Al-Muwaylih Historical Castle is an ancient castle located in Tabuk Province, north of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is one of the main stations on the Egyptian Hajj Route, built in 1560. Some historians consider it one of the largest castles in the Kingdom and one of the largest fortresses along the pilgrimage route. The castle features a courtyard and a mosque, with service units for pilgrims surrounding the courtyard on all sides. The castle also has towers at each of its four corners.
The castle contains four wells, one located in its courtyard and three in the valley. One of the wells has a foundation stone indicating that it was built at the expense of the Egyptian pilgrimage leader, Osman Bin Azdemir Pasha.
Location of al-Muwaylih Historical Castle
Al-Muwaylih Historical Castle is located near the village of al-Muwaylih, from which it takes its name, approximately forty km north of the city of Duba in Tabuk Province. The castle's horizontal layout is an irregular rectangle, with its longest side, the northern wall, measuring 109 m, the southern wall 81.70 m, the eastern wall 107.60 m, and the western wall 107.90 m. The entrance is situated in the middle of the northern wall, featuring the main gate of the castle. This entrance is spacious, topped with a pointed arch that prominently protrudes from the building. Adjacent to the entrance is a large base with a circular neck, possibly intended for an unfinished or destroyed minaret. Inside, there is a wide courtyard with several rooms along its perimeter.
Design of al-Muwaylih Historical Castle
The design of al-Muwaylih Historical Castle includes four large circular towers at each corner of the castle, along with two smaller towers on one of its facades. The castle features numerous loopholes used for protection and defense, which are accessible via the rooftops of the rooms that line the interior facades of the courtyard. The castle was constructed using sedimentary stone, with the interior ceilings built in the form of intersecting round arches.
Registration of al-Muwaylih Historical Castle in the National Register of Architectural Heritage
On March 7, 2022, the Heritage Commission registered thirty-seven new urban heritage sites in Tabuk Province in the National Register of Architectural Heritage as part of its efforts to archive and digitize heritage sites across the Kingdom's provinces. Among these sites are al-Muwaylih Castle and its mosque. The mission of the National Register of Urban Heritage is to document, register, and classify heritage sites according to the Law of Antiquities, Museums, and Urban Heritage and its Implementing Regulations. This includes building a spatial database of registered heritage sites, archiving documents and photos of cultural heritage sites, preserving and documenting ongoing work, and developing practical solutions for managing national heritage operations. Additionally, the register aims to provide supportive information for decision-making related to the preservation and maintenance of heritage sites and to make this information easily accessible to researchers and specialists.
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