Al-Murabba Historical Palace

Al-Murabba Historical Palace

Riyadh Riyadh

About :

On the fifth of Shawwal, 1902 AD, King Abdulaziz stormed Riyadh, taking immediate control of the Masmak Fortress and deciding to stay at Deira Palace with his family. After much expansion and progress in the Riyadh area, the King decided to relocate outside the northern wall of Riyadh, which was known at the time as Abu Rafi, and later as Al-Murabba.

The king built the first palace in the Al-Murabba area in 1356 Hijri, and this was after discovering oil wells and extracting them. Its construction was fully completed in 1357 Hijri, after which the king moved directly there from the Deira Palace, and a memorial plaque was placed at the entrance of the palace in 1358 Hijri.

Following that, development and construction movements began within the Al-Murabba area in Riyadh and lasted for more than ten years, with the general form of the development being set in 1366 and the construction of the Royal City being completed, with the walls and towers built in the shape of a square, which was the main reason for naming the area Al-Murabba (an Arabic word meaning "The square").

Sections of Al-Murabba Historical Palace 

The ground floor houses approximately 16 rooms for the Royal Court guards who serve King Abdulaziz. The head of the royal guard, his deputy, and his assistant have been assigned rooms (14, 15, 16). Room No. 6 was designated for the coffee council, and it was distinguished by its vast layout, which had a burner and ample coffee supplies. Room No. 9 was for the electric elevator official, while Room No. 12 was for summer water cooling.

The first floor contains two main halls, the height of the large hall is about 20 feet and there are 3 columns in the middle of it built with stones and Gypsum and it was decorated to receive guests and visitors, it also has all the King's things such as a table, desk, chair, and telephone, while the small hall has a small council to be used mainly in winter to accommodate about 50 men 

As for the roof, there is a room dedicated to cooling water. 

Events and facts of Al-Murabba Historical Palace

The Al-Murabba Historical Palace witnessed many important events in Saudi Arabia's history, such as King Abdulaziz receiving a large number of presidents and kings from around the world, as well as many royal decisions made in this palace, such as the establishment of the radio, the Ministry of Defense, the Monetary Institution, regular schools, and the Saudi currency minting, in addition to many administrative decisions.

Development and restoration of Al-Murabba Historical Palace

The Heritage Foundation oversaw the development and restoration of Al-Murabba Historical Palace with the goal of preserving the palace's heritage style. Many repairs have been made in some areas to restore them to their original condition during the reign of King Abdul Aziz, such as restoring the balconies overlooking the inner lobby, and some of the iron bridges have been replaced with wooden bridges of traditional design. The palace columns, walls, ceilings, and external and internal doors have all been restored as part of the restoration work.

The Heritage Foundation has also assisted international and local experts in the restoration and revival of the palace, as Al-Murabba Historical Palace is one of the historical palaces that has witnessed many important historical events since ancient times