Gallery
Description
Property Name: Al Raghba Tower
Inventory No: –
Date of infill of the inventory form: 2020
Country (State party): Saudi Arabia
Province: Riyadh
Town: Al Margab
Geographic coordinates: 25°16’56.63″N 43°49’8.33″E
Historic Period: 17th Century
Year of Construction: 1668
Style: Najdi
Original Use: Tower
Current Use: Museum
Architect: Unknown
Significance
The tower is located in the area of Al Raghba, close to the city of Riyadh. The town was built in 1079 AH (1668 AD), although minor disagreements exist regarding this date. Often referred to as Al Margab, the tower is located in the south western reaches of the town and may well be the tallest archaeological tower in Najd. At a height of 22 meters, it was built in 1297 AH (1880 AD) for the purposes of monitoring and protection. It also has 11 windows for lighting, ventilation and monitoring.
Selection Criteria
i. to represent a masterpiece of human creative genius
ii. to exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design
iii. to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared
vi. to be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance
State of Preservation
Well preserved
References
Commission of Tourism and Heritage