Carved into a massive boulder, the Qasr al-Farid is an astounding ancient structure constructed around the 1st century CE. Although it is called a castle, it is actually a tomb that was built as part of the ancient Nabataean site of Hegra. The Qasr al-Farid is one of the most famous tombs in Mada’in Saleh, and was named as such due to the fact that it is completely isolated from the other tombs situated in the area. This is rather unusual as most of the monumental tombs in Mada’in Saleh were found to have been made in groups. A unique construction technique of the Nabataeans is that the tombs were chiseled right out of the rock from the top down. The Qasr al-Farid was fashioned in a similar manner and the façade appears to have never been completed – the quality of work slowly deteriorate on the lower part of the structure.

Abdulaziz Aldakheel(Pilot Abdulaziz)