The Great Mosque of Riyadh and the urban development of nearby public squares, gates, towers, parts of the old wall, streets, and commercial facilities, comprise the second phase of a master plan to revitalise the Qasr al Hokm district, the old centre of Riyadh. (The governorate complex, and the municipality and police headquarters were completed in the first phase.) For the new work, architect Rasem Badran has recreated and transformed the spatial character of the local Najdi architectural idiom without directly copying it. Externally, the complex is a group of buildings behind walls, punctuated by such traditional elements as gates and towers. Within, columns, courtyards and narrow passageways recall the traditional uses of space. The mosque, set within public areas, takes its traditional place as a centre of worship integrated into the
