ZAABAL CASTLE

About :

Zaabal Castle is located in northern Saudi Arabia, north of Sakaka city in the Al-Jowf area. It is an ancient archaeological castle that has been erected since ancient times, and it is one of the most famous historical castles in the world. It was built on the rocky ridge of a steep mountain.

It was built more than 200 years ago, is surrounded by four towers, contains a water well, and has been subjected to a great deal of vandalism and destruction since the ancient warfare.

The invaders' primary goals were the destruction and final elimination of this castle, which was distinguished by an excellent strategic location from which the ruler and commander could watch the enemy and determine their positions long before they arrived at the castle, as well as its strong impregnable fortifications, which made it impregnable.

Historians have estimated that the construction of Zaabal castle dates back more than 900 years ago, and this is the expectation for the first date of its construction, but after the development of our age and technologies and its complete state as of now, it is estimated that the date of its construction dates back to about 400 years. When you look at the history of its construction, you find that it carries within its folds the heritage and ancient history as Zaabal Castle has passed through and witnessed many different eras and times. 

Historians, geographers, and geologists have also found that this castle was built in ancient times on the ruins of the ancient Nabataean kingdom, which was in this area from the first century BC to the end of the first century AD 

When this castle was built in the old days, one of its most important objectives was to protect the Sakaka area from greedy invaders and the city and its inhabitants from bandits and criminals. 

It was found that bunkers of Clay had been built under the castle so that they could hide in it during the vicious wars, which had passed over this area repeatedly. You can see next to the Zaabal Castle, on the western side, mount prince, it is one of the most attractive and magnificent mountains with its beautiful artistic inscriptions and distinctive unique rock carvings 

Contents of Zaabal Castle

When you visit Zaabal castle, you will be impressed by its one-of-a-kind and brilliant design, as it was used as an invincible fortification to repel dictators and invaders at the time. Its walls were formed of stones and clay, which set it apart from other castles in terms of durability and made it difficult to break into. Four observation towers were placed in the four corners of Zaabal Castle so that soldiers could observe the region from the towers and ensure there were no attackers in the vicinity.

The towers were built so that they rise about 5 meters above the floor of the castle, as no one can climb the Castle except through zigzag staircases, and the interior design of the castle contains two rooms, there is also one entrance and it was designed to be on the southeast side of the tower installed in one of the corners of Zaabal Castle. 

In addition, there was a well of water in the form of a square that was dug a meter deep in the solid courtyard of the castle, as this well was used to connect the palace area and Al-Laqaat area, which is located in Skaka and they were connected by a strong tunnel about 3 kilometers long. 

Thanks to the Zaabal fortress, Al-Jowf area has become one of the famous ancient archaeological and historical areas in Saudi Arabia, which many tourists from inside and outside the county seek to visit 

It is also helping with the economic recovery of Saudi Arabia thanks to the active tourism in this region 

When you visit the castle, you will find a lot of inscriptions and sculptures, which can not be deciphered or understood by archaeologists only due to the antiquity of this language