Al-Mithnab Heritage Town

Al-Mithnab Heritage Town is the old part of the town of Al-Mithnab, one of the governorates of the Qassim region in central Saudi Arabia, situated in the south of the region to the south-east of Unaizah. It is a Najdi settlement built of mud and is counted among the best-preserved old towns in Qassim.

Al-Mithnab grew up as a farming town in a valley where water was available. The old town remained inhabited into the second half of the twentieth century; its residents then moved gradually to modern districts and its buildings began to deteriorate. In recent decades it has been restored through cooperation between local people, the municipality and the heritage authorities.

Visitors walk through narrow lanes between closely set mud houses with decorated wooden doors, triangular ventilation openings and crenellations along the tops of the walls. They see the old mosque, the traditional market with its small shops, and a number of houses opened to the public with displays of heritage objects. The town is an example of community initiative in conserving mud architecture.