Heritage Village, Dammam

The Heritage Village in Dammam is a privately built complex in traditional architectural style, located close to the Dammam Corniche in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province. It is not a village in the literal sense but a multi-storey building that combines a museum of folk artefacts with a restaurant serving traditional dishes.

The project was a private initiative intended to preserve examples of popular heritage and show them to the public in a relatively young city where contemporary architecture dominates. Its facades, wooden doors and decoration were designed to recall elements of older building traditions from different parts of the Kingdom.

In the halls of the building visitors see collections of old household utensils, traditional weapons, coins, manuscripts, clothing, jewellery, coffee-making equipment and handicrafts. Seating in the restaurant is arranged in rooms furnished in the traditional manner. The place is visited by residents of the Eastern Province and by travellers who want to learn something of older ways of life in the Arabian Peninsula.