Al-Qishlah Palace is a historic palace in the centre of Hail built during the reign of King Abdulaziz in 1360 AH (1941). Construction took a year and a half, and the mosque, prison and other annexes were completed in 1362 AH. The rectangular complex covers more than 19,000 square metres, 241 metres long and 141 metres wide, on two floors around a large courtyard ringed by galleries roofed with palm fronds and tamarisk trunks on stone columns. Eight cylindrical defensive towers, 12 metres high, rise from its outer walls.
Al-Qishlah today
Since its restoration, the palace has become Hail's largest heritage venue: it hosted the "Hirfa 2025" festival that opened the Year of Handicrafts with more than 130 artisans and 91,000 visitors in a week, the "Asareed" event of the Artists Club, and the Founding Day celebrations organised by Hail Education, as well as exhibitions and poetry evenings in its courtyards.
