Najran

Najran sits in a broad wadi in the far south, an oasis of date palms with a building tradition unlike the rest of the country: tall mud-brick houses with crenellated tops and small windows, often described as fortified, plastered and decorated with white lime around the openings. Al-Aan Palace, a large example on a hill, is the best known. Beside the modern city is Al-Ukhdud, the walled ancient town that was a station on the incense route from southern Arabia, with stone foundations, inscriptions and wells exposed by excavation. The Najran museum holds the finds. Wadi Najran itself is green with palms and cultivation, watered by a dam upstream.

History

In the early 1st millennium BC Najran belonged to a federation led by the commune of Muhamirum, which the Sabaean ruler Karib'il Watar took in the early 7th century BC, and in 24 BC the Roman prefect Aelius Gallus briefly held it. The old walled city, 220 by 230 meters of square stone, lies at Al-Ukhdud, south-east of the present city (Wikipedia, Najran).

What you'll find

• Al-Aan Palace - the tall mud-brick house on the hill.
• Al-Ukhdud - the walled ancient town and its excavated remains.
• Najran museum - the collection of finds from the region.
• Wadi Najran - the palm cultivation along the valley.

When to go

October to April; Najran is severely hot from May to September. Mornings are best for the mud-brick architecture. Sites keep daytime hours with a midday break.

Before you go

Al-Ukhdud is at foundation level and parts are fenced. Access to some mud-brick houses is restricted since they are private. Najran is remote, several hours from Abha by road. Interpretation is mainly in Arabic.

Nearby

Hima lies north; the Empty Quarter is northeast.

Key facts