. The heart of Arabia, a record of travel and exploration . usdimensions of his grandfathers palace more in keeping withthe role of a great monarch than the thick-walled dungeonin which his uncle sought to parry the treachery of anambitious brother. Be that as it may, there is, with the possible exceptionof the fort at Buraida, no building in all his territories sosplendid in its proportions, so beautiful and so representativeof all that is best in modern Arabian architecture as the royalpalace of Ibn Saud. Its merit lies in its superb simphcityof design and in an almost complete absence of or
. The heart of Arabia, a record of travel and exploration . usdimensions of his grandfathers palace more in keeping withthe role of a great monarch than the thick-walled dungeonin which his uncle sought to parry the treachery of anambitious brother. Be that as it may, there is, with the possible exceptionof the fort at Buraida, no building in all his territories sosplendid in its proportions, so beautiful and so representativeof all that is best in modern Arabian architecture as the royalpalace of Ibn Saud. Its merit lies in its superb simphcityof design and in an almost complete absence of ornamentso appropriate to an edifice intended to provide not onlycomfort but security for those dwelling within its of the western wing of the building was, during thetime of my visit, in a somewhat dilapidated state, andmasons were busy creating order out of chaos and incident-ally increasing the available internal accommodation forthe growing family and household staff of Ibn Saud, whoseown private apartments occupy a central position adjoining. 7. C ?X. ?? Pi ^ c _ A — ?? a ~ - Z iC r. j^ r1 ?; ^ li. ^ x. G - < Y. < -^ - ~ X ~ ^ ,^\ ^ <, ^ r- y: THE WAHHABI CAPITAL 75 the southern wall and are connected by passages with acorresponding edifice in the middle of the northern wall,in which are the audience-chambers and offices of thecentral administration. To these the main doorway facingeastward from a projecting machicolated structure givesdirect access to the throngs which at all times besiege theentrance and which can be conveniently overlooked from anumber of latticed windows in Ibn Sauds private sanctumon the first floor of the projecting portion immediately abovethe door. The eastern section of the building is for themost part relegated to the domestic staff, the slaves andservants of both sexes, who occupy a courtyard in thenorth-east corner, and to the kitchens and stables whichspread over the south - eastern portion; to these twoseparate doors give
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, bookpublisherlondo, bookyear1922
