A Strategic Site of Control and Surveillance
Najran – Ali Aoun Al‑Yami
Al‑Ukhdood is located in the village of Al‑Qabil on the southern bank of Wadi Najran. It is considered one of the most important archaeological sites in the Najran region. This is the very city mentioned in the famous Qur’anic story of Ashab al‑Ukhdood (the People of the Ditch) in Surah Al‑Buruj, where God says:
“Cursed were the People of the Ditch — the fire filled with fuel — when they sat around it, watching what they were doing to the believers.” (Verses 4–7)
The archaeological site of Al‑Ukhdood is among the most prominent in the region. It stands on the location of ancient Najran, situated between the villages of Al‑Qabil and Al‑Jarbah on the southern side of Wadi Najran. The site represents a central city surrounded by a wall measuring 532 meters in length and 220 meters in width. The foundations of its buildings were constructed from carefully carved stones, with heights ranging between 2 and 4 meters.
The fortress represents the main period of settlement in Al‑Ukhdood, which likely began around 600 BCE and continued until the end of the 3rd century CE — a period that coincides with the flourishing civilizations of South Arabia. Outside the wall, archaeological mounds contain the foundations of stone and mud‑brick structures, scattered with dense pottery fragments representing the post–South Arabian period as well as the Islamic era.
King Saud’s Cave
King Saud’s Cave, located north of the Najran region, is one of the historical and archaeological sites visited by tourists and newcomers to the area. It lies in a region known as Al‑Hammad, near the Yemeni border. The cave was named after King Saud bin Abdulaziz — may God have mercy on him — because when he came to support Najran in 1352 AH at the head of an army, he chose this cave as a base for supplies and weapons storage.
Its location provided proximity to strategic control and surveillance points, as well as access to water sources and the routes leading into Najran. North of the cave lies another cavern used as a storage chamber, while on the mountain’s backside are lookout points overseeing Al‑Hammad from a site known as Hayd Saud. The cave is located 90 kilometers from Najran on the road leading to the Asir region.
The Archaeological Site of Al‑Thuwaylah
Al‑Thuwaylah lies 80 kilometers northwest of Najran on the Najran–Dhahran Al‑Janoub road. The site consists of narrow branches and tributaries extending from one of the valleys surrounded by high elevations on all sides. Scattered across its surface are large and medium‑sized stone tools — axes, scrapers, and bifacial blades — likely dating back to the Acheulean and Mousterian periods.
Al‑Thuwaylah also contains several circular tombs distributed across the elevated areas overlooking the valley. Their diameters range between 4 and 7 meters, with some reaching heights of about two meters. Nearby are elongated stone structures, some extending up to 40 meters, built from vertically placed stone slabs. These structures and tombs likely date back to the second millennium BCE.