The largest, and without doubt, the most important museum in the Kingdom is the National Museum of Antiquities. Situated as one of the cornerstones of the King Abdul Aziz Historical Centre in the Murabba Park, its impressive curved frontage looks out onto a babbling spring that trickles over boulders of basalt which were transported from the north of the country.
The museum was designed by the Canadian firm Moriyama & Teshima Architects with Büro Happold Engineers. The Canadian firm LORD Cultural Resources Planning & Management and the Royal Ontario Museum provided exhibit design services for the 30,000 square-metre project. It features eight galleries which tell the story of Sa’udi Arabia from the earliest of times up to the present day.
The first gallery, called Man and the Universe, presents the creation of the universe and the Earth, the formation of mineral and rock, and the environmental conditions that led to the Kingdom’s accumulation of its vast mineral wealth including the formation and accumulation of oil over millions of years.
The Arabian Kingdoms is the theme of the second hall which examines the different civilizations that inhabited the Arabian Peninsula and the growth of trade in the region. Archaeological objects depicting the development of calligraphy are also shown.
Also shown is a history of Arabic calligraphy
with samples of different types of Arabic script dating from the second Hijrah
century .
The first and second Saudi states are the
subject of the next gallery, which goes into some depth about the history of
Dir’iyyah and the allegiance between Imam Mohammed ibn Abdul Wahhab and the Al
Sa’ud. A large three-dimensional replica of the city recreates its streets,
mosques, markets and farms. There is also a replica of the new capital of Riyadh
during the second Sa’udi state that shows the original walls, streets, buildings
and old weaponry of the time.
Source:
http://www.simbacom.com/riyadh-ksa/museums/national.html
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The museum was designed by the Canadian firm Moriyama & Teshima Architects with Büro Happold Engineers. The Canadian firm LORD Cultural Resources Planning & Management and the Royal Ontario Museum provided exhibit design services for the 30,000 square-metre project. It features eight galleries which tell the story of Sa’udi Arabia from the earliest of times up to the present day.
The first gallery, called Man and the Universe, presents the creation of the universe and the Earth, the formation of mineral and rock, and the environmental conditions that led to the Kingdom’s accumulation of its vast mineral wealth including the formation and accumulation of oil over millions of years.
The Arabian Kingdoms is the theme of the second hall which examines the different civilizations that inhabited the Arabian Peninsula and the growth of trade in the region. Archaeological objects depicting the development of calligraphy are also shown.
Hall number three is devoted to the pre-Islamic
era which lasted from around 400 B.C until the revelation of the Prophet
Mohammad. The exhibit includes replicas of the pre historic cities of Makkah,
Jarash, Yathrib, Khaibar, Najraan, Khadrama, and Dawmat Aljandal.
Following on from this, the fourth gallery
displays the life and mission of the Prophet Mohammad (saw) from the day of his birth
until his journey to Madinah – the event that marks the beginning of the Hijrah
calendar. It shows his family tree in both Arabic and English, and his biography
from the time of his childhood. A large ceramic painting depicts the main events
of the Prophet’s life, beginning with his migration from Makkah. Also shown is
the way in which the Quraish tribe rebuilt the Ka’abah after its destruction by
floods.
Gallery five – Islam and the Arabian Peninsular
– concerns the period from the Prophet Mohammed (saw)'s arrival in Madinah until the
establishment of the first Sa’udi State: the early era of Islam and the rule of
the Caliphs, and the collection, recording, and preservation of the Holy Qur’an.
Unification is the theme of the large circular
seventh gallery showing how Abdul Aziz re-captured the city of Riyadh on January
15, 1902 and then went on to unify the regions of Najd, al-Hassa, Asir, Hail,
al-Hijjaz and Jazaan. A documentary film demonstrates the discovery of oil in
the Kingdom, the subsequent process of development, and its role in the lives of
the people of the Arabian Peninsula.
The final hall represents the history of the Two Holy Mosques and the Hajj through the centuries. There are various exhibits that include ancient and recent tools, the fabric covering of the Holy Ka’abah, and some brass and antique artifacts belonging to the Holy Mosque. In addition there is a curtain and a door of the Holy Ka’abah.
You will be hard pressed to do the museum full
justice in just one visit, but it should certainly be on everybody’s itinerary
when they visit Riyadh.
The final hall represents the history of the Two Holy Mosques and the Hajj through the centuries. There are various exhibits that include ancient and recent tools, the fabric covering of the Holy Ka’abah, and some brass and antique artifacts belonging to the Holy Mosque. In addition there is a curtain and a door of the Holy Ka’abah.
Enter from King Faisal Street where you see
the landmark Water Tower. Pass the Deputy Ministry of Antiquities on your right
and find car parking in one of the limited available spaces around the park –
either near the Murabba Palace, or outside on the perimeter road of the park
itself.
The museum is closed all day Saturday and
also on Friday mornings. Families can visit on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday,
Thursday and Friday evenings (4.30pm to 9pm) whilst men can visit between 9am
and 12 noon on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, as well as on Tuesday
evenings. Cost of entry is SR15.
http://www.simbacom.com/riyadh-ksa/museums/national.html
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