News. 2014-05-06. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  2. ↑ "Four more arrested in Batha daylight robbery". Arab News. 2016-05-24. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  3. ↑ "Riyadh municipality in drive to clear Al-Batha of illegal stores". Saudigazette. 2013-05-28. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  4. ↑ Cuddihy, Kathy (2012). Anywhere But Saudi Arabia!: Experiences of a Once Reluctant Expat. Barzipan Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9567081-3-7.
  5. ↑ "تاريخ "البطحاء" لا يحترق "2"؟". Al Riyadh. 2007-10-07. Archived from the original on 2021-06-02. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ Dawsarī, ʻAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʻAlī (1995). أوليات سعودية (in Arabic). دار الندى الدولي،. ISBN 978-9960-27-899-5.
  8. ↑ "ماهو سر "البطحاء" والفشل؟!". Al Riyadh. 2013-08-27. Archived from the original on 2021-06-02. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
  9. ↑ "طرد البنغاليين...لماذا؟". Al Riyadh. 2009-08-16. Archived from the original on 2016-12-07. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
  10. ↑ "البطحاء تستنشق رائحة الخطر والمخالفات من أنفاس العمالة الوافدة". صحيفة الاقتصادية (in Arabic). 2009-10-17. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
  11. ↑ ""بطحاء الرياض" يذر الرماد في العيون". www.okaz.com.sa. November 2016. Archived from the original on 2021-06-02. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
  12. ↑ Asian Business. Far East Trade Press. 1995. p. 70.
  13. ↑ "البطحاء.. سوق الغربة وتجاوز القانون". صحيفة الاقتصادية (in Arabic). 2012-07-24. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
  14. ↑ "Batha 'home' to expat workers in Riyadh". Arab News. 2013-01-24. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  15. ↑ "تاريخ " البطحاء " لا يحترق "1" ؟". www.alriyadh.com (in Arabic). 6 October 2007. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  16. ↑ 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.
  17. ↑ "اهلا وسهلا بكم في بلدية البطحاء". Archived from the original on 24 March 2021. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
  18. ↑ الرياض, أمانة منطقة. "Batha'a Sub-Municipality". www.alriyadh.gov.sa. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
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