Murabba Palace

Al Murabba was begun in 1936, in use by 1938 and completed in 1945 as the residence of King Abdulaziz, the first substantial construction outside the walls of old Riyadh, a square of mud brick around a courtyard on two storeys with wooden columns, triangular window openings and the traditional Najdi stepped parapets. It housed the king's family, offices and reception halls until his death in 1953. The building has been restored and opened as a museum, furnished in part and showing the king's rooms, his car, and material on the period. It stands within the King Abdulaziz Historical Centre, which also holds the National Museum, a library and gardens, on the northern edge of the old town.

History

King Abdulaziz built the palace outside the walls of Riyadh as a family residence and court, the city's first major expansion of the 20th century. Work began in 1936 under the builder Ibn Qabba, with the king himself closely involved; it was partly finished in 1938 and completed in 1945. It brought three novelties to Saudi society - cars as transport, electricity from generators and flush lavatories with drains - and a concrete road was built to link it with the city centre; in 1939 Aramco technicians added lighting, fans, limited air-conditioning and a central water supply. The king moved his court here from Masmak fort in 1938 and lived and worked here until his death in 1953; a lift installed in the late 1940s, when arthritis made stairs hard for him, was the first in Saudi Arabia. King Saud inaugurated the council of ministers here on 7 March 1954, and the palace opened as a museum in 1999 (Wikipedia, Murabba Palace).

What you'll find

• The mud-brick palace - the two-storey Najdi building around its courtyard.
• The furnished rooms - the reception halls and the king's quarters.
• Najdi detailing - the triangular openings and stepped parapets.
• The historical centre - the museum complex and gardens around it.

When to go

November to March; Riyadh summers are severe. The palace keeps daytime hours with a midday break and closes on some days. It combines with the National Museum in the same complex.

Practical notes

Much of the fabric is restoration rather than original. Interpretation is mainly in Arabic with limited English. Opening hours have a midday closure and vary. The complex is large and involves walking in the sun between buildings.

Nearby

The National Museum is in the same complex; Masmak lies south.

Key facts