Ushaiger restored to past glory

Ushaiger, the small village in the northwest of Riyadh, has been restored to its former glory to preserve its heritage and revive ancient customs and lifestyles.
Visitors to Ushaiger, or “Najd’s Womb” as it is referred to by residents for having raised many well-known Islamic scholars and historians, will find a green oasis in the middle of the desert. It has mud houses, markets, mosques, narrow alleys surrounded by 600 orchards, 30 towers and 80 freshwater wells engraved hundreds of years ago.
All of this is in an area of no more than four square kilometers amid sand dunes, near Shaqra Province, 200 km northwest of the capital city. Ushaiger means "Small Blonde,” which is a description of the small sandy-brown mountain located north of the village. The village is on Al-Washim plain in the Najd region.
Ushaiger has over 400 mud houses and 25 mosques within seven districts with its narrow pathways that end at palm groves and orchards. It is surrounded by a thick wall that has wide doors made of ithal (tamarisk) wood and high massive towers. The doors are decorated with brandings of circles, disks and geometric designs, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
The ruins of Ushaiger were lovingly restored by a number of citizens who wanted to preserve their rich heritage and turn the village into an attractive tourist spot.
Ushaiger prides itself for producing several prominent men of letters including the renowned religious reformer Muhammed bin Abdul Wahab, Islamic scholar Sheikh Al-Othaimeen and many poets and thinkers.