Qishlah Palace

Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia

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Qishlah Palace (also called Al‑Qishla or Al‑Qishlah) is a large, historic mud‑built palace and former military barracks in the heart of Ha’il city in northwestern Saudi Arabia.

It was constructed in the 1940s (most sources say 1941–1943) during the reign of King Abdulaziz and the principality of Prince Abdulaziz bin Musaad, in the traditional Najdi architectural style, using clay, mudbrick, stone and wood, and built as a rectangular complex about 142.8 × 141.2 meters with 8.5‑meter‑high walls, eight cylindrical watchtowers, two main gates (east and south), an internal courtyard and two floors.

The palace originally housed around 142 rooms, including dormitories for soldiers, offices and armories, and contains a Najdi‑style mosque, and it served as barracks for troops arriving in Ha’il, later becoming a prison until the end of the bin Musa’ad principality. Recognized for its size and architectural importance.

Qishlah is considered one of the largest and oldest mud buildings in the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula, and it was officially designated as a heritage landmark in 1995, though reports note it has at times been closed to the public while still remaining a prominent visual symbol of Ha’il’s historic urban core.