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Al-Masmak Fort (photo: Florent Egal)

Al-Masmak Fort

An icon of the history of Riyadh and Saudi Arabia

​The history of the Saudi kingdoms

The history of Riyadh and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are intrinsically linked to the Al-Saud family. This epic history starts in 1446 when Mani Al-Muraydi, an ancestor of the family, moved from the east of Arabia to Wadi Hanifah, a valley located in the central plateau called Najd.

In 1744 CE the first Saudi Kingdom was founded by Mohammed ibn Saud in the city of Diriyah on the banks of the Wadi Hanifah. In 1773 CE AbdulAziz bin Mohammed Al-Saud incorporated Riyadh in the first Saudi State. In 1817 Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt overthrew the Saudi rulers but in 1824 a second Saudi kingdom was established by Turki bin Abdallah bin Mohammed Al-Saud in Riyadh, just 30 kilometers southeast of Diriyah. This second kingdom was overthrown in 1891 by the Al-Rashid family from Hail and the Al-Saud family was driven into exile in Kuwait. But shortly after, in 1902, AbdulAziz Al-Saud led a successful expedition that seized Riyadh where he reinstalled the reign of the Al-Saud and from where he reconquered the kingdom of their ancestors. Hence Riyadh became the capital of the third Saudi Arabian Kingdom, a position it continues to hold today.

Entrance of the Al-Masmak Fort (photo: Florent Egal)

Entrance of the Al-Masmak Fort (photo: Florent Egal)

The central role of Al-Masmak

The decisive event that sealed the victory of AbdulAziz in Riyadh was the seizing of the Al-Masmak Fort that used to protect the old city of Riyadh. As the fortification was not only hosting the garrison of Riyadh but also its administration, control of Al-Masmak meant control of the Riyadh area, which was the first step towards the control of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as we know it today. With the conquest of the kingdom the Al-Masmak Fort was turned into a warehouse for ammunition and then became a prison. Today the fort is a museum where the history of the Al-Saud family and their kingdoms is exhibited and explained.

Well of the Al-Masmak Fort (photo: Florent Egal)

Well of the Al-Masmak Fort (photo: Florent Egal)

The Fort

The name 'Masmak' is derived from the Arabic ‘musamaka’ which refers to a strong building, a stronghold, or a fortress. Its rectangular shape comprises characteristic features of Arabian fortresses with four defensive towers, a watchtower, high walls, stair-shaped crenellations, and triangular reconnaissance points and firing apertures. Its numerous rooms include offices and a mosque with columns that support the roof, and one of the courtyards has a well.

Mosque of the Al-Masmak Fort (photo: Florent Egal)

Mosque of the Al-Masmak Fort (photo: Florent Egal)

Court of the Al-Masmak Fort (photo: Florent Egal)

Court of the Al-Masmak Fort (photo: Florent Egal)

A visit leads people through most of the fort and in each room are old pictures and artefacts that tell the epic history of the Al-Saud family along with the conquest of the fort and the Saudi Kingdoms.

​How to visit Al-Masmak

​The location of Al-Masmak is available on Google Maps and the fort can be visited within opening hours.

If you want to take the most of your visit and have more perspective of the history of Saudi Arabia you can go there with one of our guides.

​Guides providing tours in Al-Masmak

Horizons Tours
​The Horizons Tours "Saudi Desert Wanderers", certified by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Heritage (SCTH), specializes in unraveling the[...]
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Abha (photo: Florent Egal)

Abha

​The highest large city of Saudi Arabia

Abha is the capital of Aseer Province and has the 6th largest population in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is famous for being the highest large city of Saudi Arabia at over 2 200 meters, some parts of the city being even around 2 400 meters. With such an altitude it is not surprising that Abha benefits from milder climatic conditions that most the rest of the country with day temperatures ranging from 15°C to 35°C.  What is more unexpected is that while the rest of the country has one rainy season in March and May, Aseer Province enjoys a second one in July and August thanks to the Indian monsoon that reaches the southwest of Saudi Arabia.

Abha on the edge of the majestic Sarawat Mountains (photo: Florent Egal)

Abha on the edge of the majestic Sarawat Mountains (photo: Florent Egal)

​History of Abha

Having been fertile for millennia, despite climate changes, and located to the north of the ancient Kingdoms of Sheeba and Himyar, within the territory named by the Romans 'Arabia Felix', which was crossed by caravans for more than a millennium, Abha and the Province of Aseer have a long history. Although there are no remains dating back to those times in Abha itself, some ancient carvings close to Habalah and the archeological site of Jerash just 30 kilometers away are testimonies of this rich past.

In 1918, the Prince of Asir, Yahya bin Hasun Al Ayde, grandson of Ibn Ayed, returned to his family throne and conquered Abha. In 1920, during his campaign to regain the control over Central Arabia, Abd Al-Aziz Al-Saud sent his warriors, known as Ikhwan, to occupy Aseer Province, a situation that was formalized in 1934 with the signing of the Treaty of Taif between Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

Aseer Province was still largely unknown by the west when Harry St John Philby explored it in 1932 but it was only finally no longer a blank spot on the map when he published his observations in 1952.

​Places to visit in Abha

​Abha Museums

​Aseer Regional Museum

Located in the city center next to the Emira Palace that was built according to Aseer architectural tradition, Aseer Regional Museum tells the long history of Abha and Aseer Province and exhibits some of the province’s traditional handicrafts, along with antiquities of Aseer Province.

Aseer Regional Museum (photo: Florent Egal)

Aseer Regional Museum (photo: Florent Egal)

​Al-Muftaha Museum

A few hundred meters from the Regional Museum is Al-Muftaha Village, a cultural center built according to the standards of Aseer traditional architecture. It hosts a hall of plastic arts and shops where the handcrafts are sold.

Al-Muftaha Village (photo: Florent Egal)

Al-Muftaha Village (photo: Florent Egal)

Shada Palace

Shada Palace was built in 1927 and was originally the headquarters of the Emira of Aseer Province. It is a brilliant example of the traditional architecture of south Arabia that is celebrated in the design of the new Emira Palace built just few meters away.

Renovation works started in 2017 to turn the Sheda Palace into a museum where old planting and household tools, coins, several manuscripts and photographs of life in Abha in the second half of last century will be displayed.

Sheda Palace (photo: Florent Egal)

Sheda Palace (photo: Florent Egal)

Jebel Al-Akhdar - The Green Mountain

Located in the southern part of Abha, Jebel Akhdar is a green hill that is around 2340 meters high. It offers one of the best viewpoints over the whole city and its surrounding mountains, as far as the edge of the majestic Sarawat mountains.

Abha seen from the Green Mountain (photo: Florent Egal)

Abha seen from the Green Mountain (photo: Florent Egal)

A road leads to the top of Jebel Akhdar (a small fee is collected at the bottom) where there is parking and a cafeteria to welcome visitors who have climbed to the top to admire the stunning view over Abha. 

Al-Basta

Al-Basta district is one of the old villages that used to form what is today the large city of Abha. If some old parts of the city were replaced by the modern one, Al-Basta is still in good condition with its elegant and colorful traditional architecture and its small charming streets that lay along the Abha valley.

Next to Al-Basta district is the Ottoman bridge that connects the old village with a green park.

Al-Basta District (photo: Florent Egal)

Al-Basta District (photo: Florent Egal)

Shamasan Fort

Ottomans occupied the western part of the Arabian Peninsula, as far as, Yemen from the beginning of the 16th century CE, including Abha. They built several landmarks of the city including a bridge at Al-Basta district and the Shamsan Fort that overlooks the northern part of Abha.

The fort is a 91 meter long and 25 meter wide rectangle with three towers as well as a gate on the southwestern wall. Many rooms and facilities open into the fort's interior courtyard.

Watchtower of Shamsan Fort (photo: Florent Egal)

Watchtower of Shamsan Fort (photo: Florent Egal)

​​Abha dam

With nearby mountains as high as 3000 meters Abha is exposed to possible flooding that is prevented nowadays by a 300 meter dam located on the west of the city. In addition to protecting the population the dam has generated a one kilometer long lake with unexpected and beautiful landscapes in Abha where the blue of the lake contrasts with the city and the green vegetation of the area.

Abha (photo: Florent Egal)

Abha (photo: Florent Egal)

​How to visit Abha

Abha is easily accessible either by road or by plane by. If you want to make the most of it we suggest you go with our guides who will also take you to more enchanting places around the city.

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Impressive 300-meter-high cliffs at Edge of the World (photo: Florent Egal)

Edge of the World

The Popular Natural Wonder of Riyadh Region

The Edge of the World (whose real name is Jebel Fihrayn) has become within a few years one of the most popular destinations around Riyadh, the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This “nickname” was given because of its main attraction that are the stunning viewpoints from the top of the 300-meter-high cliffs overlooking the surrounding plain. This escarpment is part of the much longer Jibal Tuwaiq which is one of the most prominent natural features of Saudi Arabia as it spreads over 1 000 kilometers from the province of Najran on the south up to Qassim in the north. It even played an important role in Arabia’s History as along its foot was one of the ancient caravan trade routes that used to cross the Arabian Peninsula from Yemen into the Levant and Persia.

In more recent times some travelers built several trails along the cliffs allowing access up and down the impressive escarpment. Some of those stone-made trails are still visible today like at the Khashm Zubaydah, 50 kilometers southeast of Edge of the World.

Those cliffs are the result of the tectonic movement of the Arabian plate towards the north east because of the spread of the Red Sea rift located 1 000 kilometers to the west of Tuwaiq. The clear cut it generated in the sedimentary grounds of Riyadh area reveals the layers of sediments that accumulated there when the eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula was a shallow tropical sea during Jurassic period (150 million years ago).

Fossils of corals on the way to Edge of the World (photo: Florent Egal)

Fossils of corals on the way to Edge of the World (photo: Florent Egal)

That is the reason why plenty of fossils of corals are still visible today in the layers and on the ground.

Fossil of corals on the way to Edge of the World (photo: Florent Egal)

Fossil of corals on the way to Edge of the World (photo: Florent Egal)

Given the popularity of Edge of the World, local authorities have built a hardtop that leads to the gates of the sites, and guards check that this beautiful place is respected by visitors, and it is forbidden to collect any wood or coral stones, and of course to let litters in the area.

Gates of Sha'ib Kharmah (photo: Gary Boocock)

Gates of Sha'ib Kharmah (photo: Gary Boocock)

After the gates lays the Sha’ib Kharmah, a large valley that becomes green during the raining season and that hosts thousands of trees offering shade to visitors all year long, making it a perfect place for picnicking.

Grass on the way to Edge of the World (photo: Florent Egal)

Grass on the way to Edge of the World (photo: Florent Egal)

The valley runs for 15 kilometers towards the west until it reaches the massive cliffs of the famous Edge of the World and its amazing viewpoints. As the cliffs look towards the west it even offers unforgettable sights of sunsets above the Saudi Arabian desert to visitors who camp there overnight.

On top of Edge of the World (photo: Florent Egal)

On top of Edge of the World (photo: Florent Egal)

How to visit Edge of the World?

By yourself

The locations of the gate and the exact spot of Edge of the World are available on Google Maps, but although the gates can be reached on tarmac, the trip until Edge of the World 15 kilometers further down the valley is off-road. Even though the rocky track doesn’t present major difficulties a proper uplifted 4X4 and a navigation system are required to do the round trip safely until the cliffs.

Be careful about the weather as heavy rains can generate flash floods in any of the usually dry valleys of the country.

With one of our Tour Guides

If you don't have the proper equipment or if you simply wish to rely on a guide, here are the ones that we advise you for organizing an enjoyable trip to Edge of the World.

Horizons Tours
​The Horizons Tours "Saudi Desert Wanderers", certified by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Heritage (SCTH), specializes in unraveling the[...]
Read More 

Edge of the World: the popular natural wonder of Riyadh region (author: Florent Egal)