A centenary project
The center stands in the historic al-Murabba district of downtown Riyadh and was built by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City. It was inaugurated on 22 January 1999 to mark the centenary of King Abdulaziz's entry into Riyadh.
The two-storey National Museum, about 28,000 m², occupies its eastern side. Around it stand the King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives (Darah), the King Abdulaziz Mosque, the Red Palace built in 1948 for King Saud, a 1971 water tower, restored mud houses and a park with a palm oasis and an old well.
Murabba Palace
The palace was planned by King Abdulaziz and built by Hamad bin Qaba', two kilometres beyond the walls of old Riyadh, as the growing town spilled outward. The King moved in in 1938. Stone foundations carry walls of sun-dried clay and straw, with ceilings of palm stalks and tamarisk trunks.
A seven-metre wall with sixteen towers once enclosed the complex. The Royal Court, two square floors of sixteen rooms each, is the only part to survive; today it is supervised by Darah and receives visitors and official delegations.