Thee Ain Village is a tourist heritage village dating back to the sixteenth century AD. It is surrounded by mountains on all four sides and is located in al-Makhwah Governorate in al-Bahah Province, southwest of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The village includes a number of water springs, plants, and diverse trees, and is famous for various fruits and vegetables, as well as the quality of its handcrafts.
Thee Ain Village's heritage hosts a number of buildings that date back to previous decades, as well as historic forts that reveal the areas surrounding the village, thus making it a destination for individuals and groups visiting the Kingdom in general and al-Bahah Province in particular.
Thee Ain Village is located on the top of a rocky white mountain with rugged terrains. It also overlooks Rash Valley to the west, and is about twenty-five km away from al-Bahah city center. Thee Ain is one of the most important heritage villages in the Arabian Peninsula. The village appears from the outside as a single castle. It is home to a small mosque, and was built using a homogeneous type of volcanic rock, while the interiors of the buildings were made of mud and mud bricks.
Designation of Thee Ain Village
The village took its name from a spring that flows through it from the mountains, and irrigates the trees and plants of the village, thus producing kadhi, types of aromatic plants, in addition to lemons and bananas. This spring is one of the most prominent icons of the archaeological village, since its waters have been flowing for centuries.
Thee Ain Village architecture
Thee Ain Village is characterized by its natural landscape and historical heritage, as well as its buildings which are designed in a unique architectural style. The village embraces about eighty-five multi-story houses, with some reaching five stories. These buildings are covered on the outside with quartz, unlike their walls which are built with hard granite stones extracted from the mountains surrounding the village on each side.
Thee Ain Village and the World Heritage List
The Heritage Commission exerts efforts to qualify and transform the village into a tourist center that attracts those interested in history and human heritage. Work is in process to qualify the village as a candidate for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage list.
Thee Ain Village is one of the main tourist destinations in the Kingdom, and the southern regions, in particular. It is a symbol of the nature's diversity in al-Bahah. It is also distinguished for its contributions to the sustainable development of the province and its governorates through its features in agriculture and handicrafts.
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