Al-Ahsa Oasis is a cultural world heritage site and a tourist cultural destination for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Its fertile land, abundant palm trees, and water springs have made it the largest oasis of palm trees surrounded by sand in the world. It is the largest governorate in the Kingdom, covering an area of 375,000 km², and is one of the governorates in the Eastern Province, which is the largest province in the Kingdom with an area of 540,000 km². It is the fifth Saudi site to be insc...
The House of al-Rifai is one of the historical sites on Farasan Island, Jazan Province, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is considered a prominent landmark and a historical and tourist attraction. It is characterized by its diverse geometric forms and inscriptions that have remained unchanged since 1923. 1 2 Design of the House of al-Rifai The House of al-Rifai was constructed by the pearl merchant Ahmed Munawar al-Rifai, who was one of the prominent traders of Farasan in ancient times. Through his ...
Jeddah Water Tower, or Khuzam Tower , is one of the most important tourist landmarks in Jeddah Governorate, located in Makkah al-Mukarramah Province in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It holds historical significance due to its location next to Khuzam Palace, one of the palaces inhabited by the Founding King Abdulaziz Bin Abdulrahman. The palace witnessed numerous agreements, treaties, and political memorandums, including signing the first oil exploration agreement. Establishment The Ministry o...
The archaeological site of al-Shuwayhitiyah, located in al-Jawf Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is considered the oldest discovered human settlement site in the country. The site contains the oldest recognized human settlement in Asia and the second oldest in the world. Its history dates back to the Oldowan period of the Paleolithic age, over 1.3 million years BC, making it the first settlement on the Arabian Peninsula. Al-Shuwayhitiyah site comprises sixteen settlements and contains a...
Jazan Province, located in the southwest of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, includes many archaeological sites, including: Al-Sehi Site Located in the southwest of Samtah Governorate, site excavations have revealed that the site was intermittently populated between 1300 and 2400 BCE. The site forms the connection point between the eastern coast of Africa and the western Arabian Peninsula. Either Site Located in an area of land inside the Red Sea, it is called Ras Tarfah. It dates back to the peri...
Najran Province, located in the southwest of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, features several archaeological sites. An important center along the ancient caravan route, it was a passageway for the tribes of the west and central Arabian Peninsula. Its archaeological sites include: Hima Site The Hima rock art area comprises 550 rock art panels featuring hundreds of thousands of rock inscriptions and petroglyphs. They are written in various ancient scripts, including Thamudic, Nabataean, Ancient Sout...
It is the Tarout Castle, situated northwest of al-Dirah district on Tarout Hill, at the heart of Tarout Island in al-Qatif, which is part of the Eastern Province. This castle is referenced in Portuguese historical documents. Following the collapse of the Mamluk state in Egypt, the Levant, and Hejaz in 1516, and with the Portuguese gaining control over certain ports in the Arabian Gulf, they eventually arrived at Tarout and renovated the castle in 1544. The castle consists of an irregularly shap...
The phenomenon of rock art has emerged throughout human history, being the oldest human artifacts, found on mountain outcrops, caves, or rocky surfaces. These were found in places that were considered ancient human settlements. Among these is the rock art in Hail Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , which has been a global historical site since the nineteenth century. The arab ancestors left traces of their human experiences through drawings representing human and animal figures. It was re...
Jabal al-Lawz or Jibal al-Lawz is a mountain range located in Tabuk Province, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, within the geographical boundaries of NEOM area. It rises to an elevation of 2,549 m above sea level and experiences snowfall almost every winter. It is named after the almond trees found in it. Tourism in Jibal al-Lawz Jibal al-Lawz are a distinctive tourist destination for hiking and adventure enthusiasts. Tourist activities are organized there during the winter season, including driving alo...
Al Murabba Historical Palace or King Abdulaziz Palace was the first palace built for King Abdulaziz Bin Abdulrahman Al Saud, the Founder of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In 1938, the King moved to the palace thirty-six years following his stay in Riyadh, after he had lived in Qasr al-Hukm. The palace played a major role in the Saudi political scene. The first laws of the Kingdom saw the light of day within its premises. One of its units, the Political Division, formed the nucleus for the establ...
Historical Jeddah , or al-Balad (lit. 'The Town'), is a world cultural heritage site, a central archaeological, commercial, and tourist area, in downtown Jeddah on the western coast of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It consists of the Jeddah neighborhoods within the old wall, gates, alleys, mosques, houses, markets, buildings, government headquarters, neighborhood empty areas between houses ( barha ), landmarks, public squares, personal museums, and ancient mosques. Historic Jeddah is o...
Hegra or Hijr (Mada’in Salih) is a World Heritage Site and a Saudi touristic and historic monument. It is located in al-Ula governorate, affiliated with Madinah, northwest of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Hegra, which was known for a long time as Mada’in Salih, consists of ruins that have combined various historical eras, including Nabataean, Lihyanite, and Islamic. Its most famous landmarks are the historical tombs carved on the facades of sandstone rocks. Hegra was one of the first Saudi ...