The palace was originally built by his eldest son, Prince Saud, in a large palm grove he had purchased from a Riyadh resident named Ibn Askar. Prince Saud constructed the palace and later offered it to his father — may God have mercy on him.
Philby recounts that when he arrived in Riyadh in 1351 AH, he went directly to this palace, where he found King Abdulaziz sitting beside a wooden‑latticed window in the spacious upper‑floor sitting room of his son Saud’s summer residence.
Philby adds that upon reaching Al‑Batin, he found King Abdulaziz enjoying the pleasant atmosphere of Al‑Badiah Palace, surrounded by many members of the royal family, Bedouins, and others, including Nafi’ bin Fadhliah, Mutlaq bin Zaid bin Al‑Jabhā’, Mohammed bin Samhi Al‑Qahtani, Majid Bani Khathilah, Khalid bin Hashar, Yusuf Yassin, Khalid Qarqani, and several others he mentions.
This palace is the same Al‑Badiah Palace frequently referenced by Western visitors to Riyadh, who often stayed there during their visits to King Abdulaziz, as the city at that time lacked hotels suitable for distinguished guests. Many Westerners and Arab visitors wrote descriptions of the palace, its atmosphere, and its surroundings.
The palace still stands today and has been placed under the administration of the Endowments Authority, though it suffers from neglect, raising concerns that continued deterioration may eventually lead to its collapse — especially as it lies within the Al‑Badiah Garden.
Reference: Abdulrahman bin Suleiman Al‑Ruwayshid