The Lonely Castle

Twisted Sifter has a look at the standalone castle in Saudi Arabia, carved from a giant standalone sandstone form in the desert. Built in the first century A.D., the unfinished castle rises four stories, and inspires us with its oddity.

Qasr al-Farid is part of Mada’in Saleh, a pre-Islamic archaeological site located in Al-Ula, Saudia Arabia. A majority of the vestiges, including 131 rock-cut tombs, date from the Nabatean Kingdom (1st century AD). The site constitutes the Nabatean Kingdom’s southernmost and largest settlement after Petra, its capital, located in present day Jordan.

In 2008 UNESCO proclaimed Mada’in Saleh as a site of patrimony, becoming Saudi Arabia’s first World Heritage Site.