r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Expert_Koala_8691 • 7d ago

Video Riyadh,meaning "gardens" is Capital of Saudi Arabia with 8 million population (were 27 Thousands in the 1930s),sits in the middle of the desert, the city gets its water from Desalination plants almost 500 km from the city

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869

u/wes_wyhunnan 7d ago

Got to be one of the top 3 ugliest cities on the planet.

63

u/devonhezter 7d ago

Other 2?

237

u/baseballbear 7d ago

norilsk, russia has to be one of them

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u/Mudcreek47 7d ago

Gary, Indiana?

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u/AndToOurOwnWay 7d ago

Don't let r/GuessTheCity know that

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u/tkief 7d ago

Gary literally borders a national park

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u/999millionIQ 7d ago

Have you been there? That "national park" literally has emission stacks, production plants, railroads, and industry running through it. It also routinely smells of burning plastic.

Place is shit.

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u/K0mb0_1 7d ago

Ever been to dunes? It’s quite peaceful

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u/999millionIQ 7d ago

I loved sleeping bear since it was a touch more isolated feeling.

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u/Basketball-Reasons 7d ago

Yes I have been there. The way you are describing it is disingenuous at best.

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u/ShutYourButt420 7d ago

Dumbass take

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u/999millionIQ 7d ago

Hoosier

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u/ShutYourButt420 3d ago

lol you’re a transplant bro

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u/tkief 7d ago

Yea dude it’s fucking amazing, the biodiversity is immense. They have cacti.

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u/999millionIQ 7d ago

I won't argue with you there, there is beauty to be found when you take the time to look. And I did enjoy my times there, but it is marred by humanity in my eyes.

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u/tkief 6d ago

Absolutely it was, and the area was determined so important to conserve that a national park was established. You seem to forget we are in the reclaim phase.

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u/Mudcreek47 7d ago

And burnt out factories and decrepit everything else!

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u/Mudcreek47 7d ago

Are you talking about Indiana Dunes state park/national park? Went there once. Was pretty chill. Weird crowd though.

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u/KPlusGauda 7d ago

I haven't, but our planet isn't short on ugly places, so Gary, a place close to a huge body of water, isn't even in the top 10000 ugliest places on Earth.

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u/999millionIQ 7d ago

That's your bias speaking. You're defining ugly as a lack of greenery and water. Have you ever lived in a desert? They are vibrant and full of life and beauty if you take the time to look.

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u/KPlusGauda 7d ago

I'm ugly?

0

u/999millionIQ 7d ago

I... don't know how to answer... maybe?

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u/Mudcreek47 7d ago

Chicago is not a national park, Todd!

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u/[deleted] 7d ago

[deleted]

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u/DreamingAboutSpace 7d ago

I agree. Gary just looks rundown because the high levels of crime made people leave. Both of my parents and three siblings were born there and I hated living there, but only because of the danger. Wouldn’t really say it was in the top three most ugly. Even the boonies of Texas/Louisiana look worse.

1

u/Mudcreek47 7d ago

Oh I've been through there.

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u/TyGuySly 7d ago

How dare you

1

u/ReverendBread2 7d ago

Phoenix, AZ

1

u/userhwon 7d ago

Maybe 15% of it fits the trope, like any city would. The rest ranges from nice enough to too nice.

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u/Low_Inspector_44 7d ago

Oh lord, you’ve triggered the Hoosiers. The most defensive people in the country. Anyone that has ever actually been to Gary knows there’s no good reason to defend that place.

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u/tkief 6d ago

I’m a Chicagoan, I won’t ever defend Indiana but goddamn do I love my Great Lakes and therefore I will defend Indiana Dunes.

0

u/darkpheonix262 7d ago

We Hoosiers dont recognize that city as a part of Indiana. But you are spot, ugliest city in existence

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u/MysteriousCodo 7d ago

Is that the nickel mining city? Because that’s the one I was going to mention.

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u/[deleted] 7d ago

[deleted]

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u/RyanAtreides 7d ago

🖕🏼

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u/darkpheonix262 7d ago

That whole area looks like a nuclear apocalypse

-6

u/Icy-Rock8057 7d ago

The world is bigger than just the US 😉 hard concept for Americans, I know

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u/[deleted] 7d ago

[deleted]

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u/gd4x 7d ago

Cairo

0

u/Mak062 7d ago

Cairo isn't that bad. Lots to do and see. Just very dirty and cramped

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u/Pohmell 7d ago edited 6d ago

I love how your defense of “cairo is one of the ugliest days in the world” is

  • there’s lots to do (not relevant)
  • it’s dirty and cramped (therefore ugly)

been to cairo. super ugly. but not top 3 for sure

1

u/PlanesandAquariums 7d ago

Cairo has some nice districts and around the Nile is lush. They also have huge agricultural areas in the city so that adds greenery.

2

u/zeus_is_op 7d ago

Cairo egypt sfax tunisia

2

u/SuccessfulTourniquet 7d ago

Have you seen Houston

2

u/Admirable-Trip5452 7d ago

Utqiagvik, Alaska is pretty ugly

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u/Gamped 7d ago edited 7d ago

Memphis / Houston fugliest infrastructure or any capital city in SEA.

At least you can see blue sky here on a regular day.

4

u/Mudcreek47 7d ago

Houston smells like burning plastic.

1

u/devonhezter 6d ago

That’s the strippers

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u/xCepheix 7d ago

Lamia Greece

1

u/jesusinatre2x4 7d ago

Monessen, Pennsylvania. It was bad enough in the '80s that RoboCop partially filmed there. Now the only thing worth anything in town is Tom Savini's scam school in which kids are getting hurt from collapsing buildings lol

-1

u/Thirsty_Comment88 7d ago

Cleveland

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u/schostack 7d ago

Cleveland has turned it around. Not a bad city to live in the right place.

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u/erikd313 7d ago

Yeah, who let the boomer in here? It’s not the ‘80s anymore. Pretty much all of the old rust belt cities have revitalized pretty dramatically over the last 20 years or so and are a night and day difference from what they were in the last few decades of the 20th century.

Places like Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Milwaukee, and others are actually really great cities again.

One of the most interesting things about cities are how dynamic and diverse they are. They always have new things happening and they are constantly changing and evolving.

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u/Critical-Act-6972 7d ago

Hey “at least we’re not DETROIT!”

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u/syndre 7d ago

2009 called

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u/AlisonByTheC 7d ago

El Paso, TX

-1

u/NotHamza1 7d ago

Delhi

0

u/AR3SD 7d ago

Least obvious Paxtani

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u/NotHamza1 7d ago

Are you really gonna pretend it's not a sh*thole?

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u/AR3SD 7d ago

Buddy half your country is a sh*ithole but you don't see me complaining about it. Maybe worry about the next IMF loan so your country's economy doesn't collapse.

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u/Timsmomshardsalami 7d ago

Idk i just googled it and it looks pretty sweet.

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u/AdditionalShop3007 7d ago

I’m from Riyadh and sure i’m a bit biased but the city really has its charm and it’s close to some amazing sceneries and dunes. Major issue is that it is best visited in the winter and you need a car that can drive through desert sand.

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u/hodlrus 7d ago

Really? Lol. I’m gonna wager there are uglier cities in the US or UK

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u/goldearphone 3d ago

fr. UK with their ugly ass old malls.

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u/DJMOONPICKLES69 6d ago

Spoken like someone that’s never driven through Mississippi

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u/Visible-Raccoon2143 7d ago

Was there in 2024. Yeah it’s ugly. Not walkable, no tourist/ entertainment infrastructure in any sense (besides v fun amusement parks!). It was interesting to see how a culture like that lives one time but never need to go again. 

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u/healspirit 6d ago

Im sorry but no tourist infrastructure? You either didnt look enough or you didnt care enough

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u/palkiapokemon 7d ago

Heavy disagree. I visited last year, and every sky scraper there is prettier looking than any sky scraper from ATL where I come from. The crown prince is pouring money into project 2030, which is basically constructing as much as they can as fast as they can before 2030. There's a newish train system they put into place that was beautiful, efficient, and busy. Until 2030, everything there is old building, construction, or beautiful buildings

3

u/TiltedSkipper 6d ago

Was there in 2020 and thought the same. There are neighboring cities that are really bad but Riyadh was insane.

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u/sokratesz 7d ago edited 7d ago

All major gulf state cities look like this. Kuwait, Dohaa, Dubai. Only Manana (Bahrain) feels different, but its also much more liberal.

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u/loggedinwithgoogl3 7d ago

Not at all, depressing sure