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30-570: They are a popular tourist attraction among locals as an outdoor recreational spot and gets flocked mostly by families during weekends. It was inaugurated in 1999 following the unveiling of the King Abdulaziz Historical Center by King Fahd to commemorate the centenary of the Battle of Riyadh in 1902 and the subsequent establishment of the Emirate of Riyadh by Abdulaziz ibn Saud that set

60-482: A green patch of natural grass covering an area of 13,727 square-meters. Al-Madi Park ( Arabic : حديقة المدي ) is located next to the al-Jisr Park. The park is situated on the site that dates back to the 1940s during the reign of King Abdulaziz and was used by the monarch for watering livestock from the wells of the Murabba Palace compound to his subjects. As Riyadh's water-supply system underwent modernization,

90-482: A modern exhibition hall for the car collection, on the footprints of the old majlis and assembly hall the new Al-Dara main lobby and multipurpose hall, a documentation centre with a separated men's and women's library each, an art gallery and a large internal garden. On the east side the new National Museum of Saudi Arabia was built together with the King Abdul Aziz Foundation for Research and Archives . To

120-596: Is a cross-district heritage complex in Riyadh , Saudi Arabia , covering south of al-Murabba and north of al-Futah . It includes the al-Murabba Palace , the National Museum , King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives , King Abdulaziz Public Library , King Abdulaziz Auditorium, Red Palace and Riyadh Water Tower besides six municipal parks and gardens, namely the National Museum Park , al-Watan Park ,

150-429: Is a historic palace in the al-Murabba neighborhood of Riyadh , Saudi Arabia , located in the King Abdulaziz Historical Center . One of the first buildings erected outside the walls of the old city , it served as the official workplace and main residence of King Abdulaziz ibn Saud from 1938 until his death in 1953. It is named after its square with the form of 400 by 400 metres (1,300 by 1,300 ft). The palace

180-569: Is located north of al-Haras Park in northwestern section of the King Abdulaziz Historical Center . It is located adjacent to the building of King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives and overlooks the Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi bin Turki Street from the west and al-Wadi Park from the east. Al-Wadi Park ( Arabic : حديقة الوادي , lit.   'the wadi garden') is situated in

210-419: Is made up of residential buildings, service facilities and the diwan of the king. These buildings are surrounded by a courtyard. A huge brick wall also surrounds the palace, and there are nine gates. The main gate was originally on the west side, but, later the gate on the southern side was used as main entrance which allowed a short link to the nearby mosque. The upper floor of the building used for court of

240-647: Is made up of salons and waiting rooms for visitors. There several historic garments and crafts are exhibited. There are also the King Abdulaziz memorial hall and a written and photographic archive centre in the building. One of the dignitaries welcomed at the Murabba Palace was General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping who visited Saudi Arabia in January 2016. On 20 May 2017

270-672: The Dira district , known as the Qasr al-Hukm District . The origin of the King Abdul Aziz Historical Centre is the former compound of the Murabba' Palace , which was built in 1936/37 by King Abdul Aziz about 1.5 km to the north of the old city and well outside the then still existing city walls . After 1953, the palace compound ceased to be used as the main royal residence and slowly fell into disuse. The "Murabba' Development Project"

300-629: The King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives as well as the King Abdulaziz Mosque. The park mostly gets crowded by families and is characterized by its rock formations, plants and paved pathways. Al-Haras Park ( Arabic : حديقة الحرس , lit.   'the guard garden') is located adjacent to the King Abdulaziz Mosque in the western side of the King Abdulaziz Historical Center . Bordered by King Saud Road from south and Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi bin Turki Street from

330-773: The Murabba Palace compound and the National Museum , the park's precincts were chosen as the destination for the al-Murabaa zone by the General Entertainment Authority for the annual Riyadh Season entertainment festival in October 2019 during its inaugural edition and again in the season's 2021 edition. The zone features several seasonal restaurants and cafes with international cuisines that offer culinary traditions from countries like America , Italy , Greece , Japan , Argentina and France . King Abdulaziz Historical Center King Abdulaziz Historical Center (KAHC) ( Arabic : مركز الملك عبدالعزيز التاريخي )

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360-573: The Palm Oasis and al-Yamamah Park. It was inaugurated in January 1999 by King Fahd bin Abdulaziz to mark the centenary year of Ibn Saud 's takeover of Riyadh in 1902, that paved the way for the establishment of the Emirate of Riyadh , the first iteration of modern Saudi Arabia . It is not the "historic centre" of the city as this lies to the south around Masmak fort and the main Friday Mosque in

390-448: The construction process. The palace was intended to be a family residence and court for the king. With the construction of the palace three novel technologies were introduced to the Saudi society: the use of the automobiles as means of transportation, electricity by means of generators and water closets with drainage systems. In order to connect the palace with the city center a concrete road

420-437: The integration of courtyards. The palace was built mainly by bricks, indigenous stones, tamarisk trunk and palm-leaf stalks. The walls of the building were made by straw reinforced adobe, and have engraved ornaments on coating. Local acacia with palm frond matts was used for the ceiling of the palace. The wood beams supporting the ceiling have decorations with yellow, red, and black geometric patterns. A development project

450-413: The king included audience hall, offices of administrative affairs, communications and guest chambers. The ground floor housed the offices for palace utilities, security and administration. The building has a plain style and reflects the general features of the traditional Najdi architecture. It also reflects the general characteristics of Najd 's urban pattern, namely solid masses, covered streets, and

480-471: The northeastern section of the King Abdulaziz Historical Center , adjacent to the building of National Museum . It overlooks the al-Soor Park from the west. Al-Jisr and al-Madi parks altogether form the northeastern strip of the King Abdulaziz Historical Center . They were inaugurated by the then Riyadh governor Prince Salman ibn Abdulaziz in October 2004. The total area of the two parks are almost 30,000 square meters and it overlooks King Faisal Road from

510-450: The original buildings. The surrounding area was made into a landscape of parks and plazas and new buildings were built such as the National Museum of Saudi Arabia . The units on the west side of the area are from south to north: A remodelled mosque, the old original Murabba' Palace with main Diwan renovated as a " living museum ", the "Memorial Hall" on the outlines of an old courtyard house,

540-503: The palace in 1938. Another palace, Addeera, was also used as a royal residence. During the reign of King Abdulaziz Murabba Palace witnessed many official visits and sign of various agreements. A lift was installed into the Murabba Palace in the late 1940s when the king had difficulty in climbing the stairs due to advanced arthritis . It was the first lift in Saudi Arabia. The king appointed one of his sons, Prince Mansour , as emir of

570-416: The palace. King Abdulaziz's successor, King Saud , also used the palace for official activities. For instance, he inaugurated the council of ministers with a ceremony in the Murabba Palace on 7 March 1954. The Murabba palace is situated two kilometers north of the old city of Riyadh, and its total area was over 16 hectares. The area of the palace was later expanded to 30 hectares. In a study dated 2021

600-432: The prelude to the unification of Saudi Arabia almost thirty years later in 1932. The National Museum Park encompasses almost five municipal parks and gardens, that include al-Haras Park, al-Soor Park, al-Wadi Park, al-Jisr Park and al-Madi Park. Al-Haras Park and al-Soor Park altogether constitute the northwestern strip of the King Abdulaziz Historical Center , located in the backyard of the Murabba Palace compound and

630-401: The residence of Saud Al Kabeer and his wife Noura bint Abdul Rahman , elder sister of King Abdulaziz. In the 1950s the Murabba Palace was connected to Al Nasriyah Farm which is in fact a rural palace in the west of old Riyadh through a stone road. The building is a complex of palaces used for different purposes, housing two stories with 32 rooms. Overall shape of the building is cubic. It

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660-512: The site declined in importance and subsequently saw a mosque being built on the site. After the inauguration of the King Abdulaziz Historical Center in 1999, the Riyadh Development Authority began working on the site and rehabilitated it as a municipal park . The park covers an area of 14,790 square meters and is characterized by its wide green area of natural grass that include 567 date palm trees. Owing to its close proximity to

690-447: The size of the palace is cited as 9,844.64 m . The palace is located about half a mile from Masmak fort. The area of the palace was called Murabba Al Sufyan. In the south of the palace there are gardens, and the Batha valley is situated in the east. Wadi Abu Rafie is in the west, and small hills lie on the north of the palace. Murabba Palace is very close to Al Shamsia mansion which was

720-413: The south, the area around the old water tower has been remodelled and now includes a small theme park . The whole project is said to have cost some 680 million Saudi riyals (about 181.33 million U.S. dollars at the time) and covers an area of some 360,000 square meters (3,000,000 sq ft). Murabba Palace Murabba Palace ( Arabic : قصر المربّع Qaṣr al Murabbaʿ; literally the 'Square Palace')

750-482: The west, the park was named al-Haras ( Arabic : الحرس , lit.   'the guard') because of the site previously hosting the headquarters of the Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG) ( Arabic : الحرس الوطني , romanized :  al-Ḥaras al-Waṭanī ). It overlooks the al-Yamamah Park from the north. Al-Soor Park ( Arabic : حديقة السور , lit.   'the enclosure garden')

780-415: The west. Al-Jisr Park ( Arabic : حديقة الجسر , lit.   'the bridge garden') is located next to al-Madi Park and has an area of 15,076 square-meters. The park has three gates and derives its name al-Jisr ( Arabic : الجسر , lit.   'the bridge') from a 21-meters long and 2.4 meters wide suspension bridge . The park is further characterized by 31,500 shrubs , 228 trees and

810-542: Was constructed which was also new in the city. In 1939 electricity, lighting, fans, limited air-conditioning, a central water supply and lavatories were added by the Aramco technicians to the palace. The king left his former court in Masmak fort when the construction was finished, and used the palace as his residence and court from 1938 until his death in 1953. One of his wives, Hussa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi , also moved with him to

840-585: Was initiated by the Saudi Commission for Tourism & Antiquities in 1999 to renovate the Murabba palace. It was converted into a museum and became open to public visits. It was called "living museum" after renovation. It is part of the King Abdulaziz Darat or King Abdulaziz Historical Center . In the current usage, the ground floor includes the guards' room and stores for food, coffee, wood and other materials needed for cooking. The upper floor

870-479: Was later started to make use of the area for projects involved with the Centennial Celebrations in 1999. As such the area was chosen to be the site of several cultural institutions focusing on the national history in general and the history of the current Saudi State and its founder in detail. Consequently, what had remained of the old palace compound buildings was restored or remodelled on plans similar to

900-464: Was transformed into a museum and opened to the general public in 1999. The palace was built by King Abdulaziz outside the walled town of Riyadh , being the first major expansion of the city in the twentieth century. Construction was started in 1936 and partly finalized in 1938. It was fully completed in 1945. The construction was supervised by builder Ibn Qabba, but the King also personally involved in

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