Jurash
Jurash, near Ahad Rafidah south-east of Abha, was one of the chief towns of south-western Arabia before Islam, standing on the trade routes and known for its…
Jurash, near Ahad Rafidah south-east of Abha, was one of the chief towns of south-western Arabia before Islam, standing on the trade routes and known for its leatherwork and its siege engines. The sirah relates that Urwah ibn Mas'ud and Ghaylan ibn Salamah of Taif were in Jurash learning the use of these engines at the time of the siege of Taif, and that its people later sent men to Nabi Muhammad ﷺ in Madinah and entered Islam. Excavations over the past two decades have uncovered stone buildings and finds reaching back thousands of years, with rock carvings on the surrounding hills. A visitor centre at the site presents the finds with maps and a multimedia display, and a raised walkway leads over the excavated area.