Shubra Palace

Shubra Palace stands in the old part of Taif, the mountain city in western Saudi Arabia that served as a summer retreat for the royal family. It is one of the city's best known historic buildings.

The site began as a two-storey house built in 1858. Ali Pasha, a former Sharif of Makkah, rebuilt and enlarged it, completing the palace around 1905. It was named after the Muhammad Ali palace at Shubra al-Khaimah north of Cairo. After Taif came under Saudi rule, King Abdulaziz used it as his summer residence, and he died in Taif in 1953. King Faisal also used it as a summer residence, and it later held offices of Crown Prince Sultan.

The building has four floors above a cellar and four matching facades surrounded by gardens. Its windows and balconies are screened with wooden latticework, known as rawasheen, and the interior uses marble brought from Carrara in Italy. Stairs, columns and high ceilings show a mix of local Hijazi and Ottoman influences.

In 1995 the palace was converted into a museum, displaying archaeological finds, pottery, coins, weapons, traditional clothing and items connected with the history of Taif and the region.

Visitors should check opening times locally, as hours and restoration work can affect access. Taif is about a two-hour drive from Jeddah.

How big is the palace? It has about 150 rooms across its four floors, with several entrances and a garden on each side. A broad wooden staircase rises from the main hall, and carved wooden gates and window frames add to the latticed balconies. The palace stands on Shubra Street, one of the main roads of central Taif. Some records give 1907 for the final completion of the building.

Two of King Abdulaziz's sons, Talal and Nawwaf, were born in the palace. The museum displays tell the story of Taif and its hinterland: stone carvings and inscriptions, pottery, glass and stone household vessels and lamps, coins in gold and silver, seals, jewellery and iron locks, and a collection of swords, shields, daggers, spears and rifles. One section is given to the Taif rose, with an old distillation device for rose water and rose oil. Another recreates the old market, or khan.