Najran lies at an altitude of around 1300 meters. We drive through the Hima Desert up into the Asir Mountains. The road mostly follows the course of dry rivers. The higher we get, the more the green spots of palm oases freshen up the landscape. The road then climbs steeply with two hairpin bends and we reach a plateau that is already above 2000 meters. A wonderful ride with little traffic and beautiful views.
Dhahran al Janub is an oasis town. A relatively intact clay settlement on the edge of the oasis lured us here. The compact settlement is currently being heavily renovated and restored. The clay buildings still exert an exotic fascination. We try to imagine what life must have been like here back then. Unfortunately, clunky concrete houses were built directly behind the settlement, probably at a time when there was still no understanding for the preservation of the old witnesses to history. We spend the night in the nearby parking lot.
At 2 o’clock in the morning, someone knocks violently on our door and we wake up. Three young men with hoods over their heads want money from us . Glücklicherweise sind keine Waffen im Einsatz. Wir schliessen ab und starten den Motor und fahren davon. Nachdem wir in eine Gasse eingebogen waren und dort parken wollen, kommen sie schon wieder um die Ecke gelaufen. They chased us with a passenger car. We drive on, through the town and out of town. There we had seen a parking lot where trucks now also spend the night. We park here and enjoy the remaining hours in peace.
The Asir Mountains are located in the southwest of Saudi Arabia. Although there are also mountain peaks, it seems to us more like a mountainous plateau that drops steeply to the west, i.e. towards the Red Sea. Many of the roads, even well-developed ones, which descend in a westerly direction to the Red Sea, are not allowed to be used by trucks. This is probably due to the steep gradients of 20 percent and more. Although there are a few places of interest , the mountains are so densely populated and sparsely populated that there are only a few places where you can get a “mountain feeling”.
We find a romantic spot for the night in Al Murabba Nature Park. The park is very clean, as Bangladeshi workers are constantly cleaning up the garbage thrown away by the Arabs.
As the road runs close to the edge of the precipice in some places, we enjoy our first glimpse into the depths after the provincial capital of Abha. Unfortunately, there is a lot of haze, which obstructs the view.
Thanks to the travel app from “iOverlander”, we find a pitch right on the edge of the escarpment at the village of “Tanumah” with a unique panorama. A gang of mantled baboons, which live on the edge of the escarpment in the Asir Mountains, also roam here. Fortunately, we are not bothered by this group of monkeys.
About half an hour’s drive to the north is the“Al Meger Palace“. A rich man built a palace here on the edge of a cliff, combining several architectural styles. When we see the palace, we don’t feel like visiting it. We are all the more pleased with the view to the west.
Many pick-nick parks have been built along this tourist route for local tourists. A good example of this is the new park near Al Farah. It stretches up the mountainside in several stages, is exotically planted and offers a beautiful view of the mountains. Of course, we like to use this beautiful park for an overnight stay.
Al Malad Castle is a mixture of castle and village. We are south of the town of Al Baha and are now in the land of towers. We see many such ruins on the way. This one, however, has been partially restored and is well worth a visit. Al Malad Castle reminds us of the residential towers in Mani in Greece. Apparently, 500 years ago, people had to protect themselves from invaders in this way.
We are in the catchment area of the great tribes of Ghamid and Zahran. The tribes in the region date back to the famous pre-Islamic state of Saba , whose rule extended to areas known today as Syria and Lebanon. Historians believe that they founded the state of Aksum in Abyssinia (Ethiopia).
Has only belonged to Saudi Arabia since 1932. The city is known for the 40 forests in its surroundings and its untouched nature. Well, we don’t quite see it the way Wikipedia says, because the land here is also overdeveloped and there is not much to see of “forests” in the European sense. Nevertheless, the city lies at an altitude of over 2000 meters and directly on the edge of the Red Sea.
We retreat to the forest park with its beautiful views. The park is located on one of the hills at an altitude of around 2500 meters. It’s very quiet up here at night, but already very cold, so we turn on our heating for the first time in the morning.
From Al Baha there is a spectacular road down to the Red Sea. It is literally stuck in the rocks, but is well constructed with tunnels, galleries and bridges. From Al Baha to Thee Ain, our next destination, the road descends over 27 kilometers from 2150 to 700 meters, or 1450m.
The village was founded in the tenth century AD. It witnessed numerous inter-tribal invasions before the kingdom was unified by King Abdul Aziz Al Saud. One of the most important invasions against the region was the clash between the armies of the Zahran and Ghamd tribes on one side and the army of Muhammad Ali Pasha on the other. Muhammad Ali Pasha was the Albanian Ottoman viceroy of Egypt, who was instrumental in the founding of the modern state of Egypt. The village consists of 49 houses, of which 9 are single houses, 19 are duplexes, 11 are triplexes and 10 are quadruplexes. The village was built according to the Madamek wall system and the walls are about 70 to 90 centimeters thick. The large rooms are decorated with columns known as zafer. Above the sidr is a type of stone known as a “prayer”. The stones are covered with clay. The lower floors are used as reception, sitting and sleeping rooms. Some buildings have existed since the beginnings of the village.
