Shubra Palace

{{Short description|Historic building in Taif, Saudi Arabia}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}

{{Infobox Historic building

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| image_size = 300px

| image_caption = Shubra Palace, Taif

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| location_town = Taif

| location_country = Saudi Arabia

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| architect =

| client = Ali Pasha

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| completion_date = 1858

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| style = Ottoman architecture

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Shubra Palace is a royal palace in Taif, Saudi Arabia. It was one of the royal residences until 1995 when it was transformed into a museum.

History

The building was originally constructed in 1858 as a two-storey house.{{cite news|title=The Highlands of Ta'if|work=Leaders MENA

|url=https://www.leaders-mena.com/the-highlands-of-taif/|access-date=23 March 2021|date=25 April 2019}} It was rebuilt by Ali Pasha, former sharif of Mecca, and completed in 1905.{{cite web|title=Shubra Palace|url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/saudi-arabia/hejaz/taif/attractions/shubra-palace/a/poi-sig/1306904/361140|publisher=Lonely Planet|access-date=23 March 2021}}{{cite book|editor1=Michael R. T. Dumper|editor2=Bruce E. Stanley|title=Cities of the Middle East and North Africa: A Historical Encyclopedia

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3SapTk5iGDkC&pg=PA344|year=2007|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-57607-919-5|page=344|location=Santa Barbara, CA; Denver, CO; Oxford}} It was named after a palace built in Cairo, Egypt. Following the capture of the city by Saudis the Shubra Palace was used by King Abdulaziz as summer residence. Two of his sons, Prince Talal and Prince Nawwaf, were born there. It is where King Abdulaziz died in 1953.

King Faisal used the Shubra Palace as a summer residence. The palace was also used as the office of Crown Prince Sultan. In 1995 the palace was made a heritage museum.{{cite news|title=Shubra Palace: An architectural treasure house in Taif

|url=https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/595995|access-date=23 March 2021|work=Saudi Gazette|date=26 July 2020|location=Taif}}

Layout and style

The building consists of four floors and four uniform facades with gardens. The windows and balconies have a criss-crossed pattern of strips of wood, known as latticework. The interior of the building is designed with marble from Carrara, Italy.

References