Visitors sweat it out in the capital’s Sweidi Park

Sweidi Park in the southwestern part of the capital is easily one of the biggest and most frequented public parks for both Saudi and foreign nationals.
Residents in the area find the public park accessible for walking, jogging and keeping physically fit. It is located at the back of the sprawling multistory Al-Qasr Mall.
"I come here daily in the afternoon to keep my weight down and for physical fitness. Sometimes, I come here with friends," said Fahd Rashed, 30, a Saudi who works at a local firm.
He said he has been jogging with his friends for years in the park and it is now part of his daily routine.
"My day is not complete without coming here to jog until I am tired and sweating profusely. Then I spend some time sitting on one of the concrete benches around the park. I leave at sundown."
Rashed said that the place is well lit at night, and has a festive atmosphere. He said many visitors stay there for hours at night.
He said the park also has a designated area for families, with recreational amenities for children against a backdrop of date trees.
"The designated area for families is fenced off. It's not too far from the jogging area and you can hear children playing," he said.
Rashed said there has been a rise in visitor numbers over the years including Saudis and foreign nationals of all ages.
Benny M. Quiambao, a Filipino community leader, said he drives from his home in Azizia to the park to walk and keep in shape.
"I need to be physically fit because the nature of my work demands it. I go to Sweidi Park, which is just a few kilometers away, to relax," he said.
He said that he likes the park because it is decked out with a combination of date and ornamental trees, and has birds twittering in them in the afternoon as the sun sets.
"It's symbolic, if I may say so. The date trees refer to Riyadh of old and the ornamental trees signify, as it were, the Saudi capital of modern times," said Quiambao, who has been working in the Kingdom for more than 30 years.
He added that the joy he feels after walking is accentuated by the stars twinkling in the pitch-black sky at night.
Syed Iqbal, a Pakistani, added that when he takes his family to Wadi Hanifa, they sometimes pass Sweidi Park. They live near Olaya Road.
"I take my family there to spend quality time together. In other words, it's our way of bonding," he said.
He added that they had visited other parks in the city but found Sweidi Park centrally located.
"My family and I spend hours there. It's big, with the children having much space to play in," said Iqbal who has been living in the Saudi capital for more than three decades.
He said Sweidi Park would likely always remain popular even if other parks are developed.