Kingdom Centre

Riyadh's most recognisable building, a 99-storey tower with a distinctive inverted arch cut through its summit, standing 302 metres above the al-Olaya business district. The tower houses offices, a Four Seasons hotel, and a shopping mall, but the main reason to come here is the Sky Bridge at the top of the arch. The observation point gives a 360-degree view of the city, the surrounding desert, and on clear days the distant escarpment of the Tuwaiq Mountains.

The Four Seasons at the base of the tower has some of the best food in Riyadh, and the mall below is among the more upscale in the city, with a women-only shopping floor. The tower's image dominates the Riyadh skyline from almost any direction.

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A story
The distinctive inverted parabolic arch cut into the top of Kingdom Centre was not a purely aesthetic choice. The tower's architect, Ellerbe Beckett with Omrania & Associates, designed the cut-out to reduce wind loads and allow the structure to reach 302 metres without requiring the massive foundation of a solid tower. The 65-metre footbridge suspended within the arch frames a view of the city and the desert beyond it.