Although Al Hasa is only 45 minutes away we've never had a great desire to explore the city even though we'd heard there area few points of interest. It isn't the cleanest of places and driving there is always risky but when we really NEED something we can generally find it. When the SAEA organized a "Secrets of Al Hasa" trip we decided we might as well see what there is to see and do it all in one long day because if we ever set out on our own we'd surely get lost and come home in frustration.
AND I'M SO GLAD WE DID!
Yes it was a long day but we left on time and remained on schedule the whole day. The snacks and meals were provided in a timely fashion. The company was great (it's always nice to have friends along especially when their kiddos are the same age). And the police escort through the city made for a smooth voyage.
Our first stop was the Camel Market.
This is the largest Camel Market in the gulf and is just outside the city of Hofuf.
In addition to camels, other livestock is also sold such as sheep, goats, horses, and donkeys.
Some of the camels were real Divas. Not that they misbehaved but because they wore silver sparkly disco fever type harnesses.
Although the boys were offered a chance to sit atop a smelly dirty camel they thankfully passed on the offer. Instead we waded through the camel dung to have our family picture taken.
Our next stop took us to one of the oldest neighborhoods in Al Ahsa (Note the difference in spelling, it is not a typo. You rarely see a city name spelled the same twice.) In the district of Kut sits the Ibrahim Castle. We've passed this place lost many a times during trips to Hofuf but never knew exactly the significance. It was once part of the city wall built during the Ottoman occupation between 1549 and 1680. The mud, sand, and grass, walls are really impressive to see. They look as though a cannon shot or one good rain storm could take them down but neither of those things have ever happened here.
Some of the ceilings were exposed to show the date tree trunks that are embedded for support.
Inside the walls is the Al Kibba Mosque.
We were allowed to step inside once we removed our shoes. Because of it's dome shape there is no need for a speaker system....the prayers just echo off the walls.
Not far from the Mosque is a trap door that leads to...
this 5 meter by 5 meter dome which was a prison. If you look closely you can see some holes near the top. There are four of them which allowed prisoner to tell the time of day when the sunlight passed through them.
These long corridors were the soldiers barracks.
It was so refreshing to see something well cared for within the city. As it turns out as we continued our tour we discovered there are indeed other sites within the city that are also well taken care of. But honestly from the outside we would have just driven right by if we hadn't had a tour guide and escorts.
Just before sunset we stopped at this mosque. Until recently only ruins of the original Jawatha Mosque stood here. Now this newly redone mosque sits representing the first Mosque, after the Prophet's Mosque in Madena, to hold Friday prayers in this region.
The original was built 1400 years ago by the Bano Abdul Qais people after the converted to Islam.
More Secrets of Al Hasa to come....
Sounds like a fabulous tour; well-organized and Safe.
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