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MM212 Says: Although not at all a tourist place, the modern town of Khaybar is unexpectedly pleasant. The motorway from Medina to Tabuk runs right through town where it turns into a well-kept tree-lined road, flanked manicured lawns, known as King Abdul Aziz Road. Surprisingly for a...
MM212 Says: Khaybar's geographic situation, in the middle of a valley between mountains has graced it with natural wells that have been utilised for irrigation since ancient times. It is this oasis that has made Khaybar and indispensable stop along the incense trade route from Yemen to...
MM212 Says: Perched on a hill overlooking the oasis, the Khaybar Fortress is at least 1400 years old. Some of the earliest accounts of it came from the narrative of the Battle of Khaybar, when the Prophet Mohammed and his army invaded and conquered Khaybar. It was his nephew and...
MM212 Says: Surprisingly, the provincial town of Khaybar contains a number of sculptures of modern art as an attempt to beautify the town. This is something rather unexpected from a remote town in Arabia. There is also a fountain in the middle of a main roundabout that consists of many...
MM212 Says: Abandoned some 40 years ago for more modern housing nearby, the traditional village of Khaybar is a fascinating ghost town. It is a frozen picture of a traditional Hijazi (i.e. western Arabian) village, albeit deserted. Hundreds of dwellings, constructed using the black...
Manyana Says: This is where the Arab Jews of Khaybar used to have their cemetery. Now it's surrounded by a seige. It goes back to 1400 years ago and older than that, when Jews used to live in the Arabian peninsula.It looks about 500 m wide and located on a hill. There are no signs or...
Palace of the Jewish Tribe's Head
Manyana Says: This palace used to be dwelled by Marhab, the head of Khaybar--the Jewish tribe. This tribe used to settle between Medina and Khaybar, so the town took their name. They were rich, gold and jewellery businessmen.The palace is located above the Khaybar town. You should climb...
Manyana Says: Historically, there was a battle between Jews and Muslims, where Jews had a control over water sources and springs and prevented Muslims to have an access to them.At that time of need, Ali bin Abi Talib -a battle leader-dug the land with his sword which eventually came out...
Although it has plenty of history, Khaybar is not a tourist town. It does, however, make a perfect stop for lunch along the long drive from the Medina airport to al-Ula and Mada'in Saleh. One place to eat is this Bukhari Table Restaurant (Mat'am al-Ma'ida al-Bukhari), which is located on the motorway which cuts through the modern town, known here as King Abdulaziz Road. Only locals here, including many immigrants from Indian sub-continent, so there is nothing luxurious about the restaurant. It does serve savoury grills and a couple of local Hijazi dishes including Bukhari rice (flavoured with aromatic spices and served with chicken). We chose to eat grilled chicken served on a yellow rice, which was quite delicious. Given that only plastic spoons were provided, eating the chicken was a challenge so bare hands were indispensable! The restaurant only has two tables, but has a large raised, carpeted platform to replicate the bedouin and provincial practice of eating on the floor. It is part of the fun experience!
Written Jan 14, 2011
Address: King Abdulaziz Road
Khaybar is located some 1.5 hour drive north of Medina. Although buses may exist, the best way to get here is to drive a personal or hired car from Medina (as an aside, the city's airport is open to non-Moslems). The road north of Medina traverses some amazing landscape consisting of rugged mountains, ancient lava deposits, lush green oases, some sand dunes and vast plains with acacia trees. Attached are a couple of photos.
Updated Jan 21, 2011
MM212 Says: Upon the arrival of Islam, Khaybar was a Jewish town inhabited by as many as eight Arab Jewish tribes. The fortress of Khaybar is often referred to as the Fortress of the Jews, while an ancient Jewish cemetery exists somewhere in the vicinity. Some of these tribes are...
MM212 Says: Saudi Arabia seems in no rush to promote tourism or archaeological excavation to Khaybar likely because of its Jewish roots. This is in part politically motivated, perhaps in fear of recalling the "Greater Israel" dream of some early Zionists, who had hoped to create a...
Helpfulness
Khaybar is very historical area, nothing else. However, you can hike up to view the whole city from that ancient castle of the Jewish palace. You should hike up 20 m or so. The castle itself is closed for safety reason since it's so fragile now and may collapse at any time. It's NOT allowed to hike that high, but you can sneak some steps upward. It's a stunning view to be able to see the entire Khaybar from that historical point.
Equipment: Sneakers for it's a bit rocky
Written Jun 15, 2005
Address: Khaybar's historical area
Here where the Arab Jews used to settle 1400 years ago. Khaybar is a small town, named after the Jewish tribe 'Khaybar'--one of the three Jewish tribes at that time--banu Qainoqaa, ban Quraiza, and......
Located about 1.5 hours north of Medina, Khaybar is another ancient oasis town in the Hijaz with a lot of history. Although not developed for tourism, Khaybar's historic quarter remains as it has for...
Build your own Khaybar page
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