JEDDAH, 30 August 2007 — Several documents of historical importance have been found at Makkah’s Al-Saqqaf Palace by a Saudi TV crew when they visited the facility to prepare a documentary on anthropology of various Saudi cities and regions.
Mahmoud Sabbagh, the presenter of the program, said he was shocked seeing important historical documents and investigation reports scattered inside the palace located in Maabda. He urged quick intervention of authorities to save the palace and its valuable documents.
“Some documents found at the palace were related to correspondence between senior government officials in the beginning of the Saudi era,” he told Al-Watan Arabic daily. “We have also found police reports of security-related incidents that took place in Makkah in the past.”
The old palace, which was once the seat of the royal court and the Makkah governorate, is in disrepair and Abdul Rahman Al-Thubaity, in charge of antiquities at the Education Department in Makkah, said the palace’s maintenance and renovation were the duty of different agencies.
The Agency for Antiquities had earlier planned to transform the palace into a large museum like the King Abdul Aziz Historical Center in Riyadh. Ahmad ibn Alawi Al-Saqqaf, who owned the palace, donated it to King Abdul Aziz.
King Abdul Aziz later instructed then Makkah Mayor Abbas Qattan to expand the palace by constructing new buildings. The new palace was completed in 1350H under the supervision of Muhammad Binladin. The palace features old Makkan architecture.
During the time of King Faisal, the palace became the headquarters of the Muslim World League after the governorate was shifted to a building in Al-Adel area.
Meanwhile, Prince Mansour ibn Miteb, deputy minister of municipal and rural affairs, instructed all municipalities to coordinate with the Supreme Commission for Tourism before removing any antique building of historical importance. He also instructed them to work for renovating those buildings to promote tourism and protect antiquities.
Municipal officials have also been urged to provide a copy of the decision taken by the committee for removing old buildings before removing the building in order to make sure that the facility does not include in the list of important heritage sites.
