Al Yanfa

Top choice in Saudi Arabia


The ancient residents of Al Yanfa came up with a novel way to navigate their congested village built on an uneven hill: they created a network of warrens beneath their houses that resembles a fairy-tale scene. Wandering through these amazingly engineered tunnels, with their low timber ceilings and tiny wooden front doors, is a real delight and privilege (this is a living village). Note the ingenious way slate on the upper mud sections of the houses stops erosion.

Al Yanfa is best visited in the company of a local guide, such as Khaled M Al Took, who knows the villagers.