MARID CASTLE

The presence of a fort at Dumat al-Jandal dates back to the first century. Numerous fragments of Nabataean pottery as well as foundations dating from the same period suggest that the oasis was home to a thriving Nabataean community. Other pottery fragments from the Roman period indicate that Dumat al-Jandal was a coveted city. Zenobia, queen of Palmyra in the third century, attempted to seize it and failed. In 633, the military leader Khalid ibn al-Walid, newly converted to Islam, took the city. In 1909, the fortress was besieged for 10 months, at the end of which it was returned to the Rashid clan.

It takes 30 minutes to climb to the top of the castle and climb its 1,000 steps. Originally, the castle had a rectangular plan. But its destruction and remodeling through the ages make it one of the few oval-shaped Arab castles today. It is built on two floors, with a stone base dating back partly to the Nabataean period, and the adobe floor is a typical feature found throughout Saudi Arabia. The fortress has two main entrances, one to the south and one to the north. The bastion is punctuated by 4 towers of 12 meters high, which allow a 360° view on the surroundings. The castle includes guard rooms and storerooms and is surrounded by a wall with skylights for observation. The castle was renovated in 1995 and again in 2018, with the addition of a café.