Marid Castle
A fortress on a hilltop in Dumat al-Jandal, about 50 km from Sakaka, built in the first century AD according to Roman and Nabataean pottery found in excavations. Its dark stone walls overlook the old city and have been repaired many times over the centuries.
- Where
- Sakaka, Al Jawf, Saudi Arabia
- Grade
- Local gem
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site
- Coordinates
- 29.8113, 39.8673
Get the Marid Castle stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Marid Castle. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Al Jawf volume with your photos and a note.
Near Marid Castle
Dumat Al-Jandal 0.1 km
An ancient walled oasis city in the Al-Jouf region, about 37 kilometres from Sakaka, and the historical capital of the area. Its ruins include old stone houses, a defensive wall and the early Omar ibn al-Khattab Mosque with its square minaret.
An Nafud 201 km
A red sand desert in the north of the Arabian Peninsula, about 290 km long. Its crescent dunes and sand filled basins turn deep red at sunset, and in places they hide ancient lake beds.
Rock Art of the Hail Region 225 km
Two sites of rock engravings in the Ha'il region, at Jabal Umm Sinman near Jubbah and at Jabal al-Manjor and Raat near Shuwaymis. Carved over some 10,000 years, they show people, animals and inscriptions, and the area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Ajā and Salma Mountains 308 km
Granite ranges of the Shammar Mountains rising around the city of Ha'il in the northwest of the country. They have old Bedouin camping grounds, stone ruins and rock carvings, and the Ajā range is the larger of the two.
Al Naslaa Rock 314 km
A huge sandstone boulder about 50 km south of Tayma, split almost exactly down the middle into two blocks. Ancient engravings of horses and people decorate its faces, and the sharp cut is a puzzle to geologists.
Hegra 385 km
Nabataean tombs cut into sandstone outcrops in the desert near AlUla, the first site in Saudi Arabia to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Also known as Mada'in Salih, it was the southern city of the Nabataeans, who also built Petra, and holds more than 100 monumental tombs.
Jabal Al-Fil 393 km
Elephant Rock, a freestanding sandstone formation near AlUla in northwestern Saudi Arabia, rising 52 metres at its highest point. Rain, wind and sand have eroded it over millions of years into the shape of an elephant with a raised trunk.
Jabal Ikmah 397 km
An open air library in stone, a sandstone mountain in the AlUla area covered with ancient inscriptions and rock carvings. Most were left by the Dadanite and Lihyanite civilisations, and the texts include prayers, dedications and records of local life.
Questions
Where is Marid Castle?
Marid Castle is in Sakaka, Al Jawf, Saudi Arabia. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Dumat Al-Jandal (0.1 km), An Nafud (201 km), Rock Art of the Hail Region (225 km).
How do I get the Marid Castle stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Marid Castle and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Al Jawf volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Marid Castle before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Al Jawf volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 40 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.