Al Qassar Village

General information

Al Qassar Village is located in the Farasan Islands, southern Saudi Arabia. The heritage village, built of stone and palm leaves, is the largest palm oasis in the archipelago. Al Qessar was a summer resort for Farasan locals, traveling with camels to spend a three-month getaway during the season of Al-Asef, the northwestern summer wind blowing across the islands, right after the Hareed (parrotfish) fishing season is finished in late April. The heritage village is most famous for its abundance of fresh groundwater, and it consists of around 400 houses disseminated throughout its alleys. The average size of a house in this area is 4x5 meters, with walls constructed of stone and roofs of palm tree trunks and leaves, Doum palm, or Anisotes trisulcus branches topped with algae and mud. The purpose of using these types of materials was to secure these buildings from rainwater.