Shubra Palace is a royal palace in

Taif, Saudi Arabia Taif (, ) is a city and governorate in Mecca Province in Saudi Arabia. Located at an elevation of in the slopes of the Hijaz Mountains, which themselves are part of the Sarat Mountains, the city has a population of 563,282 people in 2022, mak ...

. It was one of the royal residences until 1995 when it was transformed into a museum.

History

The building was originally constructed in 1858 as a two-storey house. It was rebuilt by Ali Pasha, former

sharif of Mecca The Sharif of Mecca () was the title of the leader of the Sharifate of Mecca, traditional steward of the Holiest sites in Islam, Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina. The term ''sharif'' is Arabic for "noble", "highborn", and is used to desc ...

, and completed in 1905. It was named after a palace built in

Cairo, Egypt Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

. Following the capture of the city by Saudis the Shubra Palace was used by

King Abdulaziz Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud (; 15 January 1875Ibn Saud's birth year has been a source of debate. It is generally accepted as 1876, although a few sources give it as 1880. According to British author Robert Lacey's book ''The Kingdom'', ...

as summer residence. Two of his sons, Prince Talal and Prince Nawwaf, were born there. It is where King Abdulaziz died in 1953. King Faisal used the Shubra Palace as a summer residence. The palace was also used as the office of

Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...

Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

. In 1995 the palace was made a heritage museum.

Layout and style

The building consists of four floors and four uniform facades with gardens. The windows and balconies have a criss-crossed pattern of strips of wood, known as

latticework __NOTOC__ Latticework is an openwork framework consisting of a criss-crossed pattern of strips of building material, typically wood or metal. The design is created by crossing the strips to form a grid or weave. Latticework may be functional &nd ...

. The interior of the building is designed with marble from

Carrara, Italy Carrara ( ; ; , ) is a town and ''comune'' in Tuscany, in central Italy, of the province of Massa and Carrara, and notable for the white or blue-grey Carrara marble, marble quarried there. It is on the Carrione River, some Boxing the compass, ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shubra Palace 1905 establishments in the Ottoman Empire Buildings and structures of the Ottoman Empire History museums in Saudi Arabia House of Saud Palaces in Saudi Arabia Royal residences in Saudi Arabia