Article 67 of the Saudi Antiquities Law
المادة 67 من نظام الآثار والمتاحف والتراث العمراني
Every museum must coordinate with the Authority when it moves its premises from one place to another or makes a fundamental change to its displays.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يجب على كل متحف التنسيق مع الهيئة عند نقل مقره من مكان إلى آخر، أو إجراء تعديل جوهري في عروضه.
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 67 explained in plain English
This article imposes a duty to coordinate with the Authority in two specific cases.
- Who bears the duty: every museum; the text is general and covers public and private museums.
- First case: moving the museum's premises from one place to another.
- Second case: making a fundamental change to its displays.
- The duty: coordinating with the Authority.
Note that the text uses the word "coordination", not "approval" or "license". The article does not set out the procedures for this coordination, its timing, or what follows from it.
The rule is also limited to a fundamental change to displays, so according to the text it does not cover every simple change in how exhibits are arranged. The article does not define a fundamental change, so a museum in doubt would be wise to contact the Authority.
This rule is connected to Article 68, which deals with a more serious case, stopping the museum's activity permanently or for a long period, which may be done only after the Authority's approval, and the Authority may determine the fate of its exhibits. The Law thus escalates: coordination for a move or fundamental change, and approval for permanent or long-term closure.
Anyone who runs a museum and plans to move to a new building or completely redesign its displays should start coordinating with the Authority before carrying this out.
Practical example
The owner of a private museum in Abha decides to move the museum to a larger building in another district of the city. He must coordinate with the Authority on this move, and likewise if he wants to make a fundamental change to how his collection is displayed.
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 67 of the Saudi Antiquities Law
Must the Authority be notified when a museum moves?
Every museum must coordinate with the Authority when it moves its premises from one place to another.
Does changing a museum's displays require coordination with the Authority?
Coordination with the Authority is required when a fundamental change is made to the displays.
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.