Heritage Commission registers 180 modern architectural landmarks in Riyadh

The Heritage Commission, in cooperation with the Royal Commission for Riyadh City and Riyadh Municipality, has completed the registration and coding of 180 modern architectural landmarks in Riyadh. The initiative aims to document and preserve modern urban heritage as a key element of Saudi Arabia’s cultural identity.

The project covers buildings and structures that represent significant milestones in Riyadh’s 20th-century history. These sites have shaped the city’s urban character, chronicled its growth and development, and now stand as architectural witnesses to the capital’s urban memory, reflecting the evolution of construction methods and urban planning during that era.

The work included documenting the sites, adding them to the urban heritage register, and installing unified information plaques featuring QR codes. This initiative helps raise awareness of their heritage value and enhances their presence in the cityscape.

Registering these sites is part of the Heritage Commission’s ongoing efforts to survey and document urban heritage locations across the Kingdom. The goal is to build a national register that records their historical and cultural significance, supporting Saudi Vision 2030’s objectives to preserve and highlight national heritage as a cultural and developmental resource.

Modern architectural heritage is a component of the national cultural heritage, encompassing buildings and structures of historical and architectural value that document the urban transformation Saudi Arabia experienced in the 20th century. These sites reflect the evolution of construction and planning methods, along with their social, cultural, and economic dimensions, making them an integral part of the Kingdom’s urban memory.