Hail fortresses > Saudi Arabia > Asia
[Visited: March 2020]
- While driving back from Jubbah where we saw the amazing rock carvings, we make plans to see more of Hail, one of the main cities in the north of Saudi Arabia. Once an important trade city on the camel hajj route between Damascus and Mecca, it was ruled by the House of Rashid. It lost its importance as an intermediate stop on the hajj after the opening of a train line to the south and maritime routes in the Red Sea, and in 1921, the House of Saud conquered the Rashids, ordered their Barzan Castle to be destroyed. We decide to stick to chronology, and check out what is left of it. After parking our car in a shopping streets where most shops are closed, we walk around the corner, past an old wall that has partly collapsed. Around the corner, we find collapsed houses, and a little further, two sturdy adobe towers.
- One of the towers is attached to the wall, and the other, circular one stands all by itself in the middle of the street. They are both closed. So even after the Saudi ruler ordered this castle destroyed, we see remains of it almost exactly 100 years later. We move on to the next fortress: the A'afi fort, which is perched on top of a rocky outcrop in the centre of Hail. The site seems under reconstruction, so we drive around it, enter, and park at the beginning of the lane leading to the entrance. The fortress is visible above our heads, with adobe walls and a white line on the crenellated part. Alas - when we reach the top of the hill, we see that the door is locked. We walk around it, enjoy the views over the city from the platform, and decide to walk down again. Who knows when it might open up for visitors.
- A short drive takes us to a small street market, and we park our car in the shade to visit the Qishlah (named after the Turkish word for barracks), the newest fort of the city of Hail. Built in the 1940s under the Saud ruler of Hail province, it was a palace, then also used as a prison and eventually designated to be a historic building. We walk to the massive wooden door on the eastern side - to find it closed. It is unbelievable, but also this third historic fortress in Hail is closed for restoration. We decide to walk around the almost perfectly square building, with its massive adobe walls, and sturdy watchtowers four at the corners, and another four each in the middle of the walls. We find another wooden door and find an opening, through which we try to get a view of the courtyard. We will have to be back to Hail one day, when all these fortresses are open and we can fully enjoy them.
