At-Turaif is a historic district located in Al-Dir'iyah north-west of

Riyadh Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the R ...

which is regarded as one of the important political and historical sites in

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

represented the capital of Saudi dynasty, it was the original home of the

Saudi royal family The House of Saud ( ar, آل سُعُود, ʾĀl Suʿūd ) is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. It is composed of the descendants of Muhammad bin Saud, founder of the Emirate of Diriyah, known as the First Saudi state (1727–1818), and ...

and the country's first capital, from 1727 till the Ottomans sacking of the area in 1818.

History

At-Turaif District was founded in the 15th century bearing an architectural style of Najdi; this historical site was inscribed in UNESCO World Heritage List on July 31, 2010. The various palaces in this area with an oasis and the Najdi architectural and decorative style was one of the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

criteria to list the district as a

World Heritage site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

. Moreover, The At-Turaif District was the first historical center with a unifying power in the

Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate ...

. As in the mid-18th century, Al-Dir'iyah became the capital of an independent Arab State representing an important phase in the human settlement of the central Arabian peninsula. Sacked by the Ottomans in 1818 in the

Siege of Diriyah The siege of Diriyah took place in late 1818 at the end of the Wahhabi War of 1811–18 during the Nejd Expedition. Ibrahim Pasha arrived at the gates of Diriyah with 2,000 cavalrymen, 4,300 Turkish and Albanian soldiers, 1,300 Maghrebi cava ...

, abandoned in favour of Riyadh, the area remained deserted until 2000, when the Ad-Diriyah Development Authority was commissioned to carry out an impressive restoration project aimed at transforming this settlement, recognized as a World Heritage Site, but unknown to most, into an international tourist destination.

Historic palaces and monuments At-Turaif

There are some Historic palaces and monuments in At-Turaif district include: * Salwa Palace * Saad bin Saud Palace * The Guest House and At-Turaif Bath House * Imam Mohammad bin Saud Mosque

At-Turaif restoration program

In December 2018, Saudi Arabia launched a restoration program for At-Turaif historic district aimed at documenting the archaeological sites of the district and transforming it into an open museum. The project comes as part of Saudi's tourism plan that aims at increasing the Saudi local tourism and apart if the

Saudi Vision 2030 Saudi Vision 2030 ( ar, رؤية السعودية ٢٠٣٠ ''ruʾyah al-suʿūdiyah'') is a strategic framework to reduce Saudi Arabia's dependence on oil, diversify its economy, and develop public service sectors such as health, education, in ...

. Atturaif Living Museum (UNESCO World Heritage Site) received the ‘National Winner’ status in the Social, Cultural and Heritage Project of the Year category at the 2020 MEED Project Awards.

References

{{Portal, Saudi Arabia__FORCETOC__ Riyadh Province World Heritage Sites in Saudi Arabia Tourist attractions in Riyadh