Ushayqir Heritage Village

Ushayqir Heritage Village is a heritage village located in Shaqra Governorate, Riyadh Province, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is situated two hundred km west of Riyadh City. The walls of the village are built from mud bricks, and the rooms and passageways are roofed with tamarisk wood, with the gaps between these woods covered with palm fronds. The doors, windows, and all wooden structures are also made from local building materials, including palm trunks and tamarisk.

Ushayqir Heritage Village covers an area of four km amidst sand dunes. It is home to around four hundred mud-brick houses, twenty-five mosques, and some congregational mosques. The village consists of seven districts, with winding alleys that lead to palm farms and gardens. It is surrounded by a wall with wide gates and tall towers. The buildings in Ushayqir Heritage Village are arranged around a rectangular central square, with the main mosque located to the west. To the east, there are several commercial shops and public services, including grain stores, scales, coffins, an animal shelter, a guest house, and schools for Quranic education. The residential districts are connected to the square by main roads. The village is distinguished by its numerous landmarks and heritage sites.

The village's inhabitants first settled there 1,500 years ago. Over time, its architecture expanded and developed, making it a stopping point for pilgrims' caravans heading to Makkah al-Mukarramah, due to its springs, gardens, and palm groves.

Restoration work in Ushayqir Heritage Village began in 2003 by the local residents. Additionally, the (former) General Commission for Tourism and Antiquities carried out the restoration of the village wall, completing most parts of the heritage village.

Ushayqir Heritage Village includes several heritage landmarks, including the museum, the shop, the traditional restaurant, and the mud-brick houses. Additionally, there are three ancient mosques: the Main Mosque, al-Faylaqiyah Mosque, and the northern mosque, Sheikh Suleiman Bin Ali Bin Musharraf Mosque, which was restored to its original form, including its historic "Sifah" and "Khalwah" areas.

Mud bricks were used in the construction of the buildings in Ushayqir Heritage Village, with foundations made of limestone, while some buildings were based on other types of stones naturally available in the area. The foundations of the village buildings consist of five courses. Tamarisk and palm trunks were used to build the roofs, which were covered with palm frond mats and then coated with a layer of mud. Wooden columns were also used, and in the larger buildings and mosques, cylindrical stone columns covered with a layer of gypsum or mortar were employed.