ThePlace: Jabra palace, one of the oldest cities in Saudi Arabia

Photo/Saudi Press Agency

• The palace consists of two floors, a huge hall and an entrance decorated with beautiful ornamentations, with a fountain in the middle of its courtyard

Taif is rich in historical and heritage landmarks that highlight the status of the governorate as one of the oldest cities in the Kingdom and the region as a whole.
Jabra Palace, in the northeast of the governorate, is considered one of the oldest landmarks in the Arabian Peninsula as its construction dates back more than 1,300 years. The palace stands on top of a hill overlooking many lush farms and orchards on the slopes of Wadi Jabra, which is full of streaming torrents during rainfall and receives water from distant locations.
The palace retains the beauty of its Islamic inscriptions and rich architectural heritage. It was named after Jabra of the Makhzoum tribe, the wife of Prince Mohammed bin Hisham, one of the princes during the Umayyad era and governor of Makkah at the time.
The palace consists of two floors, a huge hall and an entrance decorated with beautiful ornamentations, with a fountain in the middle of its courtyard.
Despite its age, the palace still retains its shape and construction style, in addition to many inscriptions on its walls and ceilings, and embodies a distinguished style of architecture that combines Islamic, Roman and traditional Hijaz construction. This architecture includes stones, stucco and bricks of various shapes and sizes, while the palace lobbies tell the story of a rich history extending over many centuries.
Jabra Palace has attracted the attention of poets and writers throughout the ages due to the beauty of its construction and inscriptions and its distinguished location, and is mentioned in many old Arab poems.