Rijal al-Ma’a is a village in the Rijal al-Ma’a region of Asir Province, Saudi Arabia.
The village is 900 years old. The village had an ideal location that connected the Yemeni route to the Levant from Mecca and Medina, and as a result, became a commercial center.
Rijal Almaa is located at the foot of the Assouda mountain, 60km west of the city of Abha in the province of Asir. In 2017, the village received the Prince Sultan bin Salman Prize for Urban Heritage. In January 2018, the Saudi National Tourism and Commission (SCTH) commissioned rijals to register with the UNESCO World Heritage Center.
Access : Coordinates: 18.212778, 42.273333 / This village is located about 50 km (31 mi) west of Abha, in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
Highlights :
- Rijal Amem has about 60 multifunctional buildings made of stone, mud and wood. This village is of historical importance due to having a number of ancient fortresses.
- Several houses in Rijal Almaa are notable for their tall size, sometimes reaching 7 floors, and for their construction with local rock and shiny pieces of white Qwartz.The outer walls of the houses are thick like mini-fortresses. The balconies are built with local wood
- The Heritage Museum of Rijal Almaa was founded in 1985 by the inhabitants of the region with the aim of creating a place for the preservation of their heritage. The museum is located in the more than 400-year-old fort of Al Elwan.
Go next : The capital of the ʿAsir Region Abha. Other towns include Khamis Mushait, Bisha and Bareq.
