Saudi Tourism

Al Ahsa
The most prominent historical and
archeological sites are found in AlAhsa’a.
AlAhsa’a in Arabic is the plural of the word
“Hasa” which literally means the water the
land holds from sand. The history of AlAhsaa
goes back more than 4,000 years BC, and it
is considered a compilation of a proud past,
honorable present, and a bright future.
Al-Aqeer Historical Port
Al-Aqeer city was established during the
Islamic Era, and flourished in the Ottoman
Period. During the times of the First Saudi
State, Al-Aqeer was invaded by Soleiman
Bin Afiysan, in 1787 AD/ 1202 Hijri. It was
later restored in the late second Ottoman
period, and at the beginning of the Third Saudi
State. Since then, this port gained historical
significance as it remained the main port
for trading goods and merchandise such as:
wood, food supplies, coffee beans, spices and
herbs, clothes, fragrances and perfumes. The
port was also used to export: dates and date
molasses, palm tree seedlings and fronds,
wool and pottery products.
AlAqeer port has several landmarks, some of
which are:
1. AlKhan, a hotel accommodating travelers
and large tourist groups, which is equipped
with rooms, storage warehouses, commercial
shops, and livestock shops.
2. The Mosque, which is located between
AlKhan and
AlEmara, has two entrances, one at the south,
and the other entrance opens to a yard that
serves the Emara building.
3. AlEmara and AlHisn, located east of the
mosque, was built to accommodate the prince
of Aqeer and provide a working space for
employees, which is a 1,298 square meter
rectangular space that is divided into two
sections; the Emara building with its main
entrance at the south, an open air yard in
the middle, and its rooms on the east and
west sides of the building, and the second
section that is the Hisn building, which has a
rectangular open air yard surrounded by three
hallways in the east, west and south corners,
and four rooms in the north corner. All corners
have a spherical tower of two floors, each
having several openings for defense.
4. Customs, warehousing, and taxation
building.
5. Abu Zahmoul tower.
6. The historical hills and excavation areas.
14