Emirate of Riyadh Province

The Emirate of Riyadh Province is one of the emirates of the thirteen provinces in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Organizationally, it falls under the Ministry of Interior, and its responsibilities include coordinating and collaborating with governmental entities during planning stages to provide all services to citizens and residents.

The Emirate of Riyadh Province was established after the unification of the Kingdom. Prince Nasser Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was the first to hold the Governor of the Province position from 1937-1947. Since then, eleven governors have succeeded to the post of Governor of Riyadh Province. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, holds the longest tenure as the Governor of Riyadh for fifty-six years, including about half a century without interruption.

This position is currently held by Prince Faisal Bin Bandar Bin Abdulaziz, appointed by a Royal Decree with the rank of a minister on January 29, 2015.

The Emirate of Riyadh Province uses the visual identity of the Ministry of Interior as its logo. The emirate's headquarters in Riyadh is known as Qasr al-Hukm. It is about 1.4 km from al-Masmak Palace, constructed by Imam Abdullah Bin Faisal Bin Turki al-Awwal, the third Imam of the Second Saudi State.

The Emirate is affiliated with twenty-two governorates and is the largest province in the Kingdom in terms of the number of governorates. According to the Law of Provinces issued on March 1, 1992, and amended by a Royal Decree in 1993, each Emirate consists of governorates divided into two categories: (A) and (B), in addition to several centers. This division considered each governorate's residential, geographical, and security conditions, as well as transportation methods, environmental circumstances, and historical significance.

Riyadh Province of Saudi Arabia comprises numerous governorates categorized into two sections: (A) and (B). Category (A) includes Diriyah, al-Kharj, al-Dawadmi, al-Majmaah, al-Quwayiiyah, al-Aflaj, Wadi al-Dawasir, al-Zulfi, Shaqraa, Hotat Bani Tamim, and al-Ghat. Meanwhile, Category (B) encompasses eleven governorates, namely Afif, al-Sulayyil, Dhurma, al-Muzahimiyah, Rimah, Thadiq, Huraymila, al-Hareeq, Murat, al-Dulm, and al-Rain.

These (A) and (B) governorates include about 504 centers, making the province the largest region in the Kingdom regarding the number of centers supervised by the Emirate.

The Law of Provinces included the unification of functions, units, and administrative names and defined the job level and jurisdiction of officials in the emirates, governorates, and centers. These are as follows: Deputy Prince of the Province in the excellent rank, Undersecretary of the Emirate in the 14th rank or higher, Governor (A) in the 14th rank, Deputy Governor (A) and Governor (B) in the 12th rank, Head of Center (A) in the eighth rank, and the Head of Center (B) in the fifth rank.

The Emirate of Riyadh witnessed the appointment of four Deputy Governors of Riyadh since its establishment until 2023. Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz served as the first deputy to the Prince of Riyadh from 1979 to 2011. On April 22, 2017, a Royal Decree was issued to appoint Prince Muhammad Bn Abdulrahman Bin Abdulaziz as Deputy Prince of Riyadh with the excellent rank.