Marid Castle (or Marid balance) is a historic military fortress located in the city of

Dumat al-Jandal Dumat al-Jandal (, ), also known as Al-Jawf or Al-Jouf (), which refers to Wadi Sirhan, is an ancient city of ruins and the historical capital of the Al Jawf Province, today in northwestern Saudi Arabia. It is located 37 km from Sakakah. ...

in the Al-Jawf region of

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

, about 50 km from Sakaka. Built in the first century AD, it was first mentioned in the third century in the context of Queen

Zenobia Septimia Zenobia (Greek: Ζηνοβία, Palmyrene Aramaic: , ; 240 – c. 274) was a third-century queen of the Palmyrene Empire in Syria. Many legends surround her ancestry; she was probably not a commoner, and she married the ruler of the ...

's campaign against Dumat al-Jandal and

Tayma Tayma (; Taymanitic: 𐪉𐪃𐪒, , vocalized as: ) or Tema is a large oasis with a long history of settlement, located in northwestern Saudi Arabia at the point where the trade route between Medina and Dumah (Sakakah) begins to cross the Na ...

's rebellion, when her troops weren't able to capture the fortress.

Etymology

The castle of Marid was named for its rebellion and insurrection against those trying to storm it, as stated by Yaqout al-Hamwi.

Location

The castle is located on a hill rising to about 620 meters above sea level, and overlooks the city of

, which is affiliated to the

Al-Jawf Al-Jawf or Al-Jouf ( ' ) may refer to: * Al-Jawf Province, region and administrative province of Saudi Arabia * Al Jawf Governorate, a governorate of Yemen * Al Jawf, Libya Al Jawf ( ') is a town in southeastern Libya, the capital of the Kufra D ...

region from the western side. That contributed to its importance, as the castle can oversee all parts of the town and observe any approaching friend or foe long before they arrive. Marid Castle

History

Marid fortress dates back to the first century. The oldest mention of it dates back to the third century AD when Queen

invaded Adumato (today's Dumat al-Jandal) and

, but could not capture the fortress. Therefore she reportedly said, "Marid has rebelled, and Ablaq has glorified." In 633 CE,

Khalid ibn al-Walid Khalid ibn al-Walid ibn al-Mughira al-Makhzumi (; died 642) was a 7th-century Arabs, Arab military commander. He initially led campaigns against Muhammad on behalf of the Quraysh. He later became a Muslim and spent the remainder of his career ...

annexed Dumat al-Jandal to the newly formed Islamic empire. In 1853, Ha'il governor Talal Ibn Rashid damaged the castle with two cannons. In 1909, Nawwaf Ibn Sha'lan besieged it for ten months until he could wrest it from the Rashids. Some parts of the castle were rebuilt between AH 1416 and AH 1423 (AD 1995/6-2002/3). In addition to a mosque restoration project that includes parts of the Al-Daraa neighborhood, which included installing stone buildings, restoring cracks in the facades, entrance, and corridors, and installing wooden ceilings of taramax stems in the corridors and layers of moisture insulation. In 2018, the

Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage The Ministry of Tourism (MoT; ), before 2020 as the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH), until 2015 as the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) and prior to 2008 as the Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT), is ...

(SCTH) has launched a project to repair the castle. In the framework of the project, a cafe and a traditional restaurant have been built in the castle.

Description

The castle was originally rectangular, but is now oval in shape. It can be accessed from two main entrances, one in the south of the castle and the other in the north, next to the tower. The castle has two floors; the first was built in stone, the upper one in mud. There also are four conical towers with height of 12 meter, and they were created at various times. Inside the castle, there are two wells, and its floors contain rooms for guards, shooting and observation. The castle is surrounded by a large stone wall with many openings for observation. The fence has two entrances, one from the south and the other from the north. Visitors need about 30 minutes to climb up to the top of the castle due to its 1000 steps twisted stair.

Excavation and dating of the castle and city

Excavations at Marid Castle - inside and outside the castle - have proven that the castle dates back to the

Nabataean The Nabataeans or Nabateans (; Nabataean Aramaic: , , vocalized as ) were an ancient Arab people who inhabited northern Arabia and the southern Levant. Their settlements—most prominently the assumed capital city of Raqmu (present-day Petr ...

period; the excavations brought to light layers with pottery and other findings dating back to the Nabataean period, such as: * The castle foundations * Nabatean findings in different parts of the Dumat al-Jandal * A group of Nabataean mass cemeteries in the site of Sanaymiyat, located west of Dumat al-Jandal. * Wall remains of the castle. In 1976, excavations revealed Nabataean and

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

ceramics dating back to the first and second centuries AD. An excavation team completed the excavation east of the castle and the wall. Excavations made by Khaleel Ibrahim Al-Moaqil in 1986 added to observations made in 1976 that a homogeneous layer of Roman-Nabataean pottery

sherd This page is a glossary of archaeology, the study of the human past from material remains. A B C D E F ...

s indicated a prosperous community during the time of the Nabataeans, to whose realm the region probably belonged.

Nearby ancient sites

There are many other ancient sites in the castle's vicinity, such as the Omar ibn al-Khattab mosque, Old Dumat al-Jandal's market, the historical neighborhood of Al-Dara’a, and the city wall. File:Marid Castle 20170827.jpg, Omar ibn al-Khattab Mosque with its minaret and the castle in the background File:The ancient town- Dumat Al-Jandal 01.jpg, Omar ibn al-Khattab Mosque File:سور-دومة-الجندل.jpg, Dumat al-Jandal's city wall File:The ancient town- Dumat Al-Jandal 07.jpg, Old Dumat al-Jandal, the Al-Dar'i quarter

Gallery

File:Mard Castle.jpg, Mard Castle File:The old city of Adummatu.jpg, The old city of Adumato File:Marid Castle IMG 7070.jpg File:Marid Castle IMG 7056.jpg

References

General

* Al-Jawf, the fortified North Castle, Abdul Rahman Al-Tayeb Al-Ansari, Dar Al-Qawafel for Publishing and Distribution, Riyadh, 1429 AH / 2008AD. * Al-Jouf and Hussain Al-Khalifa Nawaf Al-Rashed, Pavilion of Al-Jouf Emirate, the 18th National Festival of Heritage and Culture, 1423 AH / 2003 AD. * Research in the effects of Al-Jouf region, Khalil Ibrahim Al-Moaqil, Abdul Rahman Charitable Foundation, Al-Jouf, 1st floor, 1422 AH. {{coord, 29.81139, 39.86735, format=dms, type:landmark_region:SA, display=title Archaeological sites in Saudi Arabia Forts in Saudi Arabia Castles in Saudi Arabia