Article 59 of the Saudi Antiquities Law
المادة 59 من نظام الآثار والمتاحف والتراث العمراني
The article requires a museum to preserve, maintain, study and enrich its collections, display them to the widest possible public, carry out cultural and educational activities, and take part in scientific research.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يجب على المتحف القيام بالآتي:
1 - حفظ المجموعات التي يمتلكها، وصيانتها، وترميمها، ودراستها، وإثراؤها.
2 - عرض مجموعاته، وجعلها متاحة لأكبر فئة من الجمهور.
3 - تنفيذ نشاطات ثقافية وتربوية، بعد التنسيق مع الجهات المعنية.
4 - المشاركة في البحث العلمي، والإسهام في تطوير المعرفة ونشرها.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 59 explained in plain English
This article sets out the basic duties of every museum. The text is general and covers museums without distinguishing public from private.
- Preservation and care: preserving the collections it holds, maintaining them, restoring them, studying them and enriching them.
- Display: displaying its collections and making them available to the widest possible public.
- Activities: carrying out cultural and educational activities, after coordinating with the bodies concerned.
- Scientific research: taking part in scientific research and contributing to developing and spreading knowledge.
These duties reflect the public function of the museum as defined in Article 1: a place of permanent display that achieves cultural, educational or entertainment goals and is open to the public at fixed times. A museum is not merely a store for items but an institution with a role in preservation, education and research.
Note that "restoration" here relates to the museum's own collections, and that carrying out cultural and educational activities is conditional on coordination with the bodies concerned. The article does not state a penalty for breach of these duties.
This article is connected to Article 60, which allows museums holding the "Saudi Museum" logo to benefit from the Authority's scientific and technical support in display and in preserving, maintaining and restoring exhibits, helping them carry out these duties. It is also connected to Article 58, under which the Authority adopts the "Saudi Museum" logo for public and private museums.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 59 of the Saudi Antiquities Law
What are the duties of a private museum?
Preserving, maintaining, restoring, studying and enriching its collections, displaying them to the widest possible public, carrying out cultural and educational activities, and taking part in scientific research.
Does a museum need coordination to hold educational activities?
Yes. Carrying out cultural and educational activities is done after coordinating with the bodies concerned.
More articles on Museums and Their Licensing
- Article 20
The article creates the Antiquities, Museums and Urban Heritage Fund to spend on protecting antiquities, building museums and supporting the private sector, and sets its resources from revenues, compensation and donations.
1- ينشأ في الهيئة صندوق يسمى (صندوق الآثار والمتاحف والتراث العمراني)؛ للإنفاق منه على حماية الآثار، والتراث العمراني، والمحافظة عليها، وصيانتها، وعرضها، وتوظيف
- Article 30
The Commission may exchange duplicate movable antiquities, or those with similar specimens, with museums and scientific institutions inside and outside the Kingdom, and lend movable antiquities for display in international museums and exhibitions.
يجوز للهيئة تبادل الآثار المنقولة المكررة، أو التي لها نماذج مع المتاحف والمؤسسات العلمية الداخلية والخارجية، وكذلك إعارة الآثار المنقولة لعرضها في المتاحف والم
- Article 31
The Commission may accept movable antiquities offered to it as a gift or loan, and may keep or display them in the name of the person who offered them.
للهيئة قبول الآثار المنقولة التي تقدم إليها على سبيل الإهداء أو الإعارة، ولها أن تحفظها أو تعرضها باسم مقدمها.
- Article 56
Any person may establish a cultural, heritage, scientific or other museum as a cultural or investment project, after obtaining classification and a license from the Authority and the relevant bodies.
يجوز للشخص إنشاء متحف حضاري، أو تراثي، أو علمي، أو غير ذلك (كمشروع ثقافي، أو استثماري، أو كليهما) وذلك بعد الحصول على تصنيف وترخيص من الهيئة ومن الجهات ذات العل
- Article 57
Museums are classified into three categories (A), (B) and (C) according to the level of their displays and the variety of their activities; anything else is a private collection, and the regulations set the classification criteria.
تصنف المتاحف إلى ثلاث فئات: (أ) و(ب) و(ج) تبعاً لمستوى عروضها وتنوع نشاطاتها، وما عدا ذلك يعد (مجموعات خاصة)، وتحدد اللوائح معايير تصنيف المتاحف.
- Article 58
The Authority adopts a "Saudi Museum" logo granted to public and private museums, which passes with the museum if ownership transfers, and the regulations set the provisions on granting, suspending and revoking it.
تعتمد الهيئة شعاراً باسم (متحف سعودي) يمنح للمتاحف العامة والخاصة، وينتقل الشعار مع المتحف إذا انتقلت ملكيته، وتبين اللوائح الأحكام المتعلقة بمنح الشعار، وتعليق
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.