HOME OF HOSPITALITY - Najran, Saudi Arabia

.......our first blog post about KSA from Dammam and Riyadh, here........

Knowing almost nothing whatsoever about the south of Saudi Arabia, when we looked on the map and saw the town of Najran all the way down next to the Yemeni border, we somehow felt compelled to visit. Our Riyadh friend had recommended us to a buddy of his in Najran who had been living there for some time, and he agreed to host us for a few days.  

Ruined mud houses, Al Qabil, Najran, KSA

The distance versus ease of travel factor had us boarding a flight with local Saudi airline Flynas, a most pleasant experience. As with everything else in Riyadh, the domestic terminal was super clean, new looking and spacious. It was not crowded, had clean toilets and coffee at the same price as in town. The girl checking us in for the flight said "Can I ask you a question? Why you want to go to Najran?". We hoped we'd find the answer in a day or two! At the gates we saw several groups of umrah people (umrah is a pilgrimage to Mecca), and were surprised to see some of the men dressed in white robes with quite a lot of skin showing. It seemed so out of place in conservative Saudi! 

Long way down south from Riyadh to Najran

The plane was half full and sparkling new, and the second we sat down, our neighbour was on Google translate asking us if we had someone to receive us in Najran on arrival. When we indicated that we did, he then invited us to his fish restaurant. We didn't know it then, but that was to set the precedence for our time in Najran, a town with the nicest people and a high level of hospitality. 

Stopping at neighbourhood shop for a bevvie, Najran, KSA

We connected well with our energetic Dutch/Indian/Londoner host, who set the scene for our stay by bringing us tea from the cafe just as we arrived from the airport. He was over the top generous (he had been taught well by his Mum!), and spoilt us by giving us his bed, making us beautiful breakfasts and constantly checking we were good for food and drinks. 

We spent a great deal of time discussing Najran life, and travels in far off lands, despite the fact he was super busy with work. 

He was quite a character- charming, welcoming and modest with a most unique cultural background. We loved our stay with him, and he impressed us with his adventurous travel stories, and his hard work balancing a teaching job with running multiple channels on social media. More of his story @AdventureRuben on Instagram.

Our new pal, lovely Ruben

A Ruben breakfast special

Our first morning out we were planning to wander around the local area, when we were stopped by Mohammad in his car five minutes after we left our place. A cheerful man with a large personality and perfect English, he offered to show us around- he thought we were absolutely mad to be walking in the heat. The tour turned into an odyssey, and included a visit to his family's stables, where we admired the Arabian horses he had for breeding. After driving us to the Yemeni border to visit the massive dam there (unfortunately we couldn't enter for security reasons), and stopping multiple times for us to take photos, he insisted on buying us a delicious lunch in what he called a "simple place". We thought it was brilliant, and were grateful to try a Najran chicken and rice dish. He was quite conservative in his views, although his time living in the more open eastern part of Saudi and his extensive travel overseas had no doubt broadened his views. His grandfather had 32 wives, and as a result his was a huge family with a multitude of aunties, uncles and cousins. We enjoyed the stories about his childhood spent playing with friends in various spots around town, and how it had all changed now. At the end of the adventure, he dropped us home and we wished each other well. 

Sharing a meal with Abdullah, Najran, KSA

Powerful Arabian horse, Najran, KSA

                                                                                                           

Curious goats, Najran, KSA

The area around the Al Qabil neighbourhood had us fascinated, with it's old mud brick houses, tall with small, narrow windows. Their unique design showed strength and fortification as well as protection from the sun and an artistic flair. Some were falling down and in a terrible state, others had been renovated. We were told that people were given state money to keep them in good condition, and many were in the grounds of newer houses. The neighbourhood was quiet and there were many small farms with date palms dotted about. Small dusty paths lead through gardens growing tomatoes and chillies. 

Rich in front of one of the towering houses, Najran, KSA

A cluster of old houses, Al Qabil, Najran

Photogenic buildings, Al Qabil, Najran

Cute little doorway, Al Qabil, Najran, KSA

Some houses were still in use, Najran, KSA

A renovated mud house in the grounds of a newer building, Najran, KSA

Happy fellow stopped to say hello, Al Qabil, Najran

We came upon a small cluster of mud houses that looked as though they had seen better days. Two lovely men appeared and smiling, gestured to us that it was their place, and would we like to see the view from the roof. It was intriguing entering the low-roofed simple mud kitchen and ascending the challenging stairs to the top. The view around was superb. We watched them go about their work for a bit, creating a garden with a pump that provided them with underground water, then said goodbye and continued on our way. 

Father and son in front of the house they lived in, Al Qabil, Najran

                                          

                                         

Everyone we met in Najran asked us if we'd visited Al-Okhdood, a historic walled city very important to the locals. It was at one time a major trading centre, and people in Najran are still very proud of the site. We were told the story by everyone we met that local Christians were burned alive here on mass in the 6th century. After an intensive entrance process to the site, including providing a local phone number, our passports and visa numbers, we were shown to an outdoor area with many paths to what was a pretty ruined area of the old city and fort. 

Writing said to be musnad, an ancient Arabic script, Al-Okhdood, Najran

The rubbly ruins of Al-Okhdood, Najran, KSA

Getting used to the late timings in Saudi by this time, we spent an enjoyable evening at the central Yemini souq that sold primarily jambiyah (Yemini style knife), guns, holsters, leather saddles and all the related accessories. There were also Yemini clothes shops and spice stores galore. Most stalls had men working on the wooden handles of the knives, and we were interested that many of them were reserved and didn't look at us, while others were open and engaging. One man brought us into his shop and tried the jambiyah belt on Rich. It was really a good look, and the man was so happy. Little kids running around were super shy in front of us at first, but with Richard's encouragement, by the end they were giggling and cutely posing for photos. The spice shops were aromatically divine, with cloves, cardamon and dried fruits, along with plenty of local spices we couldn't identify. Yeminis make up the highest proportion on foreign workers in Saudi. Throughout history, they have been the same country on and off many times, and their culture is strong in southern Saudi Arabia. 

Brothers (twins?), proud of their jambiyah, Yemini souq, Najran, KSA

Shy little kids, Yemini souq, Najran, KSA

Bashful guy working on jambiyah, Yemini souq, Najran

Cool Yemini outfits for sale, souq, Najran, KSA

Skin water carriers being prepared, Yemini souq, Najran, KSA

Jambiyah galore, Yemini souq, Najran, KSA

Friendly shop owner and Rich, Najran Yemini souq

Al-Aan Palace was on our list of sites to explore in Najran, and as it didn't open until 4.00pm, we set off later in the day for our visit. We were first greeted warmly in the immaculate visitors room by Hussein, whose family owned this fabulous structure. Sipping on Saudi coffee and dates, we watched a video about the renovation of the 12th century palace, and how the government provided the funds to preserve the previously crumbling building of historic importance. The idea was to make it free so young Saudis and families would come, appreciate the beauty and connect with their past. 

Entrance to Al-Aan Palace, Najran, KSA

View from Al-Aan Palace to another random castle, Najran, KSA

Us feeling happy in Najran!

Poking around inside the many levels of the giant mudbrick palace and checking out the view of Najran from the white-tipped roof top, we were impressed with the level of detail and the tasteful renovation job. We admired the lovely internal design with a central sunlit courtyard leading up to a high open roof, and the many colourful traditional textiles and old equipment. 

Old items elegantly displayed, Al-Aan Palace, Najran

Colourful fabric thoughout the interior, Al-Aan Palace, Najran

Detailed window glass, Al-Aan Palace, Najran, KSA

We noticed people setting up photographic equipment and some families arriving, the children dressed in traditional Najran outfits. We had happened to arrive during an early celebration for Saudi Founding Day, and for the next hour or so we had a fantastic time watching the action and snapping away at the beautifully dressed people. Once again, this was a site brilliantly set up for tourists, free cold water given out (this was common at most sights we visited), extremely helpful staff and a lovingly renovated historic building to tour. At the end of our wander around, a kind white-bearded member of staff drove us all the way back to town, miles out of his way. 

Young woman dressed modestly in Najran costume, Al-Aan Palace

All dressed up for Founding Day, Al-Aan Palace, Najran

Happy to pose for photos, Al-Aan Palace, Najran

Runaway mini models, Al-Aan Palace, Najran, KSA

Sun setting over Al-Aan Palace, Najran, KSA

On our last day we took the advice of our host at Al-Aan Palace and visited the nearby Al-Masoorah area to see the ruins on the viewpoint. There was no English information available about this site, but it was obviously an old fort, and strong renovations had been started to bring tourists here. Thinking we could climb around on our own, we were slightly disappointed on arrival when three men started to walk with us along the stone path leading to the top. We soon realized, however, that the site was still undergoing renovations and was a little bit haphazard in parts, and they just wanted to make sure we were OK. Their friendless won us over, they were so happy to show us around. After observing the stunning view over all of Najran, and chatting on the way down, we found a spread had been prepared for our return. Carpets and cushions had appeared from nowhere, with tea, Saudi coffee, nuts and dates and some much appreciated cold water. We were even given ice cream, and again, there was no entrance fee. They really couldn't have been more charming. To top it off, as we were walking back to the road, a local imam picked us up and took us the entire way back to our hotel. 

Gorgeous view, Al-Masoorah castle, Najran, KSA

Looking out with Saudi flag, Al-Masoorah castle, Najran, KSA

Our lovely guides, Al-Masoorah castle, Najran, KSA

A tiny bit of colour amongst the browns, Al-Masoorah castle, Najran, KSA

Views from many angles, Al-Masoorah castle, Najran, KSA

We arrived to a picnic when we came down, Al-Masoorah castle, Najran, KSA

Through Ruben's network, we met some amazing people, and from our first night until our last, we were lucky enough to spend time with all sorts of folk. On our first evening, a student of his brought over a special dish called ruqsh, which his Mum had made for us to try- incredibly nice! We greatly enjoyed the rich lamb meal, along with the accompanying samosas (sambusa in Saudi) and interesting conversation. 

On another morning a spectacular breakfast prepared by our host was shared with a busy lawyer popular in the local Couchsurfer community, before he had to rush off to court. It was a pleasure for us to meet English speaking locals, and provided a unique angle to our visit we may not have had otherwise. 

Another colleague had moved to Najran from Sanaa with his wife and kids to work as an English teacher, because of the higher wages. He was such a lovely man, and he invited us all out for a meal at a Yemeni restaurant, a real treat. He patiently answered our constant questions, and at one point, after chatting with the waiter for some time, he told us they had been seriously talking about the guy's brother working in the American Embassy in Sanaa and how they could get us visa to visit Yemen! We wish!

Home made ruqsh and sambusa 

A spectacular breakfast! Thanks Ruben

So exceptional to try Yemini food at a local restaurant, Najran

Clockwise from front- shakshuka, round thing is a delicious bean patty fasulya, then chicken and finally, tasty tender liver kebda on the right. The big round bread is called rashush, 

With all our social engagements (!), we found ourselves having to be flexible in order to accept invitations and change plans when someone else invited us to spend time with them. We slept whichever time of day was convenient, and thoroughly enjoyed the busyness of it all. We were amazed at how happy people were to see us and meet us. It certainly made a change from our usual quiet and slow lifestyle! And of course, for us it was absolutely wonderful to connect with so many delightful people.

Locals stopped and picked us up on the road, often speaking English and drove us to where we were going, and taxi drivers some of the time refused payment. Everyone told us a story or some interesting facts about Najran, knowledgeable and proud of their town and rightly so. By the end of our time, we actually had to politely decline many offers of food, tea and company from generous locals who wanted to talk with us, because we had other appointments, or had just eaten with someone else!

Overall during our time in Najran, we felt most at home, safe, relaxed and happy. We hoped our new destinations would be as wonderful!

Palm tree shadowing Rich on a walk, Najran, KSA

Dusty desert feet, Najran, KSA

Beautiful Najran!

......next is a blog post about our adventures hitch-hiking around the south of Saudi........