qasr-al-farid-the-lonely-castle-madain-saleh-saudi-arabia-unesco-2

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.

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Author

Ben VanderVeen is the founder and editor of Moss & Fog, one of the web’s longest-running visual culture destinations. Since 2009, he’s been finding and framing the most beautiful, surprising, and thought-provoking work in art, architecture, design, and nature — reaching over 325,000 readers each month. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

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