SAUDI Arabia has initiated a drive to promote itself as a tourism destination, and with good reason. Aside from its unique standing as the cradle of Islam and home to the world’s largest sandbox (the Empty Quarter), the country is also filled with amazing natural wonders, ancient cities, impressive diving destinations and cultural traditions that have endured a long history that’s as colorful as the camel-wool weavings of some of its inhabitants.
One of the most interesting regions in the Kingdom exists in the southwest, known as the Asir region, a place of mountainous beauty, highland, sub-tropical greenery and even the occasional dusting of frost during the winter months at the highest altitudes.
Settled in among these mountains, near a spring that runs year-round and feeds the agricultural production of the area is the 400-year-old village of Thee-Ain, located 2,000 meters above sea level and 20 kilometers southwest of the city of Al-Baha near Al-Mekhwa Road, which cuts through the mountains of King Fahd Pass with a series of tunnels.
Thee-Ain means roughly “having the spring”. Locally, the word is also interpreted to mean, “having one eye”. (“Ain” in Arabic means both “eye” and “spring”.) Local legend has it that an old Yemeni man hundreds of years ago was asked to find water using a golden dowsing stick. When he struck the source, it is said the stick jumped from his hands and took out one of his eyes.
Thee-Ain has been called in foreign historical texts as “the white stone village” due to its citadel-like design of 31 multistorey stone houses with wooden roofs and triangular openings. The architecture of this village is representative of a distinct style found in southwestern Saudi Arabia down into Yemen to the south. Amid the homes are narrow alleyways just wide enough for people and livestock to pass. Below the village are lush agricultural fields growing date palms, bananas and other tropical produce. The sunsets in Thee-Ain are known to provide spectacular views.
The humble welcoming to Thee-Ain belies the architectural beauty inside the citadel; it’s easy to miss the village from the highway, announced only by a small sign. If Thee-Ain were a historic village in Europe, it would most certainly be heralded with larger advertisements, tourist-oriented room and board and probably more than a few gift stands providing modest incomes for the locals; in Saudi Arabia, it’s just another small, oft-overlooked village by the motorists that speed by on the highway.
If you decide to make a road trip, you will notice a small roadside beverage stand off the main road. When you ask the man selling bananas how to find the village, he will point to a dirt road. This is where you would park your car to follow a path that can be difficult for young children or the elderly who aren’t accustomed to a slightly rugged hike. The sound and sight of rushing water will tell you that the wellhead and village is somewhere ahead. Visitors are encouraged to pack a picnic lunch for a little rest under shade near one of the many small waterfalls tumbling water down into the fields.
The winter months, when the weather is quite comfortable, is the best time of year for visiting the village. While it is located in a milder part of the Kingdom, summer daytime temperatures can still be quite high. The region isn’t nearly as arid as the rest of the Kingdom, so rainfall is possible — for many in Saudi Arabia, rain is a welcomed attraction!