Al Masmak Palace is a clay and mudbrick fort in Riyadh's ad-Dirah neighborhood. Abdullah bin Faisal Al Saud, Emir of Najd, commissioned it, and construction began in 1865. It was completed in 1895 under Muhammad bin Abdullah Al Rashid, after the Rashidi dynasty took the town from the House of Saud. The infobox gives the style as Najdi, and the article names no architect.
In January 1902, Abdulaziz ibn Saud returned from exile in Kuwait and retook the fort in the Battle of Riyadh. It was a munitions warehouse from 1902 to 1938. The main gate is made of palmwood, 12 feet (3.6 m) high and 8 feet 8 inches (2.65 m) wide. The corner towers are about 59 feet (18 m) high, with walls 4 feet 1 inch (1.25 m) thick. The fort has four watchtowers.
A restoration study was prepared in 1979, and the fort became a museum in 1995. It later joined the King Abdulaziz Historical Centre.
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