Saudi Arabia
Turaif Quarter
The At-Turaif District in ad-Dir’iyah encompasses the remains of a traditional human settlement developed in a desert environment, dating from the 15th century.
ad-Dir’iyah was the original home of the Saudi royal family, served as the capital of the first Saudi dynasty from 1744 to 1818 and is associated with the the spread of Salafism. Its remains consist almost entirely of mud-brick structures including palaces. They are a unique example of the Najdi architectural and decorative style developed to cope with the extreme desert climate.
Community Perspective: Most reviewers so far have been limited to external views, as the site has laid untouched for a long time and only recently became the focus of major restoration works. From 2023 on, the site has become accessible (and seems worth it!) but it needs prior booking.
Site Info
Official Information
- Full Name
- At-Turaif District in ad-Dir’iyah (ID: 1329)
- Country
- Saudi Arabia
- Status
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Inscribed 2010
Site history
History of Turaif Quarter
- 2010: Advisory Body overruled
- ICOMOS advised Deferral, to "Make the comparative study more thorough; .. Abandon the current policy of reconstruction and cultural interpretation of the remains on the property and adopt instead a conservation policy the priority of which is the safeguarding of the property’s attributes of architectural integrity and authenticity"
- 2010: Inscribed
- Inscribed
- WHS Type
- Cultural
- Criteria
- iv
- v
- vi
Links
All Links
UNESCO.org
- whc.unesco.org — whc.unesco.org/
Related Resources
- visitsaudi.com — Visit Saudi: Historical Diriyah
- tickets.bujairi.sa — Diriyah Access prebooking site
News Article
- Feb. 24, 2023 edition.cnn.com — Diriyah: The latest ‘giga project’ aiming to transform Saudi Arabia
- Dec. 16, 2022 thenationalnews.com — Saudi Arabia reopening Unesco-listed Diriyah to the public for the first time in a decade
- July 25, 2010 saudigazette.com.sa — ICOMOS had shown technical reservations about Al-Dir'iya, but the Saudi permanent representative is continuing his efforts to have Al-Dir'iya included.
Community Information
- Community Category
- Archaeological site: Near Eastern
Travel Information
Reservation required
Recent Connections
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Palm Groves
"The palm plantations and the oasis lan… -
Notable mosques
Moudhi Mosque, which was rehabilitated … -
Reservation required
To be able to enter the area, pre-booki…
Connections of Turaif Quarter
- History
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Sieges and Battles
From Wiki "....led to the Ottoman-Saudi War of 1811-1818 and an invasion of Arabia by Ottoman and Egyptian forces brought the Saudi state to an end in 1818, with Diriyah capitulating after a nearly-year-long siege. The leader of the invading force, Ibrahim Pasha, ordered the destruction of Diriyah. However, when a member of the local nobility tried to revive the Wahhabi state in Diriyah, Ibrahim ordered his troops to destroy the town even further and set whatever was left of it on fire. When the Saudis revived their fortunes in 1824 and again in 1902, they made their capital further south in Riyadh, which remained their capital ever since. -
Located in a Former Capital
first capital of the Saudi Dynasty
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- Architecture
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Earth Architecture
"It bears witness to a building method that is well adapted to its environment, to the use of adobe in major palatial complexes, .." (OUV crit iv)
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- Damaged
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Destroyed during invasion
From Wiki "....led to the Ottoman-Saudi War of 1811?1818 and an invasion of Arabia by Ottoman and Egyptian forces brought the Saudi state to an end in 1818, with Diriyah capitulating after a nearly-year-long siege. The leader of the invading force, Ibrahim Pasha, ordered the destruction of Diriyah. However, when a member of the local nobility tried to revive the Wahhabi state in Diriyah, Ibrahim ordered his troops to destroy the town even further and set whatever was left of it on fire. When the Saudis revived their fortunes in 1824 and again in 1902, they made their capital further south in Riyadh, which remained their capital ever since.
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- Religion and Belief
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Notable mosques
Moudhi Mosque, which was rehabilitated as a mosque by the 20th century inhabitants (AB ev)
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- Human Activity
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Palm Groves
"The palm plantations and the oasis landscape bear witness to the agricultural origins of ad-Dir’iyah." (AB ev)
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- WHS on Other Lists
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Melina Mercouri Prize
(as part of Wadi Hanifah). 2010 Special mention
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- Timeline
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Built in the 18th century
"The site illustrates a significant highpoint of settlement in the central Arabian plateau in a desert environment when in the mid-18th century the town of ad-Dir'iyah became the capital of an independent state" (Crit V justif). "Founded in 15C ...its development reached an initial apogee in the 16th century.. In the 18C and early 19C,..it became the centre of the temporal power of the House of Saud... In the 18C successive imams ..fortified the oasis ..This was a period marked by urban development and the construction of the citadel of at-Turaif. In the second half of the 18th century and at the start of the 19C... The urban ensemble linked with the oasis was developed, particularly the Salwa palaces in the citadel of at-Turaif... The site provides a very full account of Najdi town-planning from the mid-18th century until the start of the 19C." (AB).
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- Visiting conditions
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Reservation required
To be able to enter the area, pre-booking a slot is required a few days beforehand.
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News
- edition.cnn.com 02/24/2023
- Diriyah: The latest ‘giga project’…
- thenationalnews.com 12/16/2022
- Saudi Arabia reopening Unesco-list…
- saudigazette.com.sa 07/25/2010
- ICOMOS had shown technical reserva…
Recent Visitors
Visitors of Turaif Quarter
- Alessandro Votta
- Alexander Barabanov
- Alexander Lehmann
- Artur Anuszewski
- Bram de Bruin
- Christravelblog
- CugelVance
- Dorejd
- Els Slots
- Eva Kisgyorgy
- Fan Yibo
- Feldhase
- Fernweh
- futtaimhb
- Gary Arndt
- George Gdanski
- Hanming
- Harald T.
- Harry Mitsidis
- Ivan Rucek
- Janos
- Jarek Pokrzywnicki
- Jay T
- jballard650
- Jean Lecaillon
- Jon Opol
- Joshuakirbens
- Krijn
- Kurt Lauer
- liu tuo
- Loic Pedras
- Luis Filipe Gaspar
- Maciej Gil
- Malgorzata Kopczynska
- marcel staron
- Marcobrey
- Mariam
- Martina Rúčková
- Michael Novins
- michaelsballard
- Mihai Dascalu
- Mikko
- Mohboh
- Nick Kuzmyak
- PabloNorte
- Petri Jurescu
- Philipp Leu
- Philipp Peterer
- Piotr Wasil
- Rahelka
- Randi Thomsen
- Roger Ourset
- Roman Bruehwiler
- Rvieira
- Sascha Grabow
- SHIHE HUANG
- Solivagant
- Stanislaw Warwas
- Svein Elias
- Szucs Tamas
- Tarquinio_Superbo
- Thomas Buechler
- Tony H.
- Vanessa Buechler
- Vlad Lesnikov
- Westwards
- Wojciech Fedoruk
- Xiquinho Silva
- Zach
- Zoë Sheng