Al-Ruwaibah Mosque in the city of Buraidah in the Qassim Region is one of the most prominent mosques that Prince Mohammed Bin Salman's project for the development of historical mosques is targeting to restore in its second phase. The restoration will preserve its materials and spatial features that give it a unique historical character, where specific and limited additions are allowed to be performed provided that these changes do not impact its features. It will be rebuilt while preserving the characteristics of its roof which consists of three natural elements: clay, tamarisk wood, and palm leaves. The mosque, which is more than 130 years old, was restored only once before, in 1364 AH, and since then, it has remained as it was. Prayer is still being performed in it to this day, while it used to be a place for prayer, worship, and studying the Holy Qur'an, in addition to taking it as a house for teaching reading, writing, and various sciences. Al-Ruwaibah Mosque feature is its roof, which consists of natural elements that reflect an authentic urban heritage, as it is built on the unique Najdi style in architecture, which is characterized by its ability to tolerate 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. It will increase after the completion of the restoration to 232.61 square meters, and its capacity will increase from 60 worshipers to 74 worshipers. The launch of the project's 2nd phase for the development of historical mosques came after the completion of the first phase, which was launched in 2018, as it included renovation and restoration of 30 historical mosques in 10 regions. — SPA
