Museum makeover for historical Al-Saqaf Palace

The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) has plans to launch a museum of the history of Makkah at the historical Al-Saqaf Palace in the Maabad district.
The palace, which is also known as the Bayad Palace, has already been handed over by the Ministry of Finance to the SCTA, Al-Madinah daily reported.
The SCTA is currently preparing the designs to make the palace a huge museum housing all the antiquities related to Makkah and the holy sites in addition to other unique artifacts of archaeological value so that pilgrims and visitors, apart from Makkah residents, can view the history of the holy city under a single roof. It also plans to make use of the space behind the palace to display other artifacts of Makkah.
The palace was the royal court and headquarters of the government during the era of late King Abdul Aziz. During the period of King Saud, the palace reflected the traditional architecture of the Makkah region. However, the palace has suffered in the recent times because of poor maintenance and negligence. In another development the office of the Makkah governor issued an order to preserve the Tuwa Well which is associated with the Prophet’s, peace be upon him, history, Executive Director of the SCTA at Makkah Abdullah Al-Sawat said.
The ancient well is situated at the Jarwal neighborhood, where properties are being razed for the expansion of the squared of the Grand Mosque. The order specified that steps should be taken to protect the well from the impact of the construction works close to it.