DAMMAM: Alqraa Village, located 160 km of Hafr Al-Batin, contains an archaeological museum. In the museum, which is open to the public and visitors, one can learn there about traditional ways of working and living in the Kingdom.

The establishment of Alqraa Museum is evidence of the loyalty of one Saudi family’s breadwinner to the Kingdom. He began the museum himself but sadly dies before it was completed. His family decided to make his dying wish a reality and serious steps were taken in order to officially open the museum. Approval was obtained from the authorities in addition to taking necessary courses on museum management.

Al-Anoud Abdullah Al-Doweesh, the museum owner, said: “My husband had a great interest in heritage and wanted to establish an integrated heritage museum in the village of Alqraa where we live. Unfortunately, he passed away before he was able to achieve his dream but my children and I decided to complete the project and make our village an attractive destination.”

Al-Doweesh said that they obtained the required licenses from the Civil Defense and from the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTNH), in addition to attending specialized courses in museum management in order to acquire the final license from the SCTNH.

“We are ready to receive all sorts of items to be displayed in the museum after registering their owners’ names as a kind of collaboration between the museum and the community,” Al-Doweesh said. “Many Saudi families have priceless heritage items and possessions but they do not know how valuable these things are and deserve to be displayed for those who come after us,” she said.

“The SCTNH honored my late husband in the fifth National Urban Heritage Forum, held in Qassim. The forum honored his efforts in preserving pieces of our national heritage, and this has had a great and positive impact on us as a family,” she concluded.