Heritage Dams: The Arabian Peninsula was not characterized by ...

Heritage Dams:
The Arabian Peninsula was not characterized by droughts, as is the case today. The rains were
abundant and were an important factor in shaping the nature of the land. Lakes were covered
on parts of the Arabian Peninsula in the west to the Empty Quarter. Before 35,000 to 17,000
years ago mammals and livestock multiplied, nurtured and roamed in the land of green grass
around the lakes. Although it was characterized by drier climate during the past six thousand
years, the Arabian Peninsula had experienced periods of rains and showers, but it was well
marked by lasting droughts.
Consequences related to the lack of rain dramatically affected the lives of the Arabian Peninsula,
and led to a frantic search for water resources. The ancient residents’ concern for securing
water resources is reflected in establishment of channels and digging water wells and ponds,
building reservoirs and dams along the seasonal rivers and valleys. The need to build dams
continued until the early Islamic period, although by now, most of them are completely
destroyed due to the vagaries of nature.
Construction of dams was well developed in the era of Islam, and they used to build dams in the
tracks of flooding valleys as reservoirs of water for agricultural use, irrigation, and to inundate
the groundwater wells or to limit the floods that threaten people's lives and homes.
The dams were usually built of large uncut and irregular stones, in pyramidal shape. These were
large at the base and smaller in the upper part, and the faces towards the water force were
graded. They were also covered with a thick layer of plaster. Dams of great heights had their
walls reinforced with fine gravel, while large stone slabs were added to the front and tops. Some
of these dams have drainage outlets in addition to the channels that carry water to agricultural
land.
Dams were of varying length, height, width and thickness according to the nature of the land, as
well as the quantity of water restriction. These dams in various sizes and construction types are
a testament to the outstanding civilization established by the early Muslims in the field of
architecture.
Some of the most important dams in the Arabian Peninsula are:
Al-Samlagi Dam:
It is located in the south-east of Taif on Thamalah Valley, 35 km from the city of Taif. This is the
ancient heritage dam. It is likely to have been built in the period prior to Islam to the raise of
Islam. This dam is characterized by its enormity, built of huge rectangular blocks of stones
structured together. It is approximately 212 meters in length, and 10 meters width, and the its
altitude is 10.8 meters.
Dama Dam:

It is located 140 km south-east of Taif in Bani al-Harith land in the Dama Valley. It was built by
using big and locally cut red rocks arranged in long rows. The dam was made of four zigzag walls
and its length reaches to 11.30 meters, width 2 meters and its height 4 meters. It has terraced
tops at the south-eastern side. Also it has an un-dated inscription on one of the rocks at a
height.
Grygeer Dam:
It is located in the Grygeer Valley, which represents integrated building style with the exception
of some rocks that spread beneath it. This dam is considered to be a unique in its design and its
top surface serving as the outlet and the flood drainage channel in its base. Its length is about 37
meters, 2 meters width and a height of 18 meters.
Al Lusb Dam:
It is located to the east of the highway about 10 km from the Waddi Ardah. It represents a thick
built wall. It was built on a rocky outcrop in the middle of a narrow channel of five meters width.
Now it is completely destroyed in the middle, leaving only a small part on the eastern side. The
remaining antiquities show the height of the dam must have been over than 50 meters. Along
its neighborhood are the remains of some abandoned houses. Pottery bits have been found at
sites dating back to the pre-Islamic era.
Thalbah Dam:
This dam is located about seven kilometers from Taif. It was built of cut square stones, in the
form two parallel walls covered by sand and lime mortar. When built, its length is believed to
have been 78.9 meters, width 9.60 meters and a height of 9 meters at its maximum altitude in
the middle.
Seesid Dam:
It is located in the Seesid Valley in the north-east of Taif. It is built of stones as large rectangular
building blocks laid horizontally. The dam has a length of 58 meters, 4.10 meters width and 8.5
meters height. The dam is popular because it was built in the era of Umayyad Caliph Muawiya
bin Abi Sufyan, that is revealed on an inscription dating back to the year 58 H/677-678 CE,
stating the text ion as follows:
This dam is for Abdullah Muawiya
Commander of the Faithful, built by Abdullah bin Saqr
In the name of the God in the fifty-eighth year
God forgive Abdullah Muawiya

Amir of the believers, May God secure and support him and the believers profit from
him
Wrote Omer Bin Al Habab
Al Agrab Dam:
This dam was established on Al Agrab Valley, approximately twenty kilometers in the north-east
of Taif city. It is one of the two-parallel walls of dam, filled with pebbles. It is characterized by
the presence of an outlet to regulate the flow of water from
the middle. Its total length is 113 meters and the width 5 meters. The dam is in good condition
even today. Two kilometers on the north-western side is an undated inscription. Perhaps the
inscription is related to this dam considering that there were no suitable engraving stones
nearer to the dam.
Al Haseed Dam:
It is located 14 kilometers from Khybar Municipality on a branch of Ghars Valley. Its total length
is 60 meters, and its lowest altitude is 6 meters. It was built by using stone blocks from Al Hurah
site and it is graded on both sides. Its front façade is divided into two parts. The walls on top are
raised on each side to provide a corridor across the dame and in the middle at the bottom is an
arched hole, a conduit to control the discharge of water.
Al Mashquq Dam:
It is an ancient dam in Khyber located to the east of Al Shareef and to the north of the Khyber
Municipality. The dam was built on one of the branches of Shaib Halhal valley. Its total length is
about 100 meters. The plaster covering the dam wall has been peeled. The western façade of
the dam is graded. In the southern end there are still remains of a draining hole or a channel. As
a result of the accumulation of silt gradually with the passage of time, the dam is unable to store
large amounts of water.
Al Qusaibah Dam:
It is also called Sa'd Al Bent (The Girl Dam) which was built on the course of a narrow stream of
Al Gharas Valley in Hura't Khyber, 30 kilometers to the southeast of Khyber city. It is considered
as one of the largest and most ancient heritage dams in the Kingdom. The original length of it
was around 205 meters. But only 170 meters of it remains. Its height, from the bottom of the
valley reaches approximately 30 meters. The dam is built in the form of a graded phased
approach on both the sides. A layer of mortar is added to the side, parallel to the reservoir. The
dam had experienced several kinds of ravages and destructions and therefore some of its
facilities have disappeared. It seems that the dam had a large lake on the rear, which led to the
escalation of the water level in the Hura't Khyber in addition to reclamation of agricultural land
and increasing its fertility.

Al Zaidiah Dam:
It is one of the small dams in the Khyber but with a particular importance. It was built on Al
Zaidiah Strait in the north-east of the Khyber. The approximate length is about 25 meters, its
nearest height is 4 meters and the thickness of the wall is about 8 meters. The dam and the
basin are covered with silt now. The importance of the dam, as well as to the reservoir of the
flood water for agriculture, comes from the inscriptions found in the northern bank of the valley
which oversees the dam. The date of this inscription could be of the first century AH
Dam of Ranon'a Valley:
The dam is attributed to Abdullah Bin Amr Bin Omer Bin Othman Bin Afan (died in Egypt in the
year 96 AH. The dam is located on the Ranon'a Valley to the south of Qab'a scheme (Al Hijir'a
district). It extends along the course of the valley from east to west. The valley is composed of
three related dams with joint total length reaching 83.5 meters. The largest dam in the main
body is located to the west, the length of its side is amounting 47 meters and its width 17.70
meters. The facade of the dam has a drainage hole on the eastern side. There is an inscription
on the rock façade in the eastern side in a poetical text. The history of the dam is estimated to
be between the end of first century and the beginning of the second century AH.
Muawiya Dam in Al Khang Valley:
It is located on the Al Khang Valley to the east of Al Madinah Al Monawarah, 15 km to the east
of Al A'qoul village. The length of the dam is about 30 meters. Its height from the bottom of the
valley until the level of the surrounding area is about 20 meters. The width of the dam’s wall at
the base is about 10 meters. The dam has experienced, in it is midpoint, a collapse as a result of
earthquake that struck the region over ages, in addition to the flash floods in the narrow
corridor of the valley. In the vicinity of the dam there is another longer and lower height dam
which must have been built to reserve more water from the floods that flood the lake of the
first dam. Dam’s foundation stone is found at the top, on which is written the name of Muawiya
bin Abi Sufyan and the names of those who have taken part in the construction of the dam and
their supervisors.
Aothal Dam:
One of the three remaining dams in Mecca, built by Al Hajjaj bin Yusuf Althagqafi in the years 73
to 74 Hijri, in the north of Al Muaisam on the road to Al Esailah Valley. The length of the dam is
abuts 140 meters. Its width reaches 6 meters at the top and it has a hierarchical interface. The
dam is divided into five layers. People who are arriving from Makkah, can see Islamic
inscriptions on the rocks on its left side along its two faces. The inscriptions belong to the
Umayyad period.
Al Madeeq Dam:

It is located near the Najran Valley which represents a modern irrigation system devoted to
divert flood water from sweeping the fields and orchards located to the east of the valley's
mouth. The water is let out through the channels carved into the rock to a depth of two meters
and 90 cm, and length 125 meters. Some constructions related to irrigation system were found,
in which the plaster might have been used as part of the gate to control the water.
Wadi Numar Dam:
It is located on one of the sloped ditches of Numar Valley on the western edge of Riyadh city. Its
total length is 34.40 meters and the thickness of the wall at the bases is 6.2 meters, while the
height of the dam is about 5.85 meters. It has arched pillared bases to ease the water flow that
comes from the top. The dam is built of cut stones. But the dam has collapsed from the middle
due to the lack of maintenance.
Wadi Hagar Dam:
It is located at Um Hazm in the northern municipality. It is comprised of two stone walls spread
out from the south-east to the north-west with a length of 229 meters, approximately two
meters width and 1.10 meters height. The dam contains flood outlets during the water rush. A
large quantity of green clay fractures were found near it dating back to the early Islamic period.
Al Subeen Dam:
It is located on Rawdat Sidair. It is also called Al Subeen dam because of its seventy sluices. The
dam is partially destroyed and only fifty sluices remain. It was built on Sidair Valley in the form a
series of packed stones placed on top of each other in the form of building blocks. The total
length of the dam from the north to the south is 233 meters and the height is about two to
three meters, and thickness ranges from 80 to 120 cm. The dam is one of the most ancient dams
in Najd which still exist in good condition.
Al Rowaidah Dam:
It is located in the south of Al Rowaidah in Al Majmah Municipality, which was built of trimmed
stones. Stones are lined up as the basic building blocks in a regular session. It is built on a stream
bed of Al Rowaidah and Al Khais Valley. The dam extends from south to north with 9 building
blocks. The length of the dam is about 260 meters. There are four sluices and each sluice with a
width of 3 meters. There are two rows of stones filled in between the sluices.