he Kingdom, well aware of its cultural responsibilities toward both the Arabs and  the Muslims, has endeavored to preserve its history through the setting up of numerous museums and archaeological sanctuaries.

Al-Masmak

Historic Monument to a Glorious Era
Al Masmak tells the story of Saudi Arabia under King Abdulaziz.

For a city that rose from the fiery desert sands of the Arabian Peninsula, Riyadh has become one of the most modern cities in the world. However, date palms and ancient ruins are still as much a part of its culture as are its flyovers and its industrial areas.  But modernity has its price, and inevitably so. When the first major renovation thrust came during the oil boom of the 1950s, many traditional structures were demolished to make way for commercial development.

Luckily, although a lot of the older buildings have been pulled down, much of its traditional culture is still alive, even vibrant. For instance, you just have to drive a few miles to the outskirts of the city to find the ancient town of Dir’iyyah, a focal point for Saudi history. This city was the first capital of the “Saud” dynasty that goes back to the year 1157 Hijra, following the advent of the first Saudi state.

But you don’t have to go as far as Dir’iyya for a taste of Riyadh’s past glories. Under your very nose, in downtown Riyadh, you can have a glimpse of this heritage — the Al-Masmak citadel.

 

The History of Al-Masmak

Al-Masmak represents the heart of the city of Riyadh in more sense than one. For one, it is actually situated in the very heart of old Riyadh, an area still regarded as the “Town” or “Balad.” But then, more importantly, it is the place where the founder of modern Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz, launched his campaign to regain the glory of his forefathers.

Al-Masmak, which means “thick and highly inaccessible” in the  local language, was built around 1865. The physical history, however intriguing in itself, pales beside the events that were to follow years later. For, on the 14th of January 1902, a young Amir by the name of Abdulaziz, who was then  living in Kuwait with his uncles, came to Riyadh with 40 of his companions bent on re-launching the Saudi dynasty. A pitched battle ensued during which guns roared and many a dagger was drawn in dreadful rage. The morning arrived with cries bellowing everywhere: “The  land belongs to God and then to Abdulaziz”; Abdulaziz had indeed succeeded in recapturing past glories and in launching a third Saudi state. From that day on, the building had attained almost mythical status.

 

The Architecture of Al-Masmak

The Kingdom, well aware of its cultural responsibilities toward both the Arabs and  the Muslims , has endeavored to preserve its history through the setting up of numerous museums and archaeological sanctuaries. Let us not forget, of course, that Saudi Arabia is home to the holiest places in Islam, the Grand Mosque in Makkah, and the Prophet’s Mosque in the city of Madinah. The Arabian Peninsula also boasts scores of historical sites that are either the actual dwellings of many a prophet, or the birthplace of countless Arabian poets.

It is no surprise then that the state should erect 12 museums and archaeological sites around the landscape to capture this past. These include the National Museum of Archaeology and National Heritage,  Regional Museum of Dammam,  Hail Museum, King Abdul Aziz Historical Center in Riyadh, and   Al-Masmak Museum in Riyadh.

Once a fortress in the center of Riyadh serving as an army garrison for protecting the city, Al-Masmak is still an enormous attraction, albeit one for tourists specifically. Built as early as 1865, it underwent extensive renovation in the 1980s. In 1980  the Riyadh Municipality prepared a special study for the renovation of  Al-Masmak. Then the Ministry of Education and the Higher Commission for Development of Riyadh collaborated to carry out the project that would turn the citadel eventually into a museum that embodies the foundation of modern Saudi Arabia under King Abdulaziz. In 1995 the museum was opened officially.

The building itself is square-shaped with a watch tower at each of its four corners. The walls of the castle are made of thick mud bricks erected on blocks of stone. These high walls surround a courtyard that covers an area of 4,500 square meters. Inside, the courtyard is decorated quite attractively with greenery; the southern part of it, for example, is planted with palm trees, while the northern and western sides are covered with other kinds of trees and shrubs. The eastern side of the castle boasts a desert landscape that eventually gave rise to steps. The courtyard is relatively spacious, and is cinctured with footpaths paved with stones. Its premises, when needed, can host art exhibitions and drama. That is as far as the open spaces of the courtyard are concerned; however, the fortress also contains within its grounds a few buildings.

As one enters the fortress from its gate, and on the left hand side, there is a mosque. It is very modest in design, reflecting the simple architecture of the time. A rectangular hall with scattered pillars holding the roof makes up the bulk of the mosque. However, there are a number of shelves all around, normally used for stacking the holy Qur’an.

As indispensable as the mosque is,  for any self-sufficient fortress those days, would be a good source of water, and Al-Masmak boasts a drinking well that is still in working condition. In keeping with this tradition, water from the well is drawn using a customary rope and pail.

The hall or the Majlis, a building situated opposite the entrance, is probably the most prominent of all the buildings inside the fortress. It is rectangular in shape and looks onto the courtyard through special ventilation holes. In the hall the visitor can find articles that stand testimony to the historicity of the fortress such as pictures, maps, and a number of traditional tools.

Also exhibited is a map of the protective wall that used to surround Riyadh to defend it  from marauding warriors. Rather befittingly, the hall also exhibits a map that depicts the military campaigns of King Abdulaziz, and some of the original weapons used on those expeditions.

The entrance gate itself is made of a beautifully hand -carved palm tree bust. Situated at the western end of the fort, it is more than three meters high and about two meters and a half wide. At the center of the door there is an opening, a smaller door, just enough for one person to get through. The restrictive opening adds to the fortified nature of the fort and is called a “Khokha”. This gate in fact is where the main struggle for retrieving Al-Masmak was waged between Abdulaziz and his rivals. If you look closely you may be able to see the tip of a spear used to pry open the door at night, still visible until now.

Talking a bit more of the security features of the castle, the walls that represented the external boundary  are about 1.25 meters thick. They are peppered with small holes used to fire on the enemy from inside. Also worth noting is that the four watch towers, all circular in shape, are approximately 18 meters high to give the inhabitants of the castle a vantage point from where to spot the enemy from a distance. Another noteworthy aspect is the fact that the castle holds a fifth tower slightly different from the rest. It is peculiarly square in shape, but rather fittingly, it is called “the square” or “Al-Murabba’ ”  in Arabic.

Finally, any castle would not be complete without its dwellings, the rooms and spaces where the Governor and his entourage would live. Al-Masmak is no different from any other spacious house of the day, with  many small rooms built around the courtyard. There were three sets of rooms here — one  for the Governor and his family where the units would be well connected, another for his visitors, and finally a third set of rooms used as a “treasury” to keep the valuables of the castle.

 

The Men Who Stormed the

Castle that Night

History tells us that 40 men came to Riyadh that night heading for Al-Masmak and fired with the determination to regain their past glory. History also identifies these young men — Abd al-Aziz ibn Musa’id ibn Jiluwi, Abd al-Aziz ibn Abdallah ibn Turki, the Amir’s brother Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman, Abdallah ibn Ibrahim ibn Abdallah Al Saud, Fahd ibn Ibrahim ibn Abd al-Muhsin Al Mushari and Nasir ibn Farhan ibn Saud Al Farhan. Any of the men who came that night would be bedazzled by what they saw if they were to look around the castle and its surroundings today. Those days they would come to Riyadh on camel back, enter through one of its nine gates past its narrow undulating sandy streets, and then, maybe, enter one of its endless mud-brick houses. Riyadh has certainly changed a lot since that dramatic night.