National Museum Park

National Museum Park
حديقة المتحف الوطني
Murabba Square with National Museum in the background, 2022
Map
LocationKing Saud Road, Al Murabba, Riyadh 12631, Saudi Arabia
Coordinates24°38′41″N 46°42′36″E / 24.6448°N 46.7100°E / 24.6448; 46.7100
Area5 acres
Established1999; 25 years ago (1999)
Administered byRiyadh Municipality

The National Museum Park (Arabic: حديقة المتحف الوطني) is an umbrella term used for the agglomeration of 5 out of 8 municipal parks and gardens[1] in the al-Murabba neighborhood of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, namely al-Haras, al-Soor, al-Wadi, al-Jisr and al-Madi[2][3][4][5] that adjoin the Murabba Palace compound and the premises of National Museum as well as the King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives in northern section of the King Abdulaziz Historical Center.[6][7][8][9][10]

They are a popular tourist attraction[11] among locals as an outdoor recreational spot and gets flocked mostly by families during weekends.[12] It was inaugurated in 1999 following the unveiling of the King Abdulaziz Historical Center by King Fahd to commemorate the centenary of the Battle of Riyadh in 1902 and the subsequent establishment of the Emirate of Riyadh by Abdulaziz ibn Saud that set the prelude to the unification of Saudi Arabia almost thirty years later in 1932.

Overview

The National Museum Park encompasses almost five municipal parks and gardens, that include al-Haras Park, al-Soor Park, al-Wadi Park, al-Jisr Park and al-Madi Park.

Al-Haras Park and al-Soor Park

Al-Haras Park and al-Soor Park altogether constitute the northwestern strip of the King Abdulaziz Historical Center, located in the backyard of the Murabba Palace compound and the King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives as well as the King Abdulaziz Moque. The park mostly gets crowded by families and is characterized by its rock formations, plants and paved pathways.[13]

Al-Haras

Al-Haras Park (Arabic: حديقة الحرس, lit. 'the guard garden') is located adjacent to the King Abdulaziz Mosque in the western side of the King Abdulaziz Historical Center. Bordered by King Saud Road from south and Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi bin Turki Street from the west, the park was named al-Haras (Arabic: الحرس, lit. 'the guard') because of the site previously hosting the headquarters of the Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG) (Arabic: الحرس الوطني, romanized: al-Ḥaras al-Waṭanī).[13][14] It overlooks the al-Yamamah Park from the north.

Al-Soor Park

Al-Soor Park (Arabic: حديقة السور, lit. 'the enclosure garden') is located north of al-Haras Park in northwestern section of the King Abdulaziz Historical Center. It is located adjacent to the building of King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives and overlooks the Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi bin Turki Street from the west and al-Wadi Park from the east.[13]

Al-Wadi Park

Al-Wadi Park (Arabic: حديقة الوادي, lit. 'the wadi garden') is situated in the northeastern section of the King Abdulaziz Historical Center, adjacent to the building of National Museum. It overlooks the al-Soor Park from the west.

Al-Jisr and al-Madi Park

Al-Jisr and al-Madi parks altogether form the northeastern strip of the King Abdulaziz Historical Center. They were inaugurated by the then Riyadh governor Prince Salman ibn Abdulaziz in October 2004.[15] The total area of the two parks are almost 30,000 square meters and it overlooks King Faisal Road from the west.

Al-Jisr Park

Al-Jisr Park (Arabic: حديقة الجسر, lit. 'the bridge garden') is located next to al-Madi Park and has an area of 15,076 square-meters. The park has three gates and derives its name al-Jisr (Arabic: الجسر, lit. 'the bridge') from a 21-meters long and 2.4 meters wide suspension bridge. The park is further characterized by 31,500 shrubs, 228 trees and a green patch of natural grass covering an area of 13,727 square-meters.[15]

Al-Madi Park

Al-Madi Park (Arabic: حديقة المدي) is located next to the al-Jisr Park. The park is situated on the site that dates back to the 1940s during the reign of King Abdulaziz and was used by the monarch for watering livestock from the wells of the Murabba Palace compound to his subjects. As Riyadh's water-supply system underwent modernization, the site declined in importance and subsequently saw a mosque being built on the site. After the inauguration of the King Abdulaziz Historical Center in 1999, the Riyadh Development Authority began working on the site and rehabilitated it as a municipal park. The park covers an area of 14,790 square meters and is characterized by its wide green area of natural grass that include 567 date palm trees.

Riyadh Season

Owing to its close proximity to the Murabba Palace compound and the National Museum, the park's precincts were chosen as the destination for the al-Murabaa zone by the General Entertainment Authority for the annual Riyadh Season entertainment festival in October 2019[16] during its inaugural edition and again in the season's 2021 edition. The zone features several seasonal restaurants and cafes with international cuisines[17][18] that offer culinary traditions from countries like America, Italy, Greece, Japan, Argentina and France.[19]

References

  1. ^ "رحلة إلى مركز الملك عبد العزيز التاريخي". www.al-jazirah.com. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
  2. ^ "مشروع مركز الملك عبدالعزيز التاريخي". Royal Commission for Riyadh City (in Arabic). Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  3. ^ ""حديقتا المدي.. والجسر" متنفس بيئي يطفئ حرارة صيف الرياض". www.alriyadh.com (in Arabic). 4 August 2006. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  4. ^ "Salman Opens Al-Madhi Mosque". Arab News. 2004-10-13. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
  5. ^ "حديقة الوطن في الرياض تستقبل أكثر من 100 ألف زائر". صحيفة الاقتصادية (in Arabic). 2009-05-01. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
  6. ^ "رحلة إلى مركز الملك عبد العزيز التاريخي". www.al-jazirah.com. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  7. ^ "متاحف وسط الرياض.. إقبال من المقيمين وعزوف من المواطنين". صحيفة الاقتصادية (in Arabic). 2013-03-01. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  8. ^ "المتحف الوطني .. معارض دائمة وبرامج تطويرية لمفهوم الارتياد الثقافي". صحيفة الاقتصادية (in Arabic). 2011-02-09. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  9. ^ al-Ḥaras al-Waṭanī (in Arabic). Idārat al-ʻAlāqāt al-ʻĀmmah bi-al-Ḥaras al-Waṭanī. 1997.
  10. ^ العربى (in Arabic). Dāʼirat al-Maṭbūʻāt wa-al-Nashr. 2000.
  11. ^ "مركز الملك عبد العزيز التاريخي.. 5 مقترحات لتجربة سياحية مميزة". www.al-jazirah.com. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  12. ^ "الأسرة في المتحف الوطني". www.alriyadh.com (in Arabic). 16 November 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  13. ^ a b c "حدائق مركز الملك عبد العزيز التاريخي تستقبل الزوار". سعورس. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  14. ^ الرياض, واس- (2021-04-15). "حي المربع .. مَهَّدَ من خارج السور القديم نهضة الرياض الحديثة". جريدة المدينة (in Arabic). Retrieved 2022-09-21.
  15. ^ a b "فيما يوقع سموه عقد تخصيص موقع نادي الطيران السعودي بمنتزه الثمامة الأمير سلمان يفتتح اليوم مسجد المدي وحديقتي المدي والجسر". Al Jazirah (in Arabic). 12 October 2004. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
  16. ^ "موسم الرياض ينطلق اليوم.. وهذه أبرز فعاليات الأسبوع الأول". اخبار 24 (in Arabic). Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  17. ^ "Al-Murabba provides 7 International dining destinations to its visitors". Saudigazette. 2021-10-28. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  18. ^ "Riyadh Season.. "The Square" Summarizes A Global Diversity Of Restaurants With A Luxurious Experience". thenewsglory.com. 2021-10-27. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  19. ^ Dubai, D.-journal (2021-12-03). "Al-Murabba: the gem of Riyadh Season –". Retrieved 2022-09-18.
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