I learned that one of faithful blog readers hails originally from Ushaiger, Saudi Arabia. As a result, it gives me great pleasure to research and write about this town. Now interestingly, when doing google searches there is not a lot of information on Ushaiger which further whet my curiosity to learn more.
To begin with, Ushaiger is actually a small village vice town and located near Shagra. It is 200 Kilometers northwest of Riyadh. Ushaiger has a reputation as a historical village with very friendly people.
Ushaiger is one of the oldest towns in Saudi’s Nej’d Province and it was a major stopping point for pilgrims coming from Kuwait, Iraq or Iran to perform Hajj or Umrah. It was originally known as A’ekel but the name was eventually changed to Ushaiger. Why was the name changed you may ask? Well, Ushaiger is bordered by a small mountain north of the Village. The mountain is red in color, yet locals said it was blond simply because red and blond were used interchangeably in the olden days. As a result, Ushaiger means the “Small Blond” which is a description of that particular mountain.
Historical Ushaiger belongs to the Tamim tribe although other tribes live there as well. It is also the home land to many of Saudis scholars and particularly religious ones. For example, the family of Mohammad ibn Adbulwahhab (from which the term Wahhabi is derived) is from Ushaiger. Also the family of Al-Thani (rulers of the State of Qatar) originated from Ushaiger.
Not only are the people of Ushaiger nice and friendly, they also decided to renovate the old village with their own money solely to preserve its heritage. They also opened up a museum which displays various relics and pieces from the village.
Ushaiger has been recognized as one of the very first holiday destinations around Riyadh approved by the Saudi Commission for Tourism. Al Sarh Tours in Riyadh has organized tours to Ushaiger. For further information, contact Al Sarh at 810.3838 or 205.6655.
Filed under: culture, Entertainment, friendship, Saudi Arabia, Saudi culture, Saudi customs, Saudi Living, travel, Uncategorized Tagged: | culture, culture shock, customs, desert, Food, Fun, heritage, history, KSA, places, Riyadh, Saudi, Saudi Arabia, Saudi culture, Saudi customs, travel
nice information about yet another unknown place of KSA
Thank you very much, Carol, for shedding some light on this wonderful town in Najd.
I am from a town that is close to Ushaiger, but my ancestors came from ushaiger.
I wonder if anyone of the readers here went on that holiday package?
Maybe we should do our own holiday to Ushaiger when you come back, Carol! then you’ll see my family’s old house, the farm and some other interesting places! Aafke better be here soon or else we’ll go without her!
I’ll be there!
But bedu, don’t forget the rest of my list of things to see and do!
And don’t be rude and ask what I’m wearing under my abaya!
It sounds like an interesting tour, but I couldn’t help laughing at the timing. Even after all these years, it still drives me nuts that when we’re travelling, we can’t usually get going anywhere until afternoon…
It is really nice to know that the Saudi’s band together to preserve hertitage in their country!! Ushaiger sounds pricless, historically and architectually. Perhaps, Ushaiger will be a good selling point for the (hopefully) emerging tourism business in KSA.
Again, nice article.
@Nader – that is indeed a plan and something to look forward to very much!
It is wonderful that the village/town people have taken it upon themselves to preserve the fine heritage of Ushaigar. Indeed, it is easier to find information on the Banu Tamim and their migrations (as far as Morocco where they are sometimes named Tamen), than it is to find out about this village/town. The post has extra value!
Munaqabah–I laughed at the times of the tour, too, especially given the 2 hr drive but then realize that between the climate and the night entertainment they were more reasonable than I first thought. I prefer an earlier start too.
On the other hand “Alsarh Saudi Tours would exclude you with a special offer…” is hilarious!