Al-araish: Al-Araish Pool, located about 60 kilometers south of the historic village of Linah within the jurisdiction of the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Royal Nature Reserve Development Authority, is one of the most prominent historical stations on the Kufan Hajj route known as 'Darb Zubaydah,' a road that flourished during the Abbasid era and served as a vital artery for pilgrim caravans.
According to Saudi Press Agency, the Al-Araish site, locally known as 'Al-Tanahi,' is a historically and archaeologically significant location near Khadra and Al-Bada. It features a series of water pools built along ancient flood channels during the Abbasid period on Darb Zubaydah. The name 'Al-Tanahi' refers to the point where floodwaters are blocked by a sandy ridge called 'Al-Labid,' causing water to be retained between sand dunes and form natural lakes that sustained life and provided for travelers.
The Al-Araish site is an integral part of the Darb Zubaydah ecosystem, with the name referring to three separate locations. Northern Al-Araish, also known as Birkat Al-Tanahi, contains 10 units serving different purposes, arranged in a straight line from northwest to southeast, spanning up to 450 meters in length and 250 meters in width. The site also includes a building with two rows of rooms northwest of the pool, another building with a single row of rooms, and additional units comprising two complexes of limestone kilns north of the pool and three complexes to the east and southeast.
Central Al-Araish, known as Al-Tananir, contains nine architectural units spread over 400 meters from north to south and 250 meters from east to west. These include a circular pool connected to a basin, a square pool, a ruined building north of the circular pool, two wells, and three kilns used for producing gypsum from limestone. Southern Al-Araish further reflects the advanced water and engineering infrastructure that served pilgrims and travelers during that era.
Today, Al-Araish Pool stands as a living testament to the ingenuity of water planning in Islamic eras and to the importance of Darb Zubaydah as one of the greatest infrastructure projects in Islamic history, enhancing the site's heritage value and supporting efforts aimed at documenting and protecting it as a landmark of historical and human significance.