Salwa Palace

Salwa Palace is the most substantial building inside At-Turaif and the architectural centrepiece of the whole site. The reconstructed walls run several storeys high, with the characteristic Najdi triangular windows and decorated parapets. Inside, the rooms have been adapted as a museum tracing the political history of the First Saudi State.

The roof platforms offer the best views over the wadi and the wider Diriyah quarter. Captions are bilingual; the lighting in the inner rooms is theatrical, sometimes excessively so.

things to do sight architecture
A story
The palace complex grew over five generations of Al Saud rulers, beginning in the mid-18th century. At its height it consisted of seven buildings around a central courtyard — the largest residential structure in central Arabia at the time, accommodating not only the ruling family but visiting diplomats and tribal delegations.