The Heritage Village at Ushaiqer and Al Faraah, Saudi Arabia

 

When traveling through desert countries, you'll inevitably encounter mud-brick settlements. This is due to the natural environment, as mud-brick structures thrive in desert regions and are easily maintained after the limited rainfall. In Saudi Arabia, you can visit several restored mud-brick settlements. One might be tempted to think: if you've seen one, you've seen them all. But that's simply not true. It would be like saying, if you've seen a museum, you've seen them all; if you've seen a play, you've seen them all; if you've read a book, you've read them all. No, if that's your frame of reference, then you don't need to read any further. Each village offers something special, and I'd like to introduce two of them here. One village—and the term "Heritage Village" is quite fitting—has already been restored, while the other is still in the early stages. They are located only about two kilometers apart. The two towns or villages are called Ushaiqer (أشيقر) and Al Faraah (الفرعه). They are located about 200 kilometers northwest of Riyadh (الرياض).

Historically, Ushaiqer is a stop for pilgrims from Iran, Iraq, and Kuwait. The Heritage Village covers an area of only four square kilometers and includes "400 houses, 25 mosques, 30 towers, 600 orchards, and 80 wells, some of which are centuries old" [1]. You can wander around the village, and to better understand the function of the buildings, a guided tour is recommended. Many of the gardens are no longer worth cultivating and perhaps that's why they look much worse than the buildings that are still under reconstruction. It's worth visiting one of the traditional wells. You can continue walking through the winding alleyways and wonder why they are designed the way they are. Wouldn't it be better to let in a breeze for cooling? The answer is simple. To make a place difficult to capture, many twists and turns are advantageous, especially since the defenders know how and where to go, but the attackers do not. I remembered once leading friends through such a maze of streets in Yazd, Iran. It was a bit mean, really, because I simply read the signs to the hotel in Farsi. There are plans to invest a great deal of money in the further restoration of Ushaiqer. And here is some more information about its history and culture [2].

But let's turn to Al Faraah. This small village is practically adjacent to Ushaiqer, and the distance as the crow flies from the Heritage Village to Historical Al Faraah (الفرعة التاريخية) is about 2 km. The House of Abdul Rahman bin Nasser Al-Fayez (may God have mercy on him) (دار عبدالرحمن بن ناصر الفايز يرحمة الله) and The Historical Ibn Musharraf Palace (قصر ابن مشرّف التاريخي) are located there, for example. A few other houses have also been restored. However, much is still in a state of disrepair. I imagine it like this: even though it doesn't rain much in the area, it still experiences rain, wind, sun, and weathering. The houses have probably not been used for a long time and are themselves dependent on regular repairs. What completely surprised me was an article in Arabic about this place, and for anyone wanting to learn more about its history and further details, I highly recommend this Wikipedia article [3]. I only spent two hours in Al Faraah, yet the place captivated me, as I not only encountered old, partially dilapidated buildings, but also the current inhabitants. In the historical part, I chatted with some boys and their parents, and in the modern part, I received a surprise invitation for tea.

Whether you interact with the locals or not, don't miss Ushaiqer and Al Faraah. And don't make the mistake of wasting your precious time there in a restaurant.

Links and Annotations:
[1] https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uschaiqir and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ushaiger
The articles aren't identical!
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1449231/saudi-arabia
[2] https://welcomesaudi.com/activity/ushaiqer-heritage-village-riyadh-province
[3] https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A7%D

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