Al-Masmak museum conjures up Najd’s history

The Al-Masmak district has become popular among tourists and residents of the Kingdom’s capital because of its many old and new buildings, mosques, coffee shops and shopping area.
“Muslims go there for prayer at the mosque at sundown while others simply sit on the concrete benches in front of the coffee shops to leisurely pass the time drinking tea or coffee,” said Sultan Al-Qathani, an employee at the Passport Office.
The centerpiece of the area, he said, is Al-Masmak Fort which has been turned into a museum. It is also called Qasr Al-Masmak or Al-Masmak Palace.
After prayer time, with dusk having darkened the environment, many stroll toward the museum.
The museum conjures up the ancient history of Saudi Arabia. Visitors can travel back in time and witness how the late King Abdul Aziz besieged it and took it back from the Al-Rashid family. Detail of this event is illustrated through a picture at the entrance of the museum.
“It served as a military post and as a ammunition storehouse until it was acknowledged as a patrimonial symbol of the establishment of Saudi Arabia,” said Al-Qathani.
The fortress was built in 1865 by King Abdullah lll bin Faisal Al-Saud as an inner fortification for the city during conflicts over the rule of the Najd region, between the Al-Saud and Al-Rashid families. In 1901, the then-Emir Abdul Aziz bin Saud besieged the fortress and took it back from the Al-Rashid family. The fort was restored to serve as a museum and was inaugurated in 1995.
The museum lives up to expectations. It shows mementoes of the Kingdom’s historic past, including some 20 pictures of palaces found in various parts of the Kingdom.
“The ambiance of Riyadh in the late 1940s as shown by the pictures inevitably evokes pride in the heart and mind of every patriotic Saudi,” Al-Qathani said.
A European, who requested anonymity, added: “It appears that the government has been very discreet in conserving the fort which it has turned into a museum. Its structure is a throwback to a distant past but it also shows traces of modern architecture. This is in keeping with contemporary times,” he said.
“For this reason, the museum is a repository of the history of Riyadh and, by extension, of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” he added.
Apart from the museum there are other attractions in the area. This includes Riyadh governor’s office whose size and architecture is something to behold. Visitors go to governor’s office for various reasons, but most often seeking travel documents to go back home.
Al-Masmak Fort, the governor’s office, the mosque, and the buildings of the religious police form a circle. At its center is a wide concrete space where children play at sunset.
During Haj holidays more than 25,000 people visit the area, according to Nasser Al-Oraifi, museum’s director. The visitors include diplomats from different countries.
“All the buildings in the area complement each other so that the whole place has become a tourist attraction,” said Mojib Rahman, a Bangladeshi businessman.
He said that owners of buildings in the Al-Masmak area have either rented out spaces for commercial purposes or set up shops to cash in on the influx of tourists particularly on weekends.