Taif: a photo album, part 2

Our next stop in Taif was a rebuilt Turkish fort. Like so many other things we saw on this trip, the fort was just hanging out on the side of the highway. This one had been completely rebuilt ("restored") by the government a few years ago using the same stones or stones from the surrounding area.

Upon entering the fort, we were surrounded by graffiti. So anticlimactic.

No ramps, no plaques, nothing to explain the history. It was like the government just rebuilt the fort, clapped the dust off their hands, and said, "Meh, good enough." The historians in both of us collectively facepalmed.

In the hill on which the fort is built, there are ancient Nabataean carvings. Some rocks with carvings were cut out of the hillside and used in the rebuilding of the fort. The rebuilding of the fort was overseen by the Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Culture and Information. ...facepalm.

Right next to the fort are the ruins of some outbuildings that were also build by the Turks. Our tour guide didn't know what these buildings were used for. He kept calling them houses, so perhaps there was once a village on this spot?

Like all the other ruins on this trip, we were able to poke around. It was pretty cool to be so hands on with history. 

I have a lot of pictures of my Mister surrounded by ruins.

Vicariously yours,