Saudi Archives Receive Nearly 50,000 Historical Documents

The King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives has received a digital and knowledge archive from the Institute of Public Administration containing 49,783 historical documents covering more than seven decades of Saudi administrative and institutional development.

Transferred in Riyadh on June 16th, the collection forms part of efforts to expand the Kingdom's documentary resources and improve access to historical material for researchers and the public.

The archive includes royal orders, regulations, decisions and official correspondence from various periods, alongside 136 volumes of newspapers, magazines and periodicals.

It also contains 5,489 digital files converted from microfilm reels and publications spanning 54 Arabic and 82 English newspapers and specialised magazines.

According to the foundation, the material reflects the work of the Institute of Public Administration since its establishment in 1961 and provides insight into the Kingdom's administrative evolution, as well as its cultural, intellectual and social development.

Part of the collection will be made available through the foundation's digital platforms, while the remaining material will be accessible through dedicated research halls.

The transfer was carried out under a memorandum of cooperation aimed at strengthening the preservation and digitisation of national historical sources in line with international archival standards.