Museums in Saudi Arabia

Community initiatives in the field, however, date back to the early twentieth century, when Muhammad Salih Ba‘ishen founded the first private museum inside his home in Jeddah in 1902.

A number of explorers, surveyors and historians including Abdulquddus Al-Ansari, Hamad Al-Jassir, Muhammad Al-Aqili, and Atiq Al-Biladi, published books and articles in the field.

[9] After the Society was founded, an archaeological division was added to the Department of History which aimed to produce qualified Saudi graduates in the field.

The National Museum was opened in Riyadh in 1999 and was stylized in line with the architectural style of buildings located at the King Abdulaziz Historical Centre.

[15] In 2008[16] the General Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, as it was then called, began to steer the sector to support research, establish new museums, develop existing ones,[17] and renovate a number of historic buildings for government use during the rule of King Abdulaziz.

The Museum of the Shami Hajj Road in the Islamic Fortress in Al-Hijr (also known as Mada’in Salih) isalso a part of the Heritage Village Development Project, which was opened in Al-Ula Governorate.