Al-Muwayliḥ

Al-Muwaylih is a coastal settlement on the Red Sea pilgrimage route from Egypt to Mecca. Its wells and gardens gave travellers a welcome halt among the mountains and dry shores of the northern Hejaz. A fortified station overlooked the sea, with a garrison, stores and water for the passing caravans. Beside it, a market brought pilgrims together with local people and merchants from neighbouring districts.

Wells were provided for pilgrims in the Mamluk period, and in 1560 the Ottoman sultan Suleiman ordered a substantial fort built at al-Muwaylih. Its towers, courtyard and mosque protected a place where provisions and goods could be stored for the return journey. The fort was repaired in 1771 and again in 1821. Agriculture, fishing and trade with the caravans sustained the settlement, whose importance rested on its position along the long coastal road to the holy cities.