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Masmak Fort
Al-Bathaa, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Phone: Not AvailableAbout
Masmak Fortress (قصر المصمك Qasr al-Masmak), Dirah. 8 AM-noon and 4-9 PM on Sat, Mon, Wed for men, Sun, Tue, Thu for families. The heart of old Riyadh, this was the fortress stormed by King Abdul Aziz and his men in their daring reconquest of Riyadh in 1902. Renovated in 2008 to an inch of its life, the mud brick structure now looks like it was built yesterday, but the museum inside does a pretty good job of recounting the story of the raid and has some fascinating photos of old Riyadh as well. Alas, the second half is devoted to extolling the greatness of the Sauds in everything from agriculture to education. The Masmak Fortress is found around the older part of Riyadh, along with adjacent areas of "Jabrah" or "Mikal". Free.
