The history of Hail dates back to the prehistoric ages through the pre-Islamic ages and the Islamic Era. It was one of the most invulnerable sites in the Arabian Peninsula and neither Hera Kings of Iraq nor Al-Gsassenah Kings of the Levant concreted Hail until the Kingdom’s unification in 1351H (1932G).

Hail is a multicultural province as it combines the Assyrian and Babylonian cultures as indicated in the Thamudic and Assyrian inscriptions on Hail’s stones and rocks, which are considered to be momentous tourism attractions.

Hail is always associated with the famous legendary character Hatim Al-Ta’y, who is known for his extreme generosity and hospitality. Hail is also associated with the historic Hajj routes used by pilgrims and trade caravans. Hail Province is the homeland of many poets and authors, and was visited by many famous European explorers in the 19^th and 20^th centuries although Hail was not easily accessed in those days.

Hail has always been connected to generosity and great hospitality, have you ever wandered why?

Hattem Altaay – who is the most generous man in the Arabian history – lived in Hail, and he represented the great Arabian manners that every Arab is proud of, Arabs would say “more generous than Hattem” if they wanted to describe someone who is extremely generous.

The prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) said, addressing his speech to Hattem’s daughter Sufannah: “your father was a man of great manners” and he manumitted her for her father’s sake after she was brought to him as a slave.

Hattem Altaay lived in a village located in the valley between Aja and Salma Mountains in Hail city. It is said that the wood fire under his huge cooking pots would stop so that he would always be ready for serving guests and travelers passing by.

It was said that after Hattem Altaay died, some people passed by his grave and camped next to it. One of those men, called Al-Khaibary, started kicking Hattem’s grave and souting: “Hey Hattem, where are you? Why don’t you show us the generosity your people are claiming?” After every one went to sleep Al-Khaibary had a dream and walk up shouting: “Oh! Oh! My camel!!” Every one walk up on his shouting and asked him what was wrong, he told them that he saw Hattem Altaay in his dream blaming him for shouting at his grave and asked him to slaughter his camel and feed his friends. When he finished telling the dream he and his friends went to his camel and found it very sick so they had to slaughter it and cook its meet. After a while a strange man came heading towards them and asked for Al-Khaibary, the strange man gave a camel to him and said that he is Hattem Altaay’s son and that he saw his father in a dream last night asking him to give this camel to a man named Al-Khaibary!

Hail Province is the land of generosity and hospitality and the land of culture and heritage, where ever you go in Hail you will find what you are looking for. Hail contains different historic monuments of different historic ages and eras; it is famous for its great urban heritage and unique architectural designs.

Hail is also rich in handicrafts and traditional industries. The craftsmen workshops and traditional soaks and shops reflect the customs, believes, and traditions of Hail society that are based on the Islamic rules and regulations.

In Hail you can enjoy its famous traditional literature such as poetry, narratives, and myths; in addition to various types of traditional folk art. You can also enjoy different sports and activities such as horse riding, horse and camel racing competitions, and hunting using falcons and salukis. Hail is rich with traditional clothes and jewelry, it is also rich in its traditional dishes that are famous not only in the Kingdom but in the neighboring countries as well.

Hail is famous for its diverse sports and activities due to its beautiful nature, such as hiking in Ajja Mountains. Hail is an important destination for hunters all over the year during hunting seasons, and those who prefer dune bashing (Tat’Ees) can enjoy the sand dunes of Al-Nufud.

In Hail you can practice horse riding, which people of Hail are famous for, and shooting provided that you use special rifles licensed by relative authorities in the Kingdom. Football is also very famous in Hail; it is after all the number one sport in the Kingdom.

• (Jabal Umm Sinman) in Jubbah:Jubbah is located in the southern part of the Great Nafud Desert, 100 km northwest of the city of Hail, at a coordinate (degree of longitude 40.55.09 – latitude of 28.04.48). It is one of the most important desert heritage villages in the Hail region, which is considered according to the tourism perspective. An integrated tourist destination worth visiting; This is because it includes the oldest human sites dating back to the stone ages and the most famous rock drawings and inscriptions in the Kingdom. In this village, the tourist can see many of the sites of the human who lived in the stone ages, and through viewing these sites, they can identify some of the ways and systems of daily life that were applied and lived by the people of these ages, and the tourist also enjoys watching a huge and dense amount of drawings and inscriptions that he drew Humans engraved them in different eras on the facades of the rocks of the mountains surrounding this village, those drawings and inscriptions distinguished by their various artistic formations and their expressive themes.In addition, the tourist got acquainted with the techniques of stone tools used by the ancient man in engraving his varied and rich writings and inscriptions. Perhaps the most important rock drawings and inscriptions that a tourist can see in Jubbah are those found in Mount Umm Sinman, which represent the early pattern of engraving and engraving, and those found in Jabal Ghouta (both date back to the seventh millennium BC). The drawings and engravings of these two mountains are characterized by rich scenes of the daily life of the humans and animals who inhabited this region, and their existence can be divided into two periods: the first dates back to the seventh millennium BC, and it shows the complete human forms with thin arms and the emergence of the compact body at the fold of the thigh and the appearance of the forms of women with braided hair hanging , with decorated skirts and the appearance of animal figures such as camels, non-domesticated horses, ibex, and various groups of sheep, cats and dogs that were used for hunting. The second period dates back to the Thamudian era, and the most prominent of its drawings and rock inscriptions is the domestication of camels, where scenes of warriors appear on their backs with spears in their hands, and deer, leopards and ostriches appear, in addition to symbolic forms and palm trees. The site of Jabal Umm Sinman was registered among the World Heritage Sites by (UNESCO) in the year 2015.

   

  The location of the rock drawings

   (Jebel Rata and Al-Manjour) in Al-Had Province:

  The site (Rata and Al-Manjour) is located to the southwest of the city of Hail, about 320 km, to the west of the current village of Al-Shuwaimis, about 35 km. That era was meticulously meticulous and in a very exquisite and perfect style, which in total are drawings of complete human forms that sometimes appear individually or accompanying animal forms (dogs) as well as animal forms (lions – leopards – donkeys – walruses – dogs – cows with long horns) all carved in the manner of scrubs. Or clicking or digging in almost natural size and in a manner that reflects the superior skill of the artist of that period and in a way that provokes astonishment and admiration for the skill he reached in the works of rock carving art. It is believed that all of the rock drawings that were discovered in these sites may date back to three different periods, compared to the layer of aging above them. The site was registered among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2015.

   

  Yateb Mountain

  Yateb is one of the most important tourism sites in Hail. There you can enjoy the desert weather and the Bedouin tents offering great hospitality.

   

  Yateb Mountain is located 30 km far from Hail city at 41 57 38 degrees longitude and 27 29 56 degrees latitude. It is an archeological site that goes back to 3000BC. This site is important due to its Thamudic inscriptions describing daily activities of the people of that period. These inscriptions include drawings of human beings, camels, lions, and palm trees.

   

  Aa`iref Fort

  Aa`iref fort is located in the middle of Hail city, on top of a mountain overlooking the city from the south at 41 21 00 degrees longitude and 27 34 00 degrees latitude. This fort was built with rocks and mud during Al-Ali time and was restored in Al-Rsheed time. The urban structure of this fort is not different than any defense buildings that were known in the center of the Kingdom, yet it is  one of the most important archeological and cultural sites in the province. It gains its important from its unique architectural designs and strategic location, as it look down upon Hail city. It this fort you can see Hail farms, traditional markets and quarters such as Lebdah and Sarha quarters. Aa`iref fort is unique with its stoned walls and facades, interior designs, beautiful doors and windows, and its strategic location, as you can see the fort from all over the city. The fort consists of an entrance to the east side opening into a small patio leading to another entry next to the mosque that is located in the center of the fort. The mosque has one aisle containing five pillars and to the east side the mosque there is a stair case leading to a five meters high tower. This tower is round shaped and has some windows at the top that were used for observation. Aa`iref fort is designed to have multi altitudes following the mountain’s formations. It is expected that the fort was built before the year 1260H (1840G) and was developed on the year 1310H (1890G).

   

  Janeen Cave and Mountain

  Janeen Mountain is located 75km northeast from Hail city at 42 31 16 degrees longitude and 27 56 100 latitude, it is considered to be one of the most important tourism sites in Hail Province as it holds one of the oldest caves that goes back to the prehistoric times. It also contains some inscriptive rocks and stones of all types describing human life from the prehistoric era to the pre-Christ era. The cave inscriptions include drawings of the daily activities of the human beings and animals of those old days.

   

  Twaren Castle

  The remains of this beautiful castle is located in the most magnificent site in Twaren historic valley at Aja mountain about 65km northwest of Hail city, at 41 44 46 degrees longitude and 27 58 61 degrees latitude. This castle is considered to be one of the most important cultural sites since it is connected to Hattem Altaay and Taya tribe that used to live in this place. There you can see Hattem’s grave and his daughter’s grave, who is said to be a Muslim. You can also see the fire place that Hattem Altaay used to start day and night to serve guests and travelers. This site, in addition to other neighboring sites, should be visited by the tourists to learn more about this legendary character and the history of the famous Taya tribe.

   

  The historic city of Faid

  Faid is one of the most important cultural sites that we recommend you to visit and learn more about the history of this place through its archeological remains. Faid town is located to the southeast of Hail city, about 130km far between 42 21 01 degrees longitude and 27 06 45 degrees latitude. It is the town of two of the most famous Arabian tribes (Assad) of the dark ages and (Taya) of the Islamic Era. Most of Faid archeological remains are located about 1.5km to the north of Faid town and covers an area of 1.5km wide and 1.5km long. The most important archeological sites in Faid town is its strong fort, known as Khrash castle, where you can learn about the architecture design of this castle (gates, fences, rooms, halls, kitchens ….etc.). On the south and north sides of the fort you can see Faid’s road intersections, the remains of the great mosque, the wells, ponds, and surface water canals. You can also see the merge between the old and modern town, which still has remains of old ponds and canals.

   

  Al-Hait

  Despite the distance of the center of the wall as it is located 27 km southwest of the city of Hail, and at a coordinate (degree of longitude 40,28,21 – latitude of 25,59,28), it is worth a visit, as it is one of the most important cultural sites in the region of Hail And it is truly an integrated tourist destination, due to its cultural, heritage, environmental, natural and human components that really qualify it for registration in the World Heritage List. Therefore, we invite the tourist to visit it and learn about its diverse and rich components, which consist of two parts: The first part includes traditional heritage buildings, and it consists of a group of houses and palaces. The second part includes the archaeological sites that include the remains of the ancient city of the Wall, famous for its huge stone buildings (residential, defensive, religious), its streets, farms, and beautiful eyes. The tourist can also see many sites of writings and rock drawings on the outskirts of the ancient city of the wall, which is the story of the past of the lives of the inhabitants of this historical and archaeological city.

   

  Al Qishlah

  Al-Qishlah is one of the most important urban heritage sites that can be visited in the center of the city of Hail, and its importance lies in the fact that it is located in the heart of the historical and commercial center of the city of Hail. Its architectural style represents one of the most beautiful urban heritage sites in the region, and its history is an important site; Because it dates back to the Al Saud period more than sixty years ago. Al-Qishlah was built of mud, milk and stones according to the architectural and decorative style known in the Najd region, where eight defensive cylindrical towers appear in its outer walls, and Al-Qishlah has two large gates, and inside it is a mosque and many rooms. Internally, it is decorated with stucco, colored and carved doors and windows.

   

  Barzan Palace Towers

  The remaining towers of Barzan Palace are among the magnificent urban heritage landmarks in the center of Hail, both in terms of architectural and decorative design, and they certainly provide the tourist with an indication of the reality of Barzan Palace and its architectural importance. The importance of the towers lies not only from the historical importance of the palace, but from the importance of the historical sites surrounding the towers today, and this qualifies these towers in addition to the neighboring sites to visit, see and learn about these prominent landmarks in the city. Perhaps the most important of them is the traditional Barzan Souks, known for their traditional flavor and original handicraft products.

• El Suddo and CarpetingHail is known for producing carpets and rugs that are made using local materials such as sheep wool and camel hair. First they cut the wool or hair and wave it into beautiful decorated rugs, tents and other traditional products such as Al Buttan (a traditional cloth used for rapping the horse or camel stomach), Al Beidy (a traditional men cloth made of wool), AlSahha (a traditional rug used for decorating the tent’s floor) and An Natea`(piece of cloth used for carrying babies). 

  Frond Industries

  The frond industry depends mainly on palm trees. Frond products are diverse such as: Al Hasseer (a straw mat) that is used for praying, Al Suffrah (a frond tray used for serving food), Al Zenbeel (a frond basket), Al Manssaf (a frond sieve), brooms, hats, and fans. These products are very popular especially when the craftsmen decorate these products with beautiful drawings and engravings.

   

  Carpentry and Wood Industry

  Hail is known for its great wooden products such as the popular wooden boxes which are considered to be one of the best products of this Province. It is also known for its incense burners that are covered with decorated copper. Hail is also famous for its wooden beds and chairs.

   

  Coffee Pots Industry

  Traditional coffee pots (Dallah) industry is very popular all over the Kingdom as they are known for their good quality. Traditional craftsmen use pure copper for making the Dallah.

   

  Metal and Iron Industries

  Most of metal industries depend basically on iron pieces, such as car springs, that are milted and reformed into other metal products used in camping sites.

   

  Coffee Instruments Industry

  The industry of coffee instruments is deeply connected to Hail for different reasons, one of which is the generosity of Hail people. The most famous coffee instruments in Hail are En-Nejer (a traditional pestle), El-Mehmas (a traditional dish used for roasting coffee beans), thermoses and others.

   

  En Ndafffah Industry

  En Ndaffah (upholstery) is a very popular industry in Hail province. It includes stuffing some furniture with cotton or other local plants.

   

   

   

  Shoes and Lither Industry

  Lither industry is popular around Hail Province. This industry produces lither shoes, bags, water canteens, puts, scabbards, and belts of all kinds.

   

   

  Camping Necessities

  Hail people love to camp in the desert to enjoy the beautiful sceneries, especially after the rain seasons. There are many craftsmen working in producing camping necessities such as tents, pickets, ropes, and kitchen utensils.

   

  Other Craft Industries

  There are other handicraft industries in Hail such as the utensils used for different traditional crafts, rifles, white weapons and other kinds of hunting weapons.

• Aja and Salma:There are many stories on why these mountains were named by these names, but the most interesting one is that there were two lovers named Aja and Salma. These two lovers had a made named Bzakhah, who used to work as a messenger between these two lovers, until one day Bazakhah told them that the people of the area knew about their love and told them that they have to run away. The people killed Bazakhah on a hill near Hail that was named after her. They also chased both Salma and Aja, each was caught and killed on a mountain. 

  Samra Mountain

  Samra Mountain is located to the east of Aja Mountain. It is a very high mountain that is unique with its dark color, there for it was named Samra (which means dark in Arabic).

   

  El Mougdah Mountain

  It is the east ridge of Samra Mountain. There is an old legend about this mountain saying that Hattem Altaay used to light his fire on top of this mountain so that he would invite every one passing by. It was also used by the Hail princes to call all Bedouin trips in case of war.

Hail is famous for its unique expressions, such as:

Ya Ba’ad Hayy: It is one of the most famous expressions and it means: (May you live longer than any of my beloved family members). It is addressed to elderly, children and also strangers to express intimacy and warmth. This expression is more popular in the female society than the male society.

Ya Hayy wa Mayty: This expression is common between females and means (You are the substitute of all those dead and alive family members). It is used addressed to patients and children.

Ya Qerrat A’iny: This expression is similar to the previous ones and it means (You are my source of joy and pleasure).

Ya Trety: This expression is addressed to children and it means (You are the one I wish to see).

Ya A`zzwety: El A`ezwa is the one who supports you and stand behind you. This expression is similar to the other expression (Ya Ba’ad Hayy) and has the same use.

Ya Haih: This expression is used for calling venerable strangers.

Ya Nour A’yni: This expression is used as a compliment for the services provided. It is also used by the elderly when addressing young people. Unfortunately, this expression is not used any more.

Ya Mednat Foaady: This expression means (You are the one whom my heart adores), it is used for praising and complementing.