Thulaim Palace () or Thulaim Guesthouse (), is a double-storey multipurpose historic building in the easternmost extreme of
al-Futah,
Riyadh,
Saudi Arabia, located next to the Batʼha Commercial Center. It once served as one of the
quarantine facilities for treating patients during the
smallpox epidemic of the 1940s. Built between 1936 and 1939 by
King Abdulaziz ibn Saud on a farm with the same name situated on the edge of
Wadi al-Batha in the northeastern fringes of the
old city walls, it overlooks the eponymous neighborhood of
Thulaim
Thulaim () is a commercial and residential neighborhood in downtown Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, located south of al-Amal and north of Margab in the sub-municipality of al-Malaz, which itself got named after the compound.
Overview and background
In 1936, King Abdulaziz purchased a farm called Thulaim, that was located on the northeastern outskirts of the walled town of
Riyadh to build a public guesthouse
endowed for his father,
Abdul Rahman bin Faisal Al Saud
Abdul (also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as Abdal, Abdel, Abdil, Abdol, Abdool, or Abdoul; ar, عبد ال, ) is the most frequent transliteration of the combination of the Arabic word ''Abd (Arabic), Abd'' (, meaning "Servant") and th ...
. Initially, the building intended to function as a stopover for travelers coming to
Riyadh to meet Abdulaziz and tribal
nomads who watered their livestock through a large seven column basin situated in close proximity to it, known as Madi, which is today the site for the Midi Mosque in the
National Museum Park. However, as the
smallpox epidemic gripped Arabia in the early 1940s, the building was quickly transformed into a quarantine center and underwent expansion to primarily serve infected patients.
References
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Buildings and structures in Riyadh
Buildings and structures completed in 1939
1939 establishments in Saudi Arabia