Al Masmak Palace (), also called the Masmak Fortress or Masmak Fort, is a historic

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, ). Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impuriti ...

and

mudbrick Mudbrick or mud-brick, also known as unfired brick, is an air-dried brick, made of a mixture of mud (containing loam, clay, sand and water) mixed with a binding material such as rice husks or straw. Mudbricks are known from 9000 BCE. From ...

fort in the ad-Dirah neighborhood of

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in th ...

, located in close proximity to the al-Hukm Palace in the Qasr al-Hukm District. Commissioned in 1865 by

Abdullah bin Faisal Al Saud Abdullah may refer to: * Abdullah (name), a list of people with the given name or surname * Abdullah, Kargı, Turkey, a village * ''Abdullah'' (film), a 1980 Bollywood film directed by Sanjay Khan * '' Abdullah: The Final Witness'', a 2015 Pakis ...

, it was completed in 1895 following the takeover of the

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

by the

Rashidi dynasty The Rashidi dynasty, also called Al Rashid or the House of Rashid ( ; ), was a historic Arabian House or dynasty that existed in the Arabian Peninsula between 1836 and 1921. Its members were rulers of the Emirate of Ha'il and the most formida ...

. The fortress was the main theatre for the

Battle of Riyadh The Battle of Riyadh was a minor battle in Riyadh, then part of the Emirate of Ha'il, fought between the Rashidi dynasty and the House of Saud in January 1902 that resulted in the latter's takeover of walled town by Abdul-Aziz Ibn Saud. The ...

in 1902, which marked the prelude to the

unification of Saudi Arabia The unification of Saudi Arabia was a military and political campaign in which the various tribes, sheikhdoms, city-states, emirates, and Monarchy, kingdoms of most of the central Arabian Peninsula were conquered by the House of Saud, or ''Al ...

. It was opened to the general public in 1995 after its conversion into a museum.

History

The construction of the fort was started by Abdullah bin Faisal, Emir of Najd, in 1865. It was completed in 1895 by

Emir Emir (; ' (), also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic language, Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocratic, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person po ...

of Riyadh, 'Abdurrahman ibn Sulaiman under the reign of

Muhammad bin Abdullah Al Rashid Muhammad bin Abdullah Al Rashid (, died 28 November 1897) was one of the Emirs of Jabal Shammar and is known for defeating the Saudi State, which after being defeated in the battle of Mulayda ceased to exist for a second time in 1891. His reign ...

, the ruler of the Emirate of Jabal Shammar and head of the

House of Rasheed The Rashidi dynasty, also called Al Rashid or the House of Rashid ( ; ), was a historic Arabian House or dynasty that existed in the Arabian Peninsula between 1836 and 1921. Its members were rulers of the Emirate of Ha'il and the most formidab ...

, who had wrested control of the city from the local House of Saud, who later went into exile. It was built with four

watchtower A watchtower or guardtower (also spelt watch tower, guard tower) is a type of military/paramilitary or policiary tower used for guarding an area. Sometimes fortified, and armed with heavy weaponry, especially historically, the structures are ...

s and thick walls, with a foundation of stone blocks, lying in the center of Riyadh, in the old city, part of the modern Deira district. It is one of the only historic buildings that has survived in the kingdom. The building was situated in the commercial center of historic Riyadh. In January 1902, Emir 'Abdulaziz ibn Saud Al Saud, who was at the time living in exile in

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

, returned to Riyadh and led an ambush against the Masmak fortress, regaining it from the House of Rasheed in the Battle of Riyadh. The event, which restored Saudi control over Riyadh, is considered one of the most important in the completion of the

Unification of Saudi Arabia The unification of Saudi Arabia was a military and political campaign in which the various tribes, sheikhdoms, city-states, emirates, and Monarchy, kingdoms of most of the central Arabian Peninsula were conquered by the House of Saud, or ''Al ...

. It was used as a munitions warehouse from 1902 to 1938 by King Abdulaziz before he moved his court to then newly built

Murabba Palace Murabba Palace (Arabic: قصر المربّع Qaṣr al Murabbaʿ; literally the 'Square Palace') is a historic palace in the al-Murabba neighborhood of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, located in the King Abdulaziz Historical Center. One of the first bu ...

. In 1979, the Municipality of Riyadh prepared a study for the restoration of the Masmak, following which a renovation of the fortress began. Their vision was realized in 1995 when the Ministry of Education and the Supreme Commission for the Development of Riyadh converted the building into a museum, making it an integral part of Saudi heritage. It was later incorporated into the King Abdulaziz Historical Centre, a series of restored buildings in Riyadh. Centennial celebrations were held in 1999. The museum includes displays several antique guns, costumes and agricultural artifacts.

Architecture

The Masmak can be divided into six distinct parts: the gate, the mosque, the ''

majlis (, pl. ') is an Arabic term meaning 'sitting room', used to describe various types of special gatherings among common interest groups of administrative, social or religious nature in countries with linguistic or cultural connections to the Mus ...

,'' the well, the towers and the courtyard. Gate The main gate of the palace is located in the western wall, measuring high and wide. It is thick and is made of

palmwood Coconut timber is a hardwood-substitute from coconut palm trees. It is referred to in the Philippines as coconut lumber, or coco lumber, and elsewhere additionally as cocowood or red palm. It is a new timber resource that comes from plantation cro ...

. There is an opening on the center of the door, called ''al-Khokha'', which is just big enough for one person to pass at a time, and is a defensive feature designed to allow people in and out without opening the door. Mosque The mosque is located to the left of the entrance. It is a large room supported by several columns with shelves in the walls for placing ''mus'hafs'' of the

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

. A ''

mihrab ''Mihrab'' (, ', pl. ') is a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the ''qibla'', the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca towards which Muslims should face when praying. The wall in which a ''mihrab'' appears is thus the "''qibla'' wall". ...

'' can be found in the mosque, and there are holes in the walls to provide

ventilation Ventilation may refer to: * Ventilation (physiology), the movement of air between the environment and the lungs via inhalation and exhalation ** Mechanical ventilation, in medicine, using artificial methods to assist breathing *** Respirator, a ma ...

. ''Majlis'' It is located directly ahead of the entrance and is a room in the shape of a rectangle. On the wall facing the entrance and the southern wall, there are holes in the walls for ventilation and lighting, similar to those found in the mosque. Masmak Castle from Thumairi

Well The

well A well is an excavation or structure created on the earth by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The ...

is located in the northeastern corner of the fortress. Watchtowers In each of the corners of the mosque are conical towers, each approximately high. The towers are accessed through staircases located inside them. The walls of the towers are especially thick, with a thickness of . Courtyard The courtyard is surrounded by rooms with columns connected to each other internally, and it has stairs on the eastern side leading to the first floor and roofs, and there are three residential units, the first served as the residence of the ruler, the second used as a ''

bayt al-mal ''Bayt al-mal'' () is an Arabic term that is translated as "House of money" or "House of wealth". Historically, it was a financial institution responsible for the administration of taxes in Islamic states, particularly in the early Islamic Calip ...

'', and the third was allocated for the accommodation of guests.

References

External links

Plan and Photographs

Virtual tour of the fort
{{Castles in Saudi Arabia Buildings and structures completed in the 19th century 1995 establishments in Saudi Arabia Forts in Saudi Arabia History of Najd Ottoman Arabia Buildings and structures in Riyadh History museums in Saudi Arabia Museums established in 1995 Tourist attractions in Riyadh Castles in Saudi Arabia

History

Architecture

See also

References

External links