Masjid Al-Tawba, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia – The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) camped at this mosque’s location when he was in Tabuk (of course, the mosque has since been upgraded and renovated, but not to a grand scale as you can see). No, you can’t stay there. It ain’t a hotel, and you aren’t a prophet…
Prince Fahd bin Sultan Avenue, the main shopping boulevard of Tabuk, next to the Al Tawba Mosque. It’s nearly empty as you can see. It’s the peak of summer (Aug 2023)! No one’s crazy enough to venture out in the midday sun in summer (except yours truly, ahem)
Ahhh… that’s more like it. Prince Fahd bin Sultan Avenue in the evening. This was near one of the company’s guesthouses. This was where I got my Saudi SIM card
Ramadan’s ending. Today’s the last day of the Ramadan work day for this year. We have a full week of Eid Al Fitr holiday this year! 9 days in total including both weekends! This is the first time I’ve experienced that, thanks to Eid falling on either next Tuesday or Wednesday! Wow! If only we had some spare dough to splurge on, God knows where we’d be heading to. (I can think of sooooooo… many).
Anyway, an advance Eid Mubarak to all of you out there! Have a blessed and joyous Eid! Selamat Hari Raya! And for the non-Muslims, happy holidays!
Here’re some pictures of a little fort in Tabuk, a city in the north-western part of Saudi Arabia, that’s become the base for the mother of megaprojects, the stupendous NEOM Project, a development the size of Belgium, from scratch!
I was actually there for work (yup, related to NEOM), and there’s nothing much of an attraction inside Tabuk itself, but WTF, I’m not gonna give up an opportunity to ‘discover’ the city a little, huh? Especially seeing that the company’s guesthouse is pretty close to some places of interest, hah!
Tabuk Fortress – This fortress is near the Al Tawba Mosque, and marks the end of the Prince Fahd bin Sultan Shopping Boulevard
It was built during the Ottoman Empire’s time and is now a museum of sorts for Tabuk
The ‘Welcome Saudi’ website sez that you need to buy a ticket to enter, but no one’s around when I visited (heck, it’s the middle of summer, on a weekday, and no one visits Tabuk for a holiday). So, there you go!
Moi, in Tabuk Fortress. Surprised how I got a photo taken? (Met some fellow stray visitors, haha)
Ayn al-Sikr, the Spring of Tabuk – Tabuk Fortress also features a water spring which the Holy Prophet (PBUH) drank from while he was in Tabuk
A museum account of the Prophet Muhammad and the Spring of Tabuk
Finally, a photo with a friend and ex-colleague, Naresh at the hotel which I was staying in, The Ewaa Express Hotel, Tabuk. We used to work together in the Abu Dhabi Airport Project. He’s moved on since, and I happened to bump into him while I was in a Project site visit in NEOM. Small world!
That’s all for now folks. Eid al-Fitr Mubarak! Selamat Hari Raya! Have a happy and safe holiday!
