Tabuk Archaeological Castle

Tabuk Archaeological Castle is a heritage castle located in Tabuk City, north of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Historically, it was one of the stations on the Levant Hajj Route, which connected the Levant with al-Madinah al-Munawwarah. The route consisted of castles and stations to receive pilgrims, starting from the Saudi-Jordanian border and extending to al-Madinah al-Munawwarah.

It is located next to the well-known Ain al-Sukkar, covering an area of approximately 2,500 m. The current castle was built on the ruins of an older one, with the original construction dating back to 1568. It was then restored in 1654, and fully renovated again in 1843, with a special inscription commemorating this event placed in the Mihrab of the mosque on the upper floor of the castle. The castle was further renovated in 1951 and underwent comprehensive restoration in 1993.

The General Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (now the Ministry of Tourism) renovated and restored the castle in 2013, transforming it into the Tabuk Archaeological Castle Museum. The museum now houses many archaeological and heritage artifacts on display.

The castle consists of two floors. The first floor includes an open courtyard, several rooms, a mosque, and a water well. There is a staircase leading to the upper floor, which features an open-air mosque above the lower floor, and another staircase leading to the towers used for guarding and surveillance. The castle is distinguished by its fortified structure.

At the beginning of the Saudi era, the castle was used as a center for the Emirate and the police. It also served various purposes, including providing services to Hajj caravans.