Asia

[Visited: November 2022]

After exploring the ruins of Al Ukhdud, the ancient precursor of Najran, we want to see more of this southern Saudi city. We have marked a few places of interest, and have already realised that the city is enormous, or at least much more spread out than we ever imagined. The first place we want to see is Emara Palace, which is on the west side of Najran. The city started around this area, and has been rapidly growing in recent years. We drive some big roads lined by modern buildings, and wonder where the Najran of historic old buildings, that we had in our mind, has gone. Then, we turn a corner, and see a big, square mud building rising before us. We find parking in the shade, and walk to the square on the west side of Emara Palace. On the other side of the square, we see a row of shops on a semi-circle street. We start to see that Najran actually is an attractive city.
We walk past the entrance, and first want to get a better idea of Emara Palace. It certainly reminds me of buildings I saw in Yemen, made according to age-old techniques using dried and baked mud bricks. It has the same colour, and the crenellated topping of the building is painted in an impeccable white. There are only narrow windows in the walls, all decorated by white-painted frames. We walk back to the entrance, and stop to enjoy the view. Around the massive wooden door, we see a broad white painted frame. Above it, two slender windows are surrounded by white paint. The walls are decorated both on the side and on top, giving the building a very pretty look. Once inside, we are welcomed by two gentlemen who urge us to explore. We do so after studying the old map of the palace.
Inside, we see a courtyard with several buildings. At each corner, a cylindrical watchtower gives Emara Palace a castle look. We walk the courtyard and see a pre-Islamic well, as well as a mosque and minaret in a corner, and then enter the central building. Emara Palace was built in 1942, and housed a courthouse, a radio broadcast station, as well as the residence of the prince and his family, and their guests. It was self-sufficient. It only served the purpose for some 26 years, and is now a museum. Indeed, we can see the rooms where the emir lived, majlis (community rooms), and see small black and white photo exhibitions which show the history of the museum and Najran, and its elite visitors. Higher up, we find spots with good views of the inside of the palace. We walk the white-washed stairs up and down several buildings and towers, and enjoy looking at the internal walls of the palace. We have seen every accessible part of Emara Palace and are happy we came here. It is time to move on.

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Emara Palace (Saudi Arabia)

Emara Palace > Saudi Arabia > Asia

[Visited: November 2022]

Around the World in 80 Clicks