The Wall of Shaqra Town

The Wall of Shaqra Town, located in the heritage town of Shaqra Governorate in Riyadh Province, at the center of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is a historical landmark known as the "Old Wall." Dating back to 1817. Adjacent to the wall is a trench that was later developed into a circular street called "al-Khidr." The remnants of the wall, referred to as "Aqda", are integrated into buildings and homes.

The Wall of Shaqra Town features two main gates: Bab al-Manakh, located on the northeastern side, and Bab al-Aqda, situated to the west. The wall is fortified with approximately twenty-seven watchtowers and shooting towers protruding outward. At its core lies the old town, still referred to as al-Madinah (the city), encircled by this wall, which has a perimeter of roughly 1.5 km.

There are farms and palm groves situated beyond the wall. Over more than one hundred years, the town expanded, and as its population grew, a new wall was constructed in 1901. This new wall includes about forty-five towers, built with stone bases and mud upper sections, serving protective and defensive purposes. The wall also enclosed some farms and palm groves and featured three main gates: Bab al-Talha in the east, Bab al-Atifah, and Bab Haddaj in the east and north, which were used for the entry and exit of goods and supplies.

To the west, there are two small passageways designed to shorten the distance for those entering and exiting the town. The first, Thaqbat al-Qurain, is located to the south and is smaller than the main gate, carved out of the wall itself. It leads toward the villages of al-Waqf and Ghuslah, situated about four km south of Shaqra.

The other passageway is Thaqab, on the western side. The wall spans a perimeter of seven km, with a base thickness of three arm lengths, a height of approximately twelve arm lengths, and its towers reaching up to twenty arm lengths. Additionally, the mountains surrounding the town to the north and south are crowned with three stone-built towers, each rising thirty arm lengths high. These towers overlook the town and its surroundings and remain among the last surviving landmarks of the area.

To the west of Shaqra’s Town Wall lies 'al-Humaydiyah,' a large well that serves as a primary water source for the town's wells. A separate water stream from Wadi al-Ghadir - one of the largest valleys in Shaqra - was directed to flow into this well during its runs. The well was specially designed to handle this inflow, featuring a broad capacity and robust stone lining from its depths to the surface. Its primary function is to retain water year-round and distribute it systematically to the other wells, supporting agriculture and irrigation. Acting as a natural dam, it offers the additional advantage of being shielded from sunlight.