Al-Hamra Palace (), better known as the Red Palace () is a historic palace and a cultural landmark located in the al-Fouta neighborhood of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Commissioned in 1943 by King Abdulaziz ibn Saud as a gift to his son and future monarch, Prince Saud bin Abdulaziz, it served as the latter's main residence and workplace from its completion in 1948 until he moved to the al-Nassiriyah Palace in 1956. It is the first

reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete (RC), also called reinforced cement concrete (RCC) and ferroconcrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having hig ...

structure in the history of Saudi Arabia and its layout and design were modeled after the historic British Residency building in Hyderabad, India. It was opened to the general public in 2019 after being abandoned for almost 17 years. Since 2022, the palace compound is owned by the Boutique Group, which is set to transform the building into a luxury hotel. Following the construction of al-Nassiriyah Palace in 1956, Saud handed over the premises of the palace to the Saudi Council of Ministers where it functioned as their main office between 1956 and 1988, hosting numerous foreign dignitaries and head of states during their official visits to the country in that period. The palace temporarily served as a military headquarter during the 1990–1991 Gulf War and later became part of the King Abdulaziz Historical Center (KAHC) in 1999. The palace hosted many foreign heads of states and officials between 1948 and 1988, such as Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi of Iran, President Shukri al-Quwatli of

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

, King Talal bin Abdullah of Jordan, Crown Prince Saif al-Islam al-Badr of North Yemen, President Camille Chamoun of Lebanon, President

Gamal Abdel Nasser Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein, . (15 January 1918 – 28 September 1970) was an Egyptian politician who served as the second president of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970. Nasser led the Egyptian revolution of 1952 and introduced far-re ...

of Egypt and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru of India.

History and background

King Abdulaziz ibn Saud along with his family members had moved to the

Murabba Palace The Murabba Palace (Arabic: Qasr al Murabba; the Square Palace) is one of the historic buildings in Al Murabba, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The palace is the first building that was erected outside the walls of the old city. It was named after its squa ...

in 1938 as the

walled town of Riyadh The walled town of Riyadh was the original core of Riyadh, the modern-day capital of Saudi Arabia, located on the western edge of Wadi al-Batʼha in present-day districts of ad-Dirah and ad-Doho. It succeeded from Migrin in 1746 when Dahham ...

became more densely populated and congested. In 1940,

Saud bin Abdulaziz Saud bin Abdulaziz may refer to: * Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (1748-1814) - Ruler of Diriyah Emirate (r.1803-1814) *Saud of Saudi Arabia - King of Saudi Arabia (r.1953-1964) and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia (1953-1954; 1960-1962) *Saud bin Abdulaz ...

, then-heir apparent and Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, was on an official-visit to the

Hyderabad State Hyderabad State () was a princely state located in the south-central Deccan region of India with its capital at the city of Hyderabad. It is now divided into the present-day state of Telangana, the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka, and t ...

, one of several

princely state A princely state (also called native state or Indian state) was a nominally sovereign entity of the British Raj, British Indian Empire that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule, ...

s of British India. As he came within the sight of the building of the British Residency in the Koti suburb of Hyderabad, he was so impressed by the architecture that he sought to build palaces for himself in a similar fashion upon returning to the country. In 1943, Saud's two-storey mud palace, which was situated adjacent to the

, witnessed a fire-breakout. Saud and his family were safely evacuated and temporarily moved to another royal residence before the earth-structured palace got razed down and al-Yamamah Secondary School was built on the site.

Abdulaziz Abdulaziz ( ota, عبد العزيز, ʿAbdü'l-ʿAzîz; tr, Abdülaziz; 8 February 18304 June 1876) was the 32nd List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and reigned from 25 June 1861 to 30 May 1876, when he was 187 ...

commissioned the construction of the al-Hamra Palace in 1943, and awarded the contract to Saudi construction magnate and businessman Mohammed bin Laden. Construction began in 1943 and was completed by 1948. In 1953, Abdulaziz died, and subsequently had his son Saud bin Abdulaziz succeeding him as the new monarch of Saudi Arabia. Besides his residence, the palace now also began to serve as his official workplace. He commissioned the construction of al-Nassiriyah Palace in the eponymous neighborhood in Riyadh, and moved there upon its completion in 1956. The palace was later handed over to the country's Council of Ministers and also served as the workplace of

Faisal bin Abdulaziz Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ( ar, فيصل بن عبدالعزيز آل سعود ''Fayṣal ibn ʿAbd al ʿAzīz Āl Suʿūd'', Najdi Arabic pronunciation: ; 14 April 1906 – 25 March 1975) was a Saudi Arabian statesman and diplomat who was ...

, who was then Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. In 1966, the Council of Ministers of Saudi Arabia passed a resolution during the reign of

King Faisal bin Abdulaziz King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

to renovate the palace. The main office of the Council of Ministers moved to the al-Yamamah Palace in 1988 during the reign of King Fahd bin Abdulaziz and the palace was later on handed over the Saudi Board of Grievances. In 2002, the headquarters of the Saudi Board of Grievances were relocated and the palace was completely abandoned.

Reopening

In March 2019, the palace was opened to the general public for the first time where an exhibition was conducted within the premises that displayed belongings of Saudi monarchs. In January 2022, Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman unveiled a new hospitality firm, Boutique Group, to transform historical places into luxury hotels. In the first phase of the project, three sites were chosen for redevelopment: al-Hamra Palace in Jeddah, the Red Palace and

Tuwaiq Palace Tuwaiq Palace or Towaiq Palace is a building in the Alhattan Street of the Diplomatic Quarter district in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which hosts government functions, state receptions, and cultural festivals that introduce Saudi arts and customs to the ...

in Riyadh. In October 2023, Boutique Group awarded contracts to Aedas architectural firm and Tristan Auer, a company specialized for interior designing.

References

{{Reflist Palaces in Saudi Arabia Buildings and structures in Riyadh Museums in Riyadh Buildings and structures completed in 1948 1948 establishments in Saudi Arabia