ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE OF AL UKHDUD

The ancient town of Al Ukhdud lies 5 km south of the city of Najran, on the other side of the Wadi Najran. In the ^6th century BC, it was part of the kingdom of Saba, a territory that included Yemen, Eritrea and northern Ethiopia. It was then known as Ragmat. It was an important stopover on the incense route, where caravans split off to head northeast to the Persian Gulf or Hejaz regions and on to the Mediterranean. The city, which imposed taxes on merchants, grew rich and prosperous. This is reflected in the construction of its stone houses and fortifications. In Arabic, ukhdud means "moat". Around 520, the Jewish warlord Dhu Nuwas led a raid against Al-Ukhdud, telling its Christian inhabitants to convert to Judaism on pain of death. They refused. They were then burnt alive in a ditch in the town. There were an estimated 20,000 of them. Traces of this mass grave are still visible. This episode is mentioned in the Koran, in the Sura of the Constellations, which promises a blazing inferno to those who try to make Muslims recant their faith. Not much remains of the city other than its alleys, building foundations and occasional low walls. We can also discover the quarry where the blocks of stone stacked in staggered rows to build the walls were cut. The Najran Regional Museum is located at the entrance to the site, and this is where the entrance ticket is purchased.