Courtyard and palm
Two storeys of arcades.
Radosław Botev — CC BY 3.0 pl · saudipics — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Radosław Botev — CC BY 3.0 pl · saudipics — CC BY-SA 4.0 · saudipics — CC BY-SA 4.0 · saudipics — CC BY-SA 4.0 · saudipics — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Unknown authorUnknown author — Public domain
A historic palace in Riyadh's Al Murabba district, within the King Abdulaziz Historical Center, that served as King Abdulaziz's office and main residence from 1938 until his death in 1953. It was one of the first buildings raised outside the walls of old Riyadh, and its name, the Square Palace, comes from its square plot of 400 by 400 metres. Building began in 1936, was partly finished in 1938 and completed in 1945, under the builder Ibn Qabba with the king himself closely involved. The palace brought three novelties to Riyadh: cars as transport, electricity from generators and flushing toilets with drains, plus a concrete road linking it to the city centre. The palace is built of mud brick in the Najdi style, with crenellated walls, towers and a broad courtyard with a palm at its centre, ringed by two storeys of arcades. Its ceilings have wooden beams painted in yellow, red and black geometric patterns, and the rooms show furniture and belongings as they were in King Abdulaziz's last years. It opened to the public as a museum in 1999 and pairs easily with the National Museum in the same centre. Check opening times locally before you go.
Two storeys of arcades.
Geometric beam patterns.
As in his last years.
King Abdulaziz Historical Center, Al Murabba, Riyadh
Murabba means square: the palace stands on a square plot of 400 by 400 metres, one of the first built outside old Riyadh's walls.
