Around 1889 the Al Saud family was driven out of Riyadh and into exile in Kuwait. However in 1902 Amir Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman bin Faisal Al Saud managed to re-capture the Masmak Fort in the centre of old Riyadh. The re-capturing of the fort (and Riyadh) was the culmination of a campaign to restore the family fortune.
The Masmak fort was built around1865 and is constructed of mud brick on a stone base. It is a square fort which has a tower on each corner and a main gate made from the trunks of palm trees.
Tower
A small door is built into the main gate enabling one person to crouch and enter the fort. Above the main gate are the ends of what appear to be three roof beams.
The square notched holes in the base of the timber beams suggest there might have been a type of portcullis but there are no corresponding holes at ground level. Moreover there is no iron in the construction of the fort so the idea that there was a portcullis is unlikely. The mud brick appears to be a mixture of earth and vegetation, possibly palm leaves. There are at least two stories (access to the upper levels is prohibited) but it was possible to see the construction of the upper floor from below.
The beams are palm tree trunks and the lattice above is ethel wood. This is then covered with rammed earth. It does ran in Riyadh and guttering was added in the form of hollow palm trunks
They protrude beyond the fort to ensure the water doesn’t erode the base of the wall.
The fort is is now a museum (entrance free) and located opposite “chop chop” square. It has some interesting displays with accompanying descriptions in both Arabic and English.
Finding the fort isn’t that difficult as it is the only “old” building in the area. There is also a high flagpole in front of the main gate flying the Saudi national flag.
...those holes above the main gate (in the floor of the sticky out sections) may be anti-personnel - arrows/boiling oil and such...??? Wouldn't have thought they'd be garderob's - you wouldn't want to poo on your visitors! :o)
ReplyDeleteI doubt they are for arrows. The fort was built in 1850 and by then the locals had the same muskets as the "Sandmen" from Star Wars. The timber would burn if you ran anything hot through it. Moreover there are three more on the east side of the fort (2nd photo above) where these is no door. It's a mystery!
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