Tariq Khalifa, a Makkah-based tourism operator with many years of experience, for instance, said a direct road linking the ancient Al-Muazzam fort in Tabuk and the heritage sites in Al-Ola in the Madinah province would be a good idea to attract tourists.
The road suggested by him would pass through a number of interesting historical sites.
“Al-Muazzam fort is one of the most impressive desert forts in the Kingdom and a special feature of the fort is that it has plenty of water supply. It also was a formidable refuge for pilgrims to the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah,” Khalifa told Arab News.
“Since faster and safer modes of transport developed, the ancient caravan routes have been abandoned and the forts on those roads have been left to decay or vandalized by treasure hunters,” he said.
Some of the forts were built with extraordinary care and design to withstand changing harsh weather conditions for centuries on the one hand and desert marauders on the other. The key elements of these forts were their sturdiness and safety factor, and Muazzam fort is one of them, he said.
The fort was a resting point for pilgrims coming from the northern parts of the Kingdom and other countries beyond. Its garrison offered protection from highwaymen preying on foreign pilgrims.
“Muazzam fort, a landmark on the ancient pilgrims' road, was built in the middle of the 13th century and was well guarded by Mamaluk rulers. Its 240 sq. meters water tank never ran dry of water,” said archaeologist Nasser Al-Harithy.
Travelers of the past centuries mentioned in their chronicles about more than 1,000 forts, towers and observation points at elevated locations across the Kingdom, said Al-Harithy.
They were built with the aim of protecting pilgrim caravans traveling to and fro Makkah annually, he said.
When automobiles replaced camel caravans, Haj pilgrims stopped using the Muazzam fort and its water reservoir was left to shepherds in the region, he added.
However, tourist authorities are interested in the Muazzam fort and have built new roads to the fort. That is why experienced tourist operators demand roads linking the tourist locations in Al-Ola to the fort in order to widen the tourists experience.
