MAKKAH: Najran is aiming to become a rural tourism destination of the future as it bids to preserve its national heritage by restoring mud houses, castles, and palaces in 33 of its ancient villages.
Owners of the ancient residencies and local people have taken charge of the restoration projects as a patriotic initiative to preserve the valley’s authentic history and identity.
Nasser Al-Souqour, who is in charge of restoring the palaces and castles in Najran, told Arab News: “Najran is rich in palaces, such as Al-Aan Palace, in addition to other palaces belonging to Najran families and tribes, which have significantly contributed to the evolution of the Arabian Peninsula.”
Al-Souqour added that restoration was of pivotal importance to the buildings as some of them were on the verge of collapsing after extreme erosion over the last two decades.
Najran is rich in palaces ... belonging to Najran families and tribes, which have significantly contributed to the evolution of the Arabian Peninsula.
Nasser Al-Souqour
He said: “It prompted us to realize the importance of restoring them in order to preserve heritage in the country.
“Therefore, a group of youths considered transforming the mud palaces and castles into rural inns to highlight the tourism heritage of the region.”
Al-Souqour said that the restoration involved a contractor studying the project in depth before identifying the damage, preparing a plan, and placing the order for supplies such as clay, stone, hay, mud and wood.
The contractor has to make sure that the repair is undertaken with similar materials to those originally used.
Al-Souqour added: “The contractor must check the quality of the sand as much as possible and use pillars with wood that is extracted from the same trees from the region, such as wild jujube, tamarisk, palm trees and branches.
“A plastic layer is used as an isolator, preventing water from leaking inside the mud cavity, to preserve it for as long as possible.”
Mud buildings have different names, shapes, and construction methods.
Some of the old houses, known as darb, can be identified by striking geometric architectural features. They consist of between seven and nine stories, with the roof comprising a single room that normally has a view of the ocean and is usually reserved for the head of the family. There is a well present at the entrance of the house.
There are also U-shaped buildings consisting of two or three floors, with rooms that have a view onto the main entrance.
Some structures have three stories and a courtyard, the ground floor being used as a living room and a storage room.
