The Al-Ruwaiba Mosque in the city of Buraydah in the Al-Qassim region is one of the most prominent mosques targeted by the Prince Mohammed bin Salman project for the development of historical mosques in its second phase, by preserving its materials and spatial features that give it a unique historical character, and it is allowed to make additions that do not affect its features, as it will be rebuilt and preserved On the characteristics of its roof consisting of 3 natural elements are clay, tamarisk wood and palm leaves.
The mosque – which dates back to more than 130 years old – underwent one restoration, and that was in the year 1364 AH, and it remained as it was, and prayer still exists in it to this day, while it was a seat for prayer, worship, and the study of the Noble Qur’an, in addition to taking it as a house for teaching reading, writing and various sciences. .
The Rouiba Mosque is characterized by its roof consisting of natural elements that preserve in its details an authentic urban heritage, as it is built on the unique Najdi style in architecture, which is characterized by its ability to deal with the local environment and the hot desert climate, as the elements of the Najdi style are a reflection of the requirements of local culture.
The area of the mosque before the restoration was 203.93 square meters, while it will increase after the completion of its restoration to 232.61 square meters, and its capacity will increase from 60 worshipers to 74 worshipers, while it requires developing the roof of the traditional mosque, whose parts consist of lintels, perpendicular logs and a layer of spandrels, and the final clay layer acts as a material Insulating and draining rain water from the roof.
The Prince Mohammed bin Salman project for the development of historical mosques works to achieve a balance between ancient and modern building standards in a way that gives the components of mosques an appropriate degree of sustainability, and integrates the effects of development with a set of heritage and historical characteristics, while the process of developing them is carried out by Saudi companies specialized in heritage buildings and with experience. In its field, with the importance of involving Saudi engineers to ensure the preservation of the authentic urban identity of each mosque since its establishment.
It is noteworthy that the launch of the second phase of the Historic Mosques Development Project came after the completion of the first phase, which was launched at the beginning of the project in 2018, as it included the rehabilitation and restoration of 30 historical mosques in 10 regions.
The project stems from 4 strategic objectives, summarized by rehabilitating historical mosques for worship and prayer, restoring the urban authenticity of historical mosques, highlighting the civilizational dimension of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, strengthening the religious and cultural status of historical mosques, and contributing to highlighting the cultural and civilizational dimension of the Kingdom that Vision 2030 focuses on by preserving the characteristics Authentic urbanism and its use in developing the design of modern mosques.
Okaz (Riyadh)