Bab al-Thumairi

Bab al-Thumairi (Arabic: بوابة الثميري), historically Darwaza al-Thumairi[1][2][3] (Arabic: دروازة الثميري) and alternatively known as Bab al-Marwah (Arabic: باب المروة) and Bab al-Ahsa (Arabic: بوابة الأحساء),[4][5] is an 18th-century earth-structured gate attached with a mudbrick watchtower in the ad-Dirah neighborhood of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, located in the eastern part of Qasr al-Hukm District. Attributed to Hassan al-Thumairi, a guard who was killed in action during the Battle of Dalaqa in 1747,[6][7] it is one of the last remaining gates of Riyadh's old city walls and served as the main entrance to the town of from the east until the dismantling of the fortifications in 1950.

Bab al-Thumairi
Native name
Arabic: بوابة الثميري
Bab al-Thumairi, 2023
LocationKing Faisal Road, ad-Dirah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Coordinates24°37′51″N 46°42′55″E
Built18th century
Restored1902
1992
Restored byAbdulaziz ibn Saud (1902)
Fahd bin Abdulaziz (1992)

The historic al-Thumairi Street, a thoroughfare which runs from east to west in the Qasr al-Hukm District, is named after Bab al-Thumairi.[8]

Bab al-Thumairi is one of the ten gates of the former city walls of Riyadh and one of the two remaining similar constructions, other being Bab al-Dekhna, that now remain in the aftermath of the wall's demolition by King Abdulaziz ibn Saud in 1950.

During the reign of King Faisal, Saudi authorities began focusing on the resuscitation and rejuvenation of the area surrounding the al-Hukm Palace and the preservation of historical and architectural significance of the former walled town.[9]

In March 1973, King Faisal issued directives to Sheikh Abdulaziz Thunayyan, then mayor of Riyadh to conduct an extensive study of the area surrounding the al-Hukm Palace and implementing the project of its renovation the following year.[10] In 1976, the High Commission for the Development of Arriyadh commissioned the Qasr Al-Hukm District Development Project and agreed on developmental programs that were prepared to transform the Qasr al-Hukm District into a cultural center. The designs were completed by 1979 and the construction lasted between 1983 and 1992 in broadly two phases, costing around US$500 million.[11][12] The project was overseen by Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, the-then governor of Riyadh. It was renovated between 1988 and 1992 as part of the second phase of the Qasr Al-Hukm District Development Project.

References
  1. سعيدان, حمد بن محمد بن (2018-01-01). الدروازة ، الطريق إلى العقار (in Arabic). دار مدارك للنشر. ISBN 978-614-429-901-2.
  2. الوشمي, أحمد بن مساعد عبدالله (2018-05-03). الرياض مدينة وسكانا: كيف كانت وكيف عاشوا؟ (in Arabic). العبيكان للنشر.
  3. العزيز, ‏آل سعود، سيف الإسلام بن سعود بن عبد (2004). قلب من بنقلان: رواية (in Arabic). ‏دار الفارابي،‏. ISBN 978-9953-71-036-5.
  4. ""بوابة الثميري".. عراقة المكان وتاريخ الإنسان". www.alriyadh.com. 3 July 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  5. Philby, H. St J. B.; فيلبي, هاري سانت جون فيلبي-عبدالله (2002-07-16). قلب الجزيرة العربية - الجزء الأول: THE HEART OF ARABIA - Part1: THE HEART OF ARABIA - Part1 (in Arabic). العبيكان للنشر. ISBN 978-9960-20-852-7.
  6. "بوابة الثميري.. كانت بوابة الرياض من الجهة الشرقية". www.al-jazirah.com. Retrieved 2023-07-07.
  7. "عين على الرياض". www.alriyadh.com (in Arabic). 26 August 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  8. "شارع". archive.aawsat.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  9. Bsheer, Rosie (2020-09-22). Archive Wars: The Politics of History in Saudi Arabia. Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-1-5036-1258-7.
  10. "الخميس 26 محرم 1393 هـ الموافق 1 مارس 1973م - العدد (534)". www.al-jazirah.com. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  11. Continuity and Change: Design Strategies for Large-scale Urban Development. Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture. 1984.
  12. MEED. Economic East Economic Digest, Limited. 1993.
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