The Hajj hall
Models of the Kaaba through the ages, an old kiswa and an original Kaaba door.
Sammy Six — CC BY 2.0 · Homoludens at Korean Wikipedia — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Sammy Six — CC BY 2.0 · Sammy Six — CC BY 2.0
The largest and best-organised museum in the kingdom, and the best place for a visitor to begin before anything else in Saudi Arabia. It stands inside the King Abdulaziz Historical Centre in Murabba, a modern building on a curved plan, set in wide gardens beside the mud-brick Murabba Palace that King Abdulaziz lived in. The display runs through eight chronological halls: the geological formation of Arabia; the pre-Islamic kingdoms — Dadan, Lihyan and the Nabataeans; the age before Islam; the Prophet's mission and the Islamic state; the first and second Saudi states; the unification of the kingdom; and the Hajj and the two holy mosques. The Hajj hall alone justifies the visit: models of the Kaaba through the ages, an old kiswa, an original Kaaba door, and an account of how the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque developed across the centuries. For an Arabic reader this hall is far richer than any summary can convey. The presentation is modern and air-conditioned, with screens, models and effects, labelled in Arabic and English, and it is among the best displays anywhere in the Gulf. Two hours minimum, three for anyone who reads. Anyone who wants to understand Hegra, AlUla and the palaces of Diriyah before visiting them should start here.
Models of the Kaaba through the ages, an old kiswa and an original Kaaba door.
Dadan, Lihyan and the Nabataeans — necessary preparation for AlUla and Hegra.
The mud-brick palace King Abdulaziz lived in, in the same complex.
King Abdulaziz Historical Centre, Riyadh
Before. The museum lays out Dadan, Lihyan and the Nabataeans in clear order, so you reach Hegra knowing who carved those tombs and why. Visiting afterwards is useful but loses most of its effect.
Two hours to work through the eight halls, three for anyone who reads the labels and lingers in the Hajj hall. With Murabba Palace in the same complex it becomes a comfortable half-day.
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