Saudi Arabia

The Rural Cultural Landscapes of Sarawat Mountains

WHS Score 0.77 Votes 2 Average 1.0
The Rural Cultural Landscapes of Sarawat Mountains comprise 7 properties that developed their agricultural culture in the shadow of this mountain range. They include historical beehives, cultivated terraces and oasis towns. The region benefits from the highest rainfall in Saudi Arabia.
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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
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UNESCO
whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org
Related Resources
  • arkeonews.net — Beehives of Saudi Arabia’s Thought to be Over 1,000 Years Old

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First published: 04/11/24.

Philipp Peterer

The Rural Cultural Landscapes Of Sarawat Mountains

The Rural Cultural Landscapes of Sarawat Mountains (On tentative list)

The Rural Cultural Landscapes of Sarawat Mountains by Philipp Peterer

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.

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