AL-BAHA — Qaryah Dhee Ain or "The Village with the Spring" is a major attraction that awaits visitors on the lower part of the mountain pass of Al-Baha in the southwestern region of the Kingdom. The village is among 1,200 villages in Al-Baha — one of the Kingdom's prime tourist destinations situated on the Sarawat Mountain ranges that run parallel to the western coast of the Arabian Peninsula — according to a report carried by the Saudi Press Agency. Qaryah Dhee Ain dates back to centuries and is characterized by the presence of 58 heritage palaces built of stone with roof of juniper and cedar trees. It has become an historical beacon that overlooks Tihama plains from the high mountains of Sarawat. Situated near Al-Makhwah, about 20 km southwest of Al-Baha city across the King Fahd Mountain Road, the heritage village is also popular as "the marble village" as it was built on a small marble mountain. The village was constructed using load-bearing walls and the structures are roofed using cedar wood. The multi-story houses are marvelous as their walls were simply constructed by stones laid one atop another, with timbers that form floor beams to provide stability to the stone structures. It is one of the ten villages approved by the higher authorities to be placed in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2014. The historical village was named after a nearby natural water spring. The spring flows continuously from the nearby mountains to several reservoirs and provides water to a lush oasis surrounding the bottom of the hill. It was amazing to experience the coolness of the spring that never dries throughout the year and continuously supplies fresh water. Its farms are situated at an altitude of 1,985 meters from the sea level. A visitor to Al-Baha cannot reach its green land without visiting the village and spending some time there, exploring its rich history and recreating between its palms and trees that produce seasonal fruits alongside its fragrant kadi plants. The village is famous for cultivation of bananas, kadi, mangoes and guava. It was received by abundance of rain in the summer because of its location between mountain ranges. This ancient village continues to feed Al-Baha markets with agricultural products such as kadi, whose production begins from the beginning of October of each year and the abundant produce is available throughout the year. Its quantities are not less than 20,000 bunches in a year, in addition to production of more than seven tons of bananas.
