Qaşr al Maşmak

The mud brick fortress of Al-Masmak dates from 1865 when it was built to protect the local ruler during a period of warring emirates. It's main significance now is the role it played during the conflict resulting in the unification of Saudi Arabia into the single kingdom it is today. Nowadays, it's a museum.
The 1st picture is of the fortress from outside. The 2nd picture is of a model of old Riyadh with it's city wall. The fortress can be seen just left of center. The 3rd picture is of the main door into the fortress. To the right of the small door, about even wit the bottom of the X, you can see the remains of a spear tip. This from a spear thrown by King Adulaziz that just missed the local emir. That emir was killed later.
The 4th picture shows the construction inside the fortress, and the 5th is of one of several courtyards. The 6th picture is an interesting ladder made from a tree that has some interesting twists, making climbing it interesting, as well.
The next 3 pictures are museum exhibits: weapons, a saddle and uniforms, respectively.
The last picture is of a local man serving cups of Saudi Arabian coffee. It is not at all what we would expect. It is a mix of coffee, cardamom and clove. And it is yellow. Totally unexpected, by me anyway.Read more