Al Murabba

Al-Murabba (Arabic: المربع, romanized: al-murabbaʿ, lit. 'the square') is a historic neighborhood in central Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,[1] located west of al-Wazarat and north of al-Futah in the sub-municipality of al-Malaz. Its name reportedly comes from a broken square-shaped dry well around which the Murabba Palace was built and from where latter's name gets derived as well.[2][3] It is situated in close proximity to the al-Batʼha commercial area and the Qasr al-Hukm District.

Not to be confused with New Murabba.
Al-Murabba
المربع
Neighbourhood
The National Museum of Saudi Arabia, 2012
The National Museum of Saudi Arabia, 2012
Al-Murabba is located in Saudi Arabia
Al-Murabba
Al-Murabba
Al-Murabba is located in Asia
Al-Murabba
Al-Murabba
Coordinates: 24°38′46″N 46°42′36″E
Country Saudi Arabia
CityRiyadh
Government
 • BodyAl Malaz Sub-Municipality
Area
 • Total4.88 km2 (1.88 sq mi)
Language
 • OfficialArabic

History

After the unification of Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz ordered building of palaces outside the former city walls of Old Riyadh, marking one of the preludes for the subsequent expansions of Riyadh.[4][5] One of the places he chose was in the Murabba neighborhood in 1937 to build the Murabba Palace. According to Saudi historian Mansour al-Assaf, there was a square-shaped dry well in the neighborhood, from which the area derives its name 'al-Murabba' (lit. the square).[2][3] In 1969, the Riyadh Water Tower was inaugurated in the neighborhood.[6] In 1999, the King Abdulaziz Historical Center which contained the Abdulaziz's former Murabba Palace and the National Museum was inaugurated by King Fahd to commemorate the 100th anniversary (in terms of Hijri calendar) of Abdulaziz's capturing of Riyadh in 1902.[7]

Legacy

In February 2023, crown prince Mohammed bin Salman announced a new downtown project in northwest of Riyadh, known as the New Murabba, named after the neighborhood. He also unveiled the project of Mukaab, a 400-meters cuboidal skyscraper located in the New Murabba and is modeled after the cuboidal layout of the Murabba Palace.[8][9][10]

  • A walkway along the road crossing the historical center
    A walkway along the road crossing the historical center
  • The One Hundred Palm Trees Park in Al Murabba
    The One Hundred Palm Trees Park in Al Murabba
  • Inside Al Murabba Fort
    Inside Al Murabba Fort
  • The Murabba Fort building
    The Murabba Fort building
  • Crowne Plaza Riyadh Palace, 2023
    Crowne Plaza Riyadh Palace, 2023

See also

References
  1. "الإدارة العامة للنظافة". archive.ph. 2015-04-19. Retrieved 2022-09-04.
  2. "بالفيديو.. العساف: "بئر معطلة" وراء تسمية حي المربع بهذا الاسم". صحيفة صدى الالكترونية. Retrieved 2022-09-04.
  3. "ليست نسبة للقصر.. تعرف على أصل تسمية حي المربع في الرياض". غرب الإخبــارية (in Arabic). Retrieved 2022-09-04.
  4. الرياض, واس- (2021-04-15). "حي المربع .. مَهَّدَ من خارج السور القديم نهضة الرياض الحديثة". جريدة المدينة (in Arabic). Retrieved 2022-09-04.
  5. ""حي المربع" الانطلاقة والازدهار لباقي أجزاء العاصمة بدأت من هنا". www.alriyadh.com (in Arabic). 23 March 2007. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  6. "كازينو الرياض - م. بدر بن ناصر الحمدان". www.al-jazirah.com. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  7. "المتحف الوطني في الرياض.. بوابة جزيرة العرب إلى التاريخ,". archive.aawsat.com. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  8. "من المربع القديم للجديد.. الـ"داون تاون" الأحدث عالمياً". www.alriyadh.com (in Arabic). 18 February 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  9. "«المربع» بين زمنين في تاريخ العاصمة السعودية". الشرق الأوسط (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-03-31.
  10. العبوش, قحطان. "السعودية.. قصر المربع الطيني القديم يكتسب شهرة عالمية عبر مشروع جديد". إرم نيوز (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-03-31.
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