Al-Riyadh museums | Ana Arabian

Say Riyadh, and many would immediately think about the desert and the image they have in their head about Saudi, thanks to bias / unprofessional journalist/ writer. Anyways, beside the desert that it might the only thing you know about Riyadh and Saudi in general. Riyadh has a plenty of museums that you can visit to learn about Saudi Arabia, and to give your children a chance to know about the history and the culture of the kingdom in a fun way. So, grab your camera and a sketchpad -if you are an artist-, because you all are going to inspired while you are out and about in the very best museums in Riyadh. Most of the museums are open for visitors all year around, it also allows you to arrange trips for the visit. This post is going to take you through all the museums in Riyadh.

Al-masmak Museum:

Located in northeast of Riyadh in Al-Dirah district. Al-masmak used to be a fortress, and it is one of the historical sites in the Al-Riyadh. The design was inspired from ibn Rasheed in Hail city, and it’s built by Abdulrahman bin Suliman in 1895 using bricks and muds. Before the building used as a museum, it used to be a storage for military equipment. In 1995 AD, it officially opened as a museum. The museum shows different images, painting and artifacts. Moreover, it shows some weapons like guns and swords that were used back in time. The opening hours is fixed during the week, and it changes on the weekends. Sunday to Thursday it opens two times from 8 am till 12 pm and from 4pm till 9 pm. However, in the weekend it opens once; Friday from 4 pm till 7:30 pm and on Saturday from 9 am till 12 pm.

Al-masmak significant landmarks:

The gate: it made from the palm trunks, located in the western side of the palace.
The mosque: very large place contains some windows for lighting and ventilation. Located to the left side of the main entrance.
Towers: there are 4 towers in total located in each corner of the palace. These towers were previously used by snipers.
Majlis (the gathering room in English): located in front of the main entrance.
Well: located in the northeast of the palace.

2. Saqr Aljazeera aviation Museum:

This museum displays the history of the Saudi aviation. The main hall presents the antiques of the Saudi air force. This hall presents also some weapons that used in the past and now, the tools related to the fist Saudi air flight that departed from Jeddah along with photos and videos of this event. The museum has sections that show the journey of prince sultan bin Salman to the space. The documentary is in the 4 compartments inside the building.

The museum located on airport road, east of Riyadh air force base on the ring road between exit 10 and 11.

3. Eastern heritage museum:

The history of arts and crafts are shown in this museum. It contains four regions, each showing different thing. The museum exhibited fabrics, jewelry and antiques.

4. Currency museum:

pic from the official website of the museum

It shows the currencies that were used in the Arab world, in addition to the coins dating back to the pre- Islamic era. Moreover, it displays the method of making money. The museum is located in the Saudi monetary agency. It is a good place for those who wonder how money are made.

5. National museum:

Located in the historic center of King Abdulaziz, and it is one of the largest museums in the middle east. Two floors of the center are used for this museum, which includes eight exhibitions on the history of the kingdom, the history of Islam and human civilization for example, man and the universe, the pre- Islamic era, and the message of the prophet. Various artifacts and sculptures are displayed.

6. Ad-Diriyah in Salwa Palace:

Salwa Palace is the place of government during the first Saudi state. The museum is showing the history of the first Saudi state by using both internal and external exhibitions. The internal one contains sculptures, painting and documentaries whereas the external one is exploring the units of the palace and have glance about the events that took place in each unit.

7. Horse museum:

The Arabian horse is a friend of the indigenous inhabitants of Arabia to this day. The museum shows the Arabian horses, their origins, breeding methods and characteristics during the period of the Saudi state. The first section of the museum shows a live show of a specific group of horses in the historic stable of Prince Abdullah bin Saud, to introduce their types and taming techniques. The second section includes the tools that used with the Arabian horse and some antiquities.

8. The museum of the social life at Omar bin Saud palace:

The way of life in the first Saudi state was different from the present day. This museum shows the lifestyle of the first Saudi state. It contains four sections, the first shows the social life in Diriyah, the second shows the life in the rest of the Arabian Peninsula region, the third shows the methods of construction in the past using traditional materials, and the fourth shows the houses available for daily rent.

9. Museum of commerce and house of money:

This museum shows the trade methods and the economic system. The museum is in the previously used house of money.

10. Military museum:

It shows the used equipment during the war the first Saudi state. Not only that, but also shows the battles that took place during this period. The museum contains the headquarters of Al- Ardah Dance band, and allows its visitors to go to Thunyan Bin Saud palace, which was used as a fortress to defend Ad-Diriyah.

11. Museum of traditional architecture:

It shows the history of building construction in Najd and the stage of construction that used in Ad-Diriyah.

12. Al-Murabba Historical palace:

Qaser Al-Murabba ( Murabba = square; Qaser = Palace) is one of the historical places in Riyadh, located steps from the national museum. The palace was the residence of King Abdulaziz, it was reopened as a museum. It contains two floors and courtyard open to all rooms. The reason for its name is due to the shape of the towers and also the shape of the building that takes the shape of a square.

That’s for today, see you in my next post!