Tourism officials aim to awaken Saudis to their own history with new museums, historic centers
Photo: Al Naseef House in Old Jeddah, Saudi Arabia / Sammy Six / Creative Commons
In 2004, the Naseef House in Old Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, required much-needed attention. The three-storey 19th- century home, built by the wealthy merchant Omar Afandi Naseef, served as a museum, but its exhibits were poorly presented and dusty, and the structure in desperate need of renovation.
Today, the 106-room Naseef House, featuring Ottoman-Turkish architecture with refurbished colored tiles, ornamentation, frescoes and lattice adorning the windows, is the cultural center of the Balad District in Old Jeddah. Its exhibits are protected, catalogued and handled by attendants trained in museum operations.
The Naseef House, perhaps one of the most visited historic sites in Saudi Arabia, is part of the kingdom's efforts to showcase its long and neglected history by building museums and renovating existing historic sites throughout the country.
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Rob L. Wagner