Riyadh - Saudi Arabia
The heritage “Al-Saeed Palace” in the Saudi “Shammasiyya” Governorate regained its first features after more than 200 years, in a revival project that relied on ancient deeds and documents kept by the family, and restored about 90% of the palace’s details to their original condition.

Real estate and heritage value that enhances investment

The palace, which is one of the first palaces associated with the beginnings of settlement in Al-Shammasiyya, represents a real estate model that combines heritage value and historical depth, which gives it a special place in the heritage real estate market in the region. This type of project is an economic source that enhances tourism and investment in the heritage real estate sector.

Mud architecture and place identity

The palace consists of three floors, in addition to the roof and a number of rooms and facilities, including places for storing grains and “Jessa”. It was built entirely of clay to preserve its architectural identity, far from modern building standards.

90% original details

Engineer Khaled Suleiman Al-Saeed explained that:
The family chose not to deal with the palace as an old building that needed to be remodeled, but rather as an inheritance whose details should be restored as they were, noting that the old deeds and documents formed the approved basis for the construction work.

He added that the work did not stop at reconstructing the walls, foundations, and doors, but rather extended to the wall, the walls, the holes, the inscriptions, the directions of the doors, and the distribution of parts of the palace, stressing that about 90% of its details were restored to their old condition.

A memory of more than two centuries

The “Saeed Palace” experience presents a different model in dealing with heritage buildings, as the goal was not to reproduce an old building in a new way, but rather to preserve as much of its original features as possible and restore its details from their first sources, so that it becomes a witness to the history of the place and the memory of its people, and a living legacy that carries the story of more than two centuries.

An economic dimension that concerns the Arab investor
This type of project opens promising horizons for the Arab investor in the heritage real estate sector, as restored historical palaces have become an attractive destination for cultural tourism and luxury hospitality projects, which gives these assets an added value that exceeds their direct real estate value. The success of the “Saeed Palace” experience in relying on original documents provides a model that can be followed by other Arab countries that possess a similar architectural heritage, which enhances the opportunities for regional partnerships in the field of restoration and heritage tourism.