Shaar Castle…a proud architectural legacy that reveals the depth of Asir’s history

It is a castle "slogan" It is one of the most prominent historical landmarks in the Asir region, and an architectural landmark that embodies the arts of ancient mountain construction and methods for choosing defensive sites in the southern highlands of the Kingdom.

The castle is located in an area known as "Shaar Courtyard, about 33 kilometers north of the city of Abha, near the intersection of latitude (18/26) north and longitude (42/27) east. It was built on a semi-flat area rising between (2400 and 2800) meters above sea level.

The castle overlooks a valley from its western side. "Lost"It is surrounded on the eastern, northeastern and southeastern sides by a series of hills and branching valleys, which gives the site a unique natural character and highlights the accuracy of choosing its location as a point of supervision and monitoring extending over wide distances of mountains and plains.

The researcher, Dr. Ghaithan Ben Jerys, suggests in his book" Abha…the capital of Asir" Issued in 2009 AD, the construction of the castle went through several historical stages that began in the late thirteenth century AH, and fortification and expansion work continued until the early fourteenth century AH, to become one of the most important castles of a defensive military nature, as it controlled the roads passing through the Shaar Aqaba – known in the past as "A lost obstacle"- It provides communication routes between Al-Sarat and Tihama.

The castle consists of a group of adjacent stone buildings distributed according to an engineering design that takes into account the mountain topography. It includes watchtowers and spacious courtyards that were used for training, in addition to internal rooms with narrow windows for observation and defense.

Its walls were constructed of local stones mixed with lime clay, which gave them high durability that enabled them to withstand for many decades.

Despite the erosion factors that affected them Over time, Shaar Castle still maintains its historical splendor and architectural prestige, and constitutes a destination for history lovers and those looking for archaeological monuments in Asir.

The Heritage Authority is currently implementing a comprehensive project for Restorationand rehabilitation of the archaeological site of Shaar Castle in the Asir region; With the aim of preserving its historical and architectural value and highlighting its role in the local history of the region.

The project includes careful restoration work on the damaged parts of the castle buildings and its stone towers, and the rehabilitation of the corridors, internal courtyards and access paths, while implementing improvements to the infrastructure and services in accordance with the standards of preserving archaeological sites, ensuring the site’s sustainability and receiving visitors in a manner befitting its status.

This project represents one of the main initiatives – within the program for caring for viable archaeological and heritage sites. For visitation – implemented by The Heritage Authorityto prepare sites of historical value to receive visitors, and develop them in ways that take into account authenticity and keep pace with the requirements of modern display.

These efforts contribute to enhancing the presence of national heritage in the cultural and tourism scenes, and supporting the sustainable development of the region in protecting and developing heritage and highlighting it as one of the components of the Kingdom’s cultural identity.