Saad bin Saud Palace

Saad bin Saud Palace is one of the mud-brick palaces in the historic At-Turaif district of Diriyah, north-west of Riyadh. At-Turaif was the seat of government of the First Saudi State and was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2010. The palace is attributed to Prince Saad, a son of Imam Saud bin Abdulaziz.

It was built in the later years of the First Saudi State, before Diriyah fell in 1818 to the military campaign led by Ibrahim Pasha. At-Turaif was then left damaged and largely abandoned for a long period. This palace was among the first buildings in the district to be restored, in the second half of the twentieth century, and for that reason it is one of the most complete of the palaces there.

The palace is built of mud brick and mud on stone foundations and is roofed with tamarisk trunks and palm fronds. It rises several storeys around an open inner courtyard, and its walls carry the triangular openings and crenellations typical of Najdi buildings. Visitors see it as part of a tour of At-Turaif, together with Salwa Palace and the neighbouring residences.