King Abdulaziz Foundation (Darah)

The King Abdulaziz Foundation (Darah) is an official national institution concerned with preserving the sources of national and Arab history, disseminating and refining them, supporting national identity and protecting reliable information.[1]

The Foundation is headquartered in Riyadh, and its Board of Directors is chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Faisal bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Special Adviser to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.[3][2]

His Royal Highness Prince Faisal bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Special Adviser to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Chairman of the Foundation's Board of Directors, approved the Executive Programme in Saudi History.[2]

Turki bin Mohammed Al-Shuwaier is the Foundation's Chief Executive Officer, and the Complete Works of the Pioneer Historians programme was launched under the patronage of the Chairman of the Board of Directors, with the aim of presenting the intellectual legacy of Saudi historians anew in integrated editions.[4]

Murabba Palace is among the oldest palaces of governance in the Kingdom; it was built to serve as the residence of King Abdulaziz and the seat of his administration of state affairs, and it was constructed on an area of up to 1680 square metres.[5]

The palace witnessed prominent royal decisions, including the establishment of the Ministry of Defence, Saudi Broadcasting, the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency, the issuance of Saudi currency, the regular schools and the railway between Riyadh and Dammam, alongside the promulgation of regulations on telegraph, roads and buildings, retirement, labour and workers, chambers of commerce and passports.[5]

The Foundation linked Murabba Palace to the King Abdulaziz Memorial Hall, a core element of the Foundation devoted to the history of King Abdulaziz, his relics and personal belongings, and aspects of his private and public life.[5]

The hall holds 100 pieces from King Abdulaziz's personal belongings, along with other pieces belonging to the sons of kings and princes and to his brothers.[1]

The King Abdulaziz Private Library is among the hall's holdings and contains more than 1700 books of rare works, periodicals and volumes, including works presented as handwritten gifts.[5]

On 18 May 2023, coinciding with International Museum Day, the Foundation launched two electronic applications for virtual tours of the historic Murabba Palace and the King Abdulaziz Memorial Hall, to enrich digital historical content and support historical tourism.[1]

The Foundation's archive holds more than one million photographs, more than ten thousand hours of oral interviews, and rare historical films and recordings documenting aspects of the nation's journey and its social and cultural transformations.[6]

The Foundation publishes Al-Darah magazine, a refereed scholarly journal devoted to the heritage, history, culture and literature of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; it is issued every three months, and its first issue appeared in Rabi' al-Awwal 1395 AH.[7]

The Antami programme was launched in November 2023, and it sets out its objectives and most prominent achievements.[8]

The Foundation's Centre for the History of the Red Sea and the Western Kingdom was opened at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah in January 2022.[9]

The King Salman bin Abdulaziz Centre for the Restoration and Preservation of Historical Materials obtained the ISO 9001:2015 certification in quality management systems, after meeting the requirements of the international standards in restoration, chemical treatment, sterilisation, digital imaging, microfilm imaging and binding.[10]

Q: What is the King Abdulaziz Foundation (Darah)? A: An official national institution concerned with preserving the sources of national and Arab history and with disseminating and refining them.

Q: Where is it headquartered? A: In the city of Riyadh.

Q: Who chairs its Board of Directors? A: His Royal Highness Prince Faisal bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Special Adviser to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.

Q: What are its most prominent landmarks? A: The historic Murabba Palace and the King Abdulaziz Memorial Hall, with the collections and library they contain, and the Foundation's archive.

Q: What are its most prominent publications and programmes? A: Al-Darah magazine, which is issued every three months, and the Antami programme.

The King Abdulaziz Foundation (Darah) combines the preservation of collections and documents with making them available to researchers and visitors, through the historic Murabba Palace, the King Abdulaziz Memorial Hall and its archive of more than one million photographs, in addition to Al-Darah magazine and its specialised centres.[1][5][6]