Qasr Ibrahim (Ibrahim Palace)

About :

Ibrahim Palace is one of the most important historical and antique palaces, as well as one of the most significant objects unearthed in Saudi Arabia's eastern area. It is located to the north of the famous Kuwait neighborhood and was previously used as the headquarters of the Ottoman state's garrison within the governorate of Al-Ahsa, Al-Hofuf city, which belonged to Basra at the time.

King Abdulaziz Al Saud took control of the Palace on April 13, 1913, and this is in the campaign of annexation of Al-Ahsa 

The palace was built at the same time as the construction of Ali Pasha mosque (Al-Qubah Mosque in Hofuf) in 1555 AD and during this century the palace developed significantly, it has undergone much expansion work to include a prison, a castle, and Ottoman baths 

In 2019, the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage announced the completion of the restoration phase, which includes all parts of the palace and its special facilities, which included the construction of the falling parts - the plastering of the palace facilities - painting the buildings by the appropriate specifications of the historical site - developments of the square opposite the palace and rehabilitation so that it is ready to receive tourist festivals and events 

The reason for the naming of Ibrahim Palace

There are many various novels regarding why the palace was named Ibrahim. One book claims that the reason for naming this palace Ibrahim was due to the Ottoman commander Ibrahim Pasha during the administration of the Ottoman state of Al-Ahsa.

Others believe that the Ibrahim Palace was built in the 14th century Hijri and the name of the palace was attributed to the commander of the Ottoman army, who turned the palace into a garrison headquarters, and this is instead of the Sahood Fort in Al-Mubarraz. 

Another version is that the one who originally built the Ibrahim Palace was Ibrahim ibn Afisan, and that's why it was named Ibrahim 

Description of Ibrahim's Palace 

Ibrahim Palace has an area of approximately 16,500 square meters and is distinguished by its marvelous design, which was able to combine the Islamic style and military design in its construction, as well as the architectural designs of Al-Ahsa governorate, which is manifested when looking at the palace in the design of decorations, domes, and arches, and also, the construction is luxurious and immense in design, and the palace's upper balconies are built and designed to be similar to typical castles.

Ibrahim Palace consists of two architectural styles: 

The religious style: which is represented by the presence of arches that are semi-circular and the distinctive Islamic domes prominent in the palace. There is also a mihrab of the mosque, which is very famous in Turkey. As for the minaret, it is in the form of an obelisk made of wood, and it is also very prevalent in Turkey, but after the takeover of King Abdul Aziz in the city of Al-Ahsa, he made some changes in the architectural form of the palace 

The Military style: This is represented in the huge towers that surround the palace, the residential soldiers' barracks that are in the east of the palace, and the horse stables. 

One of the features of the palace is also that it was built using completely locally made raw materials. The walls of the palace were built from mud that is mixed with local hay, which was customary at that time. The ceilings were also built with palm trunks, stones, and bamboo wood. 

Ibrahim Palace also contains a mosque with domes adjacent to the main wall of the palace, and inside there is also a dome-shaped bathroom, which is located in the corner in front of the mihrab, and there is a very high minaret, which expresses the Islamic style and can be reached by a spiral staircase created by stone