Asir Province

 Asir Province  

                                        

We were on the look out for baboons.

We packed up our bush camp and set out again. We started to gain height as we moved into the mountains. I didn't have to ask whether we were at height or not as I opened some biscuits to have with my coffee and the plastic packaging had puffed up with the altitude. We saw our first baboons by the road side unfortuantely a poor picture as it was taken from a moving truck and in the shade.

As we moved into the hills, there was more grass and trees. There was ample grazing for herds of goats and fields growing vegetables. There was also an abundance of wells and large concrete water tanks. Some of the wadis had a dam across them and a nearby concrete water tank. When the rain falls, it collects behind the dam and can be pumped into the tank for use later.

And there were still camels in addition to baboons and free range goats.

We came across nother troupe of baboons near the road...

...but we only slowed rather than stop to take photos...

...and they seem to be used to moving traffic but ran away when we slowed.

And we passed something that I was surprised to see, the Tandaha Dam which holds back a lot of rainfall that had fallen in the hills. As we passed, it seemed to be full as there was very little freeboard at the dam or exposed beaches around the edge of the reservoir. 

Some of the fields as we passed near Khamis Mushait and around the giant military airfield.

We crossed a wadi in the centre of the city. A bridge was being built across it. It looked complete but it wasn't open and the access roads between the main road and the bridge approaches had yet to be laid with tarmac. The bridge must have been needed as the road bumps across the bottom of the wadi and there are depth markers and large warning signs to tell drivers hoe deep it is and not to cross when the red lights are flashing.

Cwntre right of the photo is a dam across a wadi with fields both sides. When it rains the dam holds back water to be pumped into storage tanks. The fields are flooded for a while and the farmers take a risk whether they will have a crop, whether it is inundated and survives or whether it is killed off completely.

We stopped at a view point above Al Habala, also known as the Hanging Village. It was built 400 years ago when the local area was under threat and frequent attack by the Ottoman Empire. It is inaccessible except by rope ladders. The locals built it to escape the Ottomans.

A closer view of the village. The large building is the lower cable car station with the upper station on the rim of the escrpment. It is the only access other than by rope to the village. The cable car is a tourist attraction to reach the village but being out of season, it was closed. 

Another view of the cliffs that protect the village and make it inaccessible. 

We drove on to Al Yanfa. It is being turned into a tourist attraction and is part of the Saudi Vision 2030 to create more places for tourists to visit. It hosts some unique archaeological styles of architecture and has been extensively refurbished and updted. There are also several alleyways which have been built over to provide shade in the summer months. 

The large square in the centre of the village.

A colourful door.

One of the many covered alleyways...

...and more.

After Al Yanfa, we took the road to reach the top of Mount Soudha and its viewpoint with a 360 degree view of the area. It wasn't looking good as were going up, the clouds were coming down. There was nothing to see except grey cloud. Visibility was poor and easily less than 30 metres at times.

But it wasn't a wasted journey as there were more baboons to see. These were more used to people and sat around for photos...

And behind this one is just a glimpse of rock but there was little other breaks in the cloud. We hovered for a while just in case of a break in the clouds but it was not to be. We drove down the mountain to find our hotel in Abha.  

Long drive day from Riyadh

 Long drive day from Riyadh 

It was to be a long drive day, mae longer by an hour due to a diversion to avoid a traffic accident on the main road. But we saw a lot of desert...with some unusual formations such as this  column of rock, like a butte. Poor photo as it was early and misty, taken from the truck.

There were plenty of sand dunes, with the prevailing wind coming from the west (left of the photo) to push dunes eastwards with a smooth slope on the west and a steep slope on the east side.

There were other formations such as this igneous intrusion, resulting after erosion of the softer surrounding rock in a pinnacle. Other shapes were domes, many smooth sided and some with boulders perched on the top.

One road hazard were camels, who don't know their highway code but they have learnt to cross the road, they walk steadily and purposefully and have learnt that the traffic slows down for them, Most drivers want to avoid a camel as they are big and would do a lot of damage to a car.

There were plenty of opportunities for a bush camp, with flat sand for the tent and easy to push tent pegs into the ground. We stopped not far beyond Bisha. It was a gorgeous sunset. It was a clear night and would have been good for stargazing but there was a distant glow to the north east from the lights in Bisha. 

Riyadh

 Riyadh 

A metro station.

Riyadh has the most modern metro system. It has just recently opened with five lines operational from December 2024 and the sixth line due to open in January 2025. The stations are all airy, bright and air-conditioned. The rolling stock is automatic without any driver. It is cheap and simple to use.

There are downsides in that being so new, the stations aren't all on the maps and some don't appear on e- maps yet. I had arrived on a Thursday evening and nothing happens until after Friday prayers so I had some enforced time to kick my heels. 

I planned a route to see some sights using the metro and set off. What I didn't know was that whilst the trains were running, not all of the stations were open. I planned to get off at the National Museum stop but the train flashed through the station. It also didn't stop for another three stations. I was dropped a long way beyond my target with no plan B. I caught a taxi only to discover that it was closed until 16.00 that day.

The next day, I was better prepared, knowing where I was to be dropped and worked out a route to take in a few sights. Whilst walking to my first stop, I passed a building site. There was no informative hoarding and nothing on any map. It is a big building with the outer shell made completely of shiny metal that curves out from the base. It reflects everything beneth it like a mirror.

I passed a water tower...it should have been a major landmark to confirm that I was on the right track...but it wasn't on any map and not on Google street view or bird's eye. It stands in the Al Watan Park which is on the map but the structure is not.  

I planned to visit the Al Masmak Palace, Fortress and Museum. It was closed for some reason and not just because it wasn't opening time.

I moved on to the Murabba Historical Palace but it was closed. I tried the National Museum but it was costly to get in and there was a large temporary exhibition on Christian Dior which is a poor substitute when I had set my heart on seeing some culture and history.

I passed the fish market which is housed in a building built like a ship...fun stuff but it wouldn't fill in the day. I soon found myself back on the metro heading back to the hotel. 

I had a few jobs to do. I needed to collect my laundry from a service shop where I had dropped it off the day before. I had had everything washed except the clothes I stood up in. It would be an 6am start the next day for a long drive south to a bush camp not far from the Red Sea and I needed some food for lunch on the road. 

Diriyah

 Diriyah  

On our way into Riyadh, we stopped at Diriyah, now a suburb of Riyadh. The first Saudi kingdom was established in 1727 with Diriyah as its captial. It brought peace and prosperity to the kingdom stretching across much of present day Saudi Arabia. It prospered from increased trade and sat at the centre of a cobweb of trade routes across the area.

It was attacked by the Ottoman Empire in 1818 and absorbed into an expanding empire. The city had resisted and in return, it was destroyed and the population executed or sent into exile. It has recently been renovated but there was not much to renovate so a lot has been rebuilt as it may have been. And to attract visitors, there is a huge expanse of facilities, up market, high priced restaurants, cafes, ice cream bars, kiddies rides, parks and playgrounds. Entrance by pre-ordered ticket is free during the day but visitors have to pay in the evening if they want the food options and the opportunity to see some coloured lights and be jostled by the crowds.

It is a cross between a historical and cultural centre with potential, swamped by a large commercial element or a theme park with a few mud bricks in one corner. 

Part of one of four palaces and museums on site.

Wells were an essential part of a successful city.

A restored street, very reminescent of Ushaiqer.

Ushaiqer heritage village

 Ushaiqer heritage village  

In between Buraydah and Diriyah on the outshirts of Riyadh, we stopped at the Ushaiqer heritage village. Only five families remain in thr village but the whole place has been transformed into a heritage centre, rebuilt to look what it might have looked like.

The old walls...

...and the original gate with a new access for commercil vehicles built to the right.

One of the main buildings, now part of a hotel. The village looks very empty but it is very popular at weekends and there are more than forty market stalls on the approach into the village with a waiting list for weekends but it was empty on the day that I visited. 

One of the many alleys...

A whole kaleidoscope of photos around the village...

...covered alleys...

...a mosque, one of five in the village...

...windows overlooking a road...

...multiple exits from a small square...

...the other side of the square...

...another mosque...

a modern house in the same colours but out of keeping with the rest of the village. It is the gtekeepers house. The gates are still closed every night and opened at 6am.

Some of the doors are very intricately decorated.

A standard door and porch.

One of the larger houses in the village.

Another door...

one of the towers on the external wall around the village

The museum in the village...

and a few photos of all the stuff inside, like an Alladdin's Cave.

It was curated by a young Yemeni called Ibrahim who spoke good English and was a mine of information about the exhibits.

And a view of the village from the viewpoint above the community whch would also be our bush camp for our Christmas meal, a camp fire, and secret santa.