Marid Castle

Qasr Marid (Arabic: قصر مارد‎) is a castle in Dumat Al-Jandal - in the north of Saudi Arabia built before AD 272. Its walls are 80 cm - 1 meter (2'8"-3'3") thick. The castle commanded the old city of Adumato.

Excavations made by Khaleel Ibrahim al-Muaikel in 1986 added to observations made in 1976 that a homogeneus layer of Roman-Nabataean pottery sherds indicated a prosperous community during the time of the Nabataeans to whoms realm the region probably belonged.[1]

Zenobia tried to capture the city of Adumato in the 3rd century. When she left the castle without capturing, it she said her famous saying "tamrd Mard", which means "Mard renounce allegiance to me".

In 633 CE, Khalid ibn al-Walid captured Dumat Al-Jandal and it became a part of the newly formed Islamic empire.

In 1853 Talal Ibn Rashid from Hail damaged the castle with two cannons. In 1909 Nawwaf Ibn Sha'lan besieged it for ten months until he could wrest it from the Rashids.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 Amir 'Abd al-Rahman bin Ahmad al-Sudairi, The Desert Frontier of Arabia, Al-Jawf through the Ages, 1995, ISBN 0-905743-75-X, p49

Coordinates: 29°48′40.80″N 39°52′02.42″E / 29.8113333°N 39.8673389°E / 29.8113333; 39.8673389


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