Murabba Palace
Historic building in Riyadh
Murabba Palace | |
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General information | |
Architectural style |
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Town or city | Riyadh |
Country | Saudi Arabia |
Coordinates | 24°38′47″N 46°42′33″E / 24.6465°N 46.7093°E / 24.6465; 46.7093 |
Construction started | 1936 |
Completed | 1938 |
Client | King Abdulaziz |
Technical details | |
Size | 9,844.64 m 2 |
Design and construction | |
Engineer | Ibn Qabba |
The Murabba Palace ( Arabic : Qasr al Murabba; the Square Palace) is one of the historic buildings in Al Murabba , Riyadh , Saudi Arabia . The palace is the first building that was erected outside the walls of the old city . [1] It was named after its square with the form of 400 by 400 metres (1,300 by 1,300 ft) . [2] It is one of the museums in the city.
History
The palace was built by King Abdulaziz outside Riyadh, being the first major expansion of the city in the twentieth century. [2] Construction was started in 1936 and partly finalized in 1938. [3] It was fully completed in 1945. [4] The construction was supervised by builder Ibn Qabba, but the King also personally involved in the construction process. [5] The palace was intended to be a family residence and court for the king. [6] 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. [2] In order to connect the palace with the city center a concrete road was constructed which was also new in the city. [7] In 1939 electricity, lighting, fans, limited air-conditioning, a central water supply and lavatories were added by the Aramco technicians to the palace. [5]
The king left his former court in Masmak fort when the construction was finished, [8] and used the palace as his residence and court from 1938 until his death in 1953. [9] One of his wives, Hussa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi , also moved with him to the palace in 1938. [10] Another palace, Addeera, was also used as a royal residence. [4]
During the reign of King Abdulaziz Murabba Palace witnessed many official visits and sign of various agreements. [11] 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 . [8] It was the first lift in Saudi Arabia. [8] The king appointed one of his sons, Prince Mansour , as emir of the palace. [12]
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. [13]
Location
The Murabba palace is situated two kilometers north of the old city of Riyadh, and its total area was over 16 hectares. [5] [14] The area of the palace was later expanded to 30 hectares. [5] In a study dated 2021 the size of the palace is cited as 9,844.64 m 2 . [15]
The palace is located about half a mile from Masmak fort. [9] The area of the palace was called Murabba Al Sufyan. [16] In the south of the palace there are gardens, and the Batha valley is situated in the east. [16] Wadi Abu Rafie is in the west, and small hills lie on the north of the palace. [16]
Murabba Palace is very close to Al Shamsia mansion which was the residence of Saud Al Kabeer and his wife Noura bint Abdul Rahman , elder sister of King Abdulaziz. [17] 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. [1]
Layout and style
The building is a complex of palaces used for different purposes, housing two stories with 32 rooms. [16] Overall shape of the building is cubic. [18] It is made up of residential buildings, service facilities and the diwan of the king. [6] These buildings are surrounded by a courtyard. [19] A huge brick wall also surrounds the palace, and there are nine gates. [11] 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. [4]
The upper floor of the building used for court of the king included audience hall, offices of administrative affairs, communications and guest chambers. [16] The ground floor housed the offices for palace utilities, security and administration. [16]
The building has a plain style [6] and reflects the general features of the traditional Najdi architecture. [4] It also reflects the general characteristics of Najd 's urban pattern, namely solid masses, covered streets, and the integration of courtyards. [2] The palace was built mainly by bricks, indigenous stones, tamarisk trunk and palm-leaf stalks. [16] The walls of the building were made by straw reinforced adobe, and have engraved ornaments on coating. [4] Local acacia with palm frond matts was used for the ceiling of the palace. [4] The wood beams supporting the ceiling have decorations with yellow, red, and black geometric patterns. [4]
Current usage
A development project was initiated by the Saudi Commission for Tourism & Antiquities in 1999 to renovate the Murabba palace. [20] [21] It was converted into a museum and became open to public visits. [22] It was called "living museum" after renovation. [18] It is part of the King Abdulaziz Darat or King Abdulaziz Historical Center . [6] [23]
In the current usage, the ground floor includes the guards' room and stores for food, coffee, wood and other materials needed for cooking. [23] The upper floor is made up of salons and waiting rooms for visitors. [23] There several historic garments and crafts are exhibited. [24] There are also the King Abdulaziz memorial hall and a written and photographic archive centre in the building. [8]
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. [25] On 20 May 2017 the US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump attended a dinner which was organized by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud at the Murabba Palace. [26]
References
- 1 2 Sama Al Malik (2017). Improving the city image of Riyadh. Through storefront and street signage redesign (MA thesis). University of Barcelona. hdl : 2445/113737 .
- 1 2 3 4 Saleh Al Hathloul (21 April 2002). "Riyadh Architecture in One Hundred Years" (Public lecture) . Center of the Study of Built Environment . Amman . Retrieved 22 July 2013 .
- ↑ "Experience to discover" . Saudi Tourism . Archived from the original on 16 May 2013 . Retrieved 22 July 2013 .
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Al Murabba Palace (Saudi Arabia)" . IRCICA . Archived from the original on 22 July 2013 . Retrieved 22 July 2013 .
- 1 2 3 4 Sumayah Al Solaiman (Spring 2016). "Architecture as a Tool of Editing History: The Case of Saudi Arabia's King Abdulaziz Historical Center". Traditional Dwellings and Settlements Review . 27 (2): 42–43. JSTOR 24720019 .
- 1 2 3 4 "King Abdulaziz Historical Center" . ArRiyadh City . 8 October 2011 . Retrieved 22 July 2013 .
- ↑ Pascal Menoret (2019). "Learning from Riyadh: Automobility, Joyriding, and Politics". Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East . 39 (1): 131–142. doi : 10.1215/1089201X-7493843 . S2CID 181899287 .
- 1 2 3 4 "Murabba Palace Historical Centre" . Simbacom . Archived from the original on 19 June 2013 . Retrieved 22 July 2013 .
- 1 2 "Rebirth of a historic center" . Saudi Embassy Magazine . Spring 1999. Archived from the original on 7 August 2013.
- ↑ Kholoud Al Abdullah (23 September 2014). "سعوديات خلدهن التاريخ" . Rouge Magazine (in Arabic) . Retrieved 9 September 2020 .
- 1 2 "The Murabba Palace" . Whatafy . 4 May 2013 . Retrieved 22 July 2013 .
- ↑ "The King of Arabia" . Life . 31 May 1943. p. 71. ISSN 0024-3019 .
- ↑ Summer Scott Huyette (1984). Political Adaptation in Saudi Arabia: A Study of the Council of Ministers (PhD thesis). Columbia University . p. 135. ProQuest 303285259 .
- ↑ Yasser Elsheshtawy (2008). The Evolving Arab City: Tradition, Modernity and Urban Development . London; New York: Routledge. p. 122. ISBN 978-0-415-41156-1 .
- ↑ Abobakr Al Sakkaf; Sherif Ahmed Mahmoud; Eslam Mohammed Abdelkader (2021). "Improving Energy Performance and Thermal Comfort for Heritage Buildings: A Case Study Murabba Palace". International Conference on Innovations in Energy Engineering & Cleaner Production IEECP21 : 3. doi : 10.6084/m9.figshare.14546634 .
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Murabba Palace: The historical divan of King Abdul Aziz" . Arab News . Jeddah. 24 September 2012 . Retrieved 22 July 2013 .
- ↑ H. St. J. B. Philby (Spring 1959). "Riyadh: Ancient and Modern". The Middle East Journal . 13 (2): 129–141. JSTOR 4323104 .
- 1 2 "Murabba Palace" . CIAH . 9 March 2011 . Retrieved 22 July 2013 .
- ↑ Jonathan M. Bloom ; Sheila Blair , eds. (2009). The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture: Delhi to Mosque . London; New York: Oxford University Press . p. 152. ISBN 978-0-19-530991-1 .
- ↑ Faleh Al Dhuyabi; Majed Al Mufadhali (11 March 2010). "SCTA takes over Al Saqqaf Palace" . Saudi Gazette . Jeddah/Mecca. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014 . Retrieved 22 July 2013 .
- ↑ "King Abdulaziz Historical Centre" . ArchNet . Archived from the original on 5 September 2012 . Retrieved 22 July 2013 .
- ↑ Catherine Broberg (2003). Saudi Arabia in Pictures . Minneapolis, MN: Twenty-First Century Books. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-8225-1958-4 .
- 1 2 3 "Al Murabba'a Historical Palace, Riyadh" . Aol Travel . Retrieved 22 July 2013 .
- ↑ "Riyadh. Murabba Palace" . Meet Saudi Arabia . Retrieved 22 July 2013 .
- ↑ Mohammed Al Sudairi (13 September 2017). "Some Observations on the Significance of President Xi Jinping's Visit and the Problem of the Sino-Saudi Relationship" (Commentary) . King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies.
- ↑ "U.S. President Trump in Saudi Arabia for 1st visit abroad" . Anadolu Agency . Retrieved 5 March 2021 .
External links
- Media related to Murabba Palace at Wikimedia Commons
- Pictures of Murabba Palace
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