The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz – may d protect him – and HRH the Crown Prince pay great attention to national heritage and the cultural components of this blessed country. Over more than 50 years since his assuming – may d support him – the Emirate of Riyadh until our present time, he was a main supporter of projects and programs to preserve national heritage and culture. Among this is the King's attention to the historical Masmak Palace as a symbol of unification, unity and national culture. His visits – may d protect him – continued to those ancient landmarks that witnessed the establishment and unification of this country. During his visit to the historical Masmak museum in Riyadh in 2012 after reviewing the museum displays developed by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage, the King said: "From this place (the Masmak), the unification of the Kingdom began by King Abdulaziz and his men, whose number does not exceed 63 individuals, and the unity was achieved, praise be to d, according to the Book of d and the Sunnah of His Messenger".

He called – may d protect him – the youth to visit museums and historical palaces to draw inspiration from the history of this country and the stages of its unity and establishment. He said at the end of the visit: "The cultural movement that the Kingdom is experiencing is, praise be to d, something we take pride in, and it is continuous with our history. Praise be to d, the security and stability in the Kingdom has made it today in a useful scientific and cultural activity from all sides".

Masmak Palace: A historical and cultural landmark:

Masmak Palace is a prominent historical landmark not hidden from the residents of the Kingdom and especially the people of Riyadh, rather it is not hidden from visitors to the Kingdom as it occupies a prominent place in the history of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and tells the story of its unification by King Abdulaziz – may d bless his soul – as events and historical chapters took place behind it, rather an expert fighting epic carried out by the founder of this country until it became a turning point that happened in the history of the Arabian Peninsula in 1319 AH. From this fortress, the light and beam of the establishment and unification of our beloved Kingdom began after a great epic that lasted 32 years and history recorded it in letters of ld.

Masmak or Musmak means the high building and thick fortress. Masmak Palace is a fortress built of adobe, located in the middle of the capital of culture, Riyadh, specifically in the Al-Deira neighborhood. The palace was built in the era of Imam Abdullah bin Faisal bin Turki bin Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Saud, who started building it in 1282 AH. The Masmak was used after its recovery by the founder King as a warehouse for storing weapons until the decision was taken to make it a heritage landmark indicating the stages of the establishment of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Developing and Restoring the Palace:

In 1400 AH, the Riyadh Municipality prepared a special study for the restoration of the Masmak, then later the Ministry of Education (represented by the Deputy Agency for Antiquities and Museums) in coordination with the High Commission for the Development of Riyadh adopted a program to transform this landmark into a museum that displays the stages of the Kingdom's establishment by King Abdulaziz – may d have mercy on him – as it was opened in early 1416 AH corresponding to 1995 AD under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques (the Prince of Riyadh at that time) – may d protect him.

Thus, the historical Masmak museum after its re-development became one of the developed museums at the Kingdom's level and became a high-end model for modern museums in terms of museum displays and an incubator for the most important historical memories associated with the culture of the nation and citizen.

The museum has great specificity as the whole museum was dedicated to the story of its storming and recovery of Riyadh by King Abdulaziz Al Saud – may d have mercy on him – and contains paintings, maps, models, pictures, cabinets and a visual presentation about the struggle of King Abdulaziz in his recovery of Riyadh and starting towards the establishment of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and unifying its parts.

Maps and Documents:

The historical Masmak museum in its updated version includes nine halls that talk about Riyadh during its recovery, and the storming of the Masmak. The third hall was dedicated to the pioneers who participated with King Abdulaziz in the recovery of Riyadh, and a hall for daily life in Riyadh at the beginning of the last century, and a hall that contained models of historical Riyadh and pictures of its old walls and gates, and a hall about the Masmak building and its components, and a hall containing pictures of King Abdulaziz in various stages of his life and texts from his famous sayings.