Saudi Arabia
The Rural Cultural Landscapes of Sarawat Mountains
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Official Information
- Full Name
- The Rural Cultural Landscapes of Sarawat Mountains (ID: 6640)
- Country
- Saudi Arabia
- Status
-
On tentative list 2023
Site history
History of The Rural Cultural Landscapes of Sarawat Mountains
- Criteria
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- UNESCO
- whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org
- whc.unesco.org — whc.unesco.org
Related Resources
- arkeonews.net — Beehives of Saudi Arabia’s Thought to be Over 1,000 Years Old
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Show full reviewsPhilipp Peterer
The Rural Cultural Landscapes Of Sarawat Mountains
The Rural Cultural Landscapes of Sarawat Mountains (On tentative list)

5 of the 7 proposed components are close to the mountain town of Abha (2270m). we covered 2 of them on the way to Rijal Almaa and of course Zee Ain.
Qura Qaradah
A small village close to Abha. The historic core is right at the beginning of the village and consists of a few historic buildings, some dry walls and a watchtower. This is your best bet from Abha I would suggest.
Rabea Rufaida
We struggled with this one. There is a old core with some old buildings (most of them in very bad shape) and also plenty of dry walls. Most of the walls however are not ancient, as they keep building them to create agriculture zones. We did not find the watchtower mentioned on the Unesco site. From Rabea we went on to the Soudah Viewpoint with stunning view over the Sarawat Mountains, before decending the extremely steep road down to Rijal Almaa.
Zee Ain
The Zee Ain village is also part of this TWHS, even though it is also a separate TWHS. The village is close to the town of Al Bahah. It seems to be the highlight of the region, as it is well signposted. It is also fully prepared for inscription, with a parking lot and a visitor center. Unlike the other locations we visited, the village is only a museum. Nobody lives there anymore. It is also (over?) reconstructed, but for sure very photogenic. We enjoyed exploring it a lot.