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What are the best museums in Riyadh?

Riyadh contains many important museums that represent the history of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The most important of these museums are the following:

National Museum in Riyadh

The National Museum is located near the Radisson Blu Hotel. The museum receives visitors every day from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, then stops working and returns to receive visitors from 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm. As for the entrance fees, they are ten riyals for the elderly, while for children the entrance ticket is completely free.

This museum contains many distinctive artifacts and many possessions that belong to the ancient kings of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This museum is one of the most attractive museums for tourists and the best museums in Riyadh. As for the possessions in the museum, there are many carved statues, manuscripts and ancient paintings that date back hundreds of years.

This museum consists of eight halls, each of which is dedicated to displaying a specific thing. There is a hall dedicated to manuscripts and paintings, a hall dedicated to statues and sculptures, a hall dedicated to old clothes, a hall dedicated to gold and jewelry, a hall dedicated to weapons that were used in the past, and other wonderful halls that you can discover during your visit to the museum.

What are the best activities to do at the National Museum?

• There is a wonderful and very distinctive hall in the museum, as this hall specializes in displaying cosmic sciences. By visiting it, you can see many models of planets and learn all the information about them. There are also many documentaries that specialize in the interaction of planets, the movements of stars and different solar systems. You can also see many wonderful telescopes and a model of a meteorite that fell in one of the deserts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which makes you feel as if you are seeing the stars and planets from above the surface of the moon. So, if you are a lover of knowledge, do not miss going to such a wonderful museum that you will not find anything like it in all the different museums in Riyadh.
• You can also learn about the history of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in detail by going to one of the halls that specialize in displaying life in the past and how it developed from the beginning of the advent of Islam until the present day.
• Not only that, there is a hall dedicated to displaying ancient Islamic life and how it developed, and life before Islam from the beginning of the days of ignorance until the era of the Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, and how the life of the Messenger was and the life of his noble family, the companions, and the other prophets. You can also see the family tree of the Messenger, along with many wonderful Islamic possessions.
• The best thing about this museum is that it contains a dedicated hall that includes pieces of the Kaaba’s covering. You can also learn everything that must be done to complete the Hajj and Umrah rituals, in addition to the presence of many wonderful models of the Kaaba in various sizes.
• Many important seminars are also presented in the conference hall, as this hall specializes in spreading knowledge. Many lectures on human development are presented to benefit and enable development, in addition to talking about the history of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and how it was unified by King Abdulaziz.

Archaeological Museum

The Museum of Antiquities is located within the College of Antiquities in Riyadh, and is considered one of the most important museums that were established to help Saudi students and other people, whether they are local residents or tourists. This museum has gained wide fame and contains many paintings, statues, old Saudi coins, and wonderful excavations that highlight the form of life in the past, as these holdings date back to the beginning of Islam.

The museum also contains many collections of jewelry and necklaces made of gold, silver and copper dating back to different eras. As for the museum’s working hours, they are every day from eight in the morning until twelve after midnight, except for Thursdays and Fridays, when the Antiquities Museum is closed.

Al-Murabba Palace Museum

The Palace Museum is located near the Movenpick Hotel. The museum’s working hours are from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm every day, except for Sunday, when the museum is closed. This museum used to be one of the most important palaces in Riyadh, where the kings of Saudi Arabia lived. They witnessed the management of the country’s affairs through it, and many important figures were received inside it.

This museum is characterized by its simplicity, but despite that, it is elegant from the inside, as it was built from mud and palm trunks. Despite that, it was recently restored to preserve its traditional appearance. The area of ​​this museum is large and attracts many visitors who love to watch the lives of kings and their ancient possessions.

What are the best activities to do in Al Murabba Palace?

• Tour the palace and see many wonderful old collectibles such as furniture, paintings and jewelry. The palace is also distinctive from the inside due to its wonderful architectural style, where you can take many souvenir photos in that atmosphere.
• Walk around the palace garden and see one of the most beautiful fountains built of white marble, surrounded by many different types of flowers and plants that add a wonderful aesthetic touch to it. The palace garden is also very large and surrounds it from all sides, which increases the beauty of the palace and gives it a special appearance.
• Take many distinctive photos of the palace, as you see it through its spacious courtyard that leads directly to the palace’s various rooms. The courtyard is also distinguished by its wonderful white color, which is suitable for taking wonderful photo sessions.
• You can tour all the thirty rooms of the palace, where you can see many rare collectibles that are hundreds of years old and belong to more than one king. There is also a garage inside the palace garden that includes many old royal cars that are loved by car and antique enthusiasts.
• The palace also includes a mosque dedicated to religious rituals and prayers. This mosque is still operating to this day, and many religious occasions were celebrated there. This mosque-museum is distinguished by its wonderful decorations that resemble old Ottoman mosques.

Masmak Palace

Masmak Palace is located in the middle of Riyadh, near the Corp Hotel. This palace was named Masmak because it was built and formed from very strong building materials and consists of several floors to be an impregnable fortress against enemies. It was used in the past to protect the city against and was built by Ibn Rashid. Then King Abdulaziz came after that and seized the palace. He allocated it and made it a warehouse for weapons and ammunition.

This situation continued for many years, then King Abdulaziz changed the palace from a weapons warehouse to a prison where all criminals and traitors of the country were imprisoned. After that, it was included to become one of the best and most important museums in Riyadh, where it attracts many visitors to see the archaeological landmarks in this palace, including many collectibles of weapons, ammunition, important maps, and military manuscripts.

What are the best activities to do in Masmak Fort?

• Even before you enter the palace, you begin to see the important archaeological site, which is the palace gate, as this gate witnessed many battles and victories against the country’s enemies.
• View the room for important gatherings to discuss the country's situation, plan wars, and repel attacks.
• View the Masmak Mosque, which is located inside the palace. It is a large room that was designed and built from the inside in a wonderful way and with distinctive decorations. It includes many old Islamic books and Qurans.
• The palace also contains an old well that you can see on the northern side of the palace.
• The palace contains four old and wonderful towers that were used in the past to see enemies. You can also climb these towers by walking on the stairs inside them to see the city of Riyadh from above.

Alhambra Museum

This museum is one of the most beautiful museums in Riyadh, as it is distinguished by its wonderful engravings that go back to Andalusia. It also includes many international treasures in addition to the Andalusian treasures of Islamic cities. There are many Spanish jewelry inside.

This palace is distinguished by its good construction, as it contains many wonderful towers that decorate the palace and many other halls that you can walk around inside and see the Andalusian antiquities that you will not find in other museums in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The best thing about this museum is that you can tour with one of the guides inside, who will explain to you all the museum’s holdings in detail. As for the museum’s working days, they are every day from eight in the morning until eight in the evening.

Museum of the History of Islamic Sciences and Technology

This museum is one of the best museums in Riyadh. As the name of the museum indicates, it specializes in explaining many important books on various sciences, including mathematics, history, biology, and other human sciences. It also commemorates Muslim scholars who contributed to the development of modern sciences and the renaissance of society.

It also includes many books by famous scientists such as: Jabir Ibn Hayyan, Abbas Ibn Firnas and others. Not only that, but the museum also contains many wonderful archaeological artifacts that were used in the past for exploration and learning. Among these archaeological artifacts are surgical tools, astronomical telescopes and many tools that were used in the past in surgery and dissection. As for the museum’s working hours, they are from Sunday to Thursday, from nine in the morning until one in the afternoon.

King Abdulaziz Center

This center is located in the middle of Riyadh, specifically in Al-Murabba’ neighborhood. It is considered one of the most important museums in Riyadh, as it holds many diverse and important activities that contribute to the development of Saudi society, as it provides many important social and cultural activities for people of all ages, which helps in developing the skills of young children and adults as well.

Many free seminars, various exhibitions and art workshops are held there, as well as many wonderful popular parties that are very popular with the residents of Riyadh. These events attract locals and tourists as well. The center is distinguished by its historical architecture that shows the ancient archaeological style. It has been restored and made one of the most important centers for providing activities, in addition to the museum containing many important archaeological collections of paintings, manuscripts and sculptures, which makes it stand out from other centers and museums.

Falcon Island Museum

This museum is one of the most beautiful museums in Riyadh, as it contains many aircraft that are hundreds of years old, as well as many of the most modern aircraft, so that visitors can see the differences between old and modern aircraft and how they were developed.

This museum is preferred by many locals who love antiques, and it is also preferred by tourists in order to see the oldest Saudi aircraft, whether military or civilian. This museum was opened by Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz and has continued to this day, and it may be more than a hundred years old.

King Salman Science Oasis

King Salman Oasis is one of the most important museums in Riyadh, as it contains many archaeological artifacts that highlight ancient life in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and show how it has developed to this day. The museum includes places that specialize in educating individuals and contributing to its development.

The oasis also contains many important scientific books that increase the knowledge of readers and visitors, and many interactive seminars are held to increase knowledge and science.

Currency Museum

The Currency Museum is one of the most important museums in Riyadh, as it contains many different archaeological collections of Saudi currencies throughout the ages. It also includes currencies dating back to pre-Islamic life and modern currencies as well, and some international currencies belonging to many countries.

This museum is preferred by many as it attracts tourists to see the rare old coins. It is also visited by locals and young people to see the development of currencies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Therefore, if you are a fan of collecting old coins, I advise you to visit this museum to enjoy seeing many rare currencies and collectibles, whether international or local.

Heritage Museum of Arts

The Heritage Museum of Arts is one of the most famous museums in Riyadh, as it offers many free workshops for young people, and girls are trained in weaving and creating many wonderful handicrafts. This museum consists of several floors that include many halls where there are magnificent archaeological collections of paintings, old handicrafts, sculptures and various archaeological pieces, which attracts many visitors to this museum for the purpose of learning, as tourists love to watch the antiquities and young people learn how to make handicrafts from fabric.

Al-Dilam Museum

This museum was established by Ibrahim Abdul Aziz, and it is one of the oldest museums in Riyadh. It consists of only one floor, where there are several halls. Each hall is divided to include one of the old collections of coins, textiles, wooden furniture, jewelry, and some paintings that highlight the ancient crafts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Bedouin life as well.

Al-Sadriya Museum in Riyadh

This museum is considered one of the largest museums in Riyadh, as it is distinguished by its ancient architectural form, and it includes many ancient Saudi antiquities, as well as several collections that show the development of life until the present day. This museum contains many rooms built with Arab Islamic designs, and the museum is surrounded by a large courtyard decorated in a wonderful way, where many popular and cultural shows are held inside it, and to this day, it attracts many tourists to watch it.

Waili Museum