Bir Haddaj is one of the largest
Bir Haddaj is one of the largest wells on the Arabian Peninsula: 65 meters wide and 13 meters deep. It has been a source of life, joy, and cultural significance since at least the 6th century BCE – over two and a half thousand years.
This legendary well has seen history happen and has become so famous that poets wrote about it.
Knowing this, it’s quite understandable that Bir Haddaj has its own honorary title: the Sheikh of Wells.
Besides its honorary title, the name of the well also has some interesting potential meanings, tells historian Dr Salma Mohamed Hosawi: “In dictionaries, the word Haddaj as it’s currently spelled with a double ‘d’, is derived from Hadaj with a single ‘d’ which is used to describe when a person is walking quickly – at speed - like the water which flows from the well. The word also has a connection with Hadad, the ancient god of rain, the moon, and love in the Arabian Peninsula.
All the meanings relate to fertility, plenty and beginning life again.”
This legendary well has seen history happen and has become so famous that poets wrote about it.
Knowing this, it’s quite understandable that Bir Haddaj has its own honorary title: the Sheikh of Wells.
Besides its honorary title, the name of the well also has some interesting potential meanings, tells historian Dr Salma Mohamed Hosawi: “In dictionaries, the word Haddaj as it’s currently spelled with a double ‘d’, is derived from Hadaj with a single ‘d’ which is used to describe when a person is walking quickly – at speed - like the water which flows from the well. The word also has a connection with Hadad, the ancient god of rain, the moon, and love in the Arabian Peninsula.
All the meanings relate to fertility, plenty and beginning life again.”
No Tayma without water
The Sheikh of Wells has certainly been a source of life and thriving societies. Bir Haddaj is located in Tayma, which is situated between a sand dune desert and a mountain range – a place where water is not necessarily readily available. Tayma would never have become such a fascinating place without water (in fact, some scholars even believe that the town’s name means “this is water” in an ancient language dating from the first century BCE).
Tayma’s water has allowed people to live here for thousands of years, enabling agriculture, hosting merchants, and feeding pilgrims. Can you image arriving here from days of travel through the desert that, during the summer, could reach temperatures of 46 degrees Celsius (or 115 degrees Fahrenheit) to be greeted by a plentiful source of refreshment?
Tayma became an important stop on the Incense Road. Over two thousand years ago, it was a trade hub, with international traffic and its accompanying vibrancy…. at least, that’s what archaeological discoveries tell us.
Since at least 2004, teams of archaeologists have been working to find out more about Tayma as it was, finding artefact after artefact and thus uncovering many stories that have patiently been waiting under the sand. At the heart of many of these stories is Bir Haddaj.
Tayma became an important stop on the Incense Road. Over two thousand years ago, it was a trade hub, with international traffic and its accompanying vibrancy…. at least, that’s what archaeological discoveries tell us.
Since at least 2004, teams of archaeologists have been working to find out more about Tayma as it was, finding artefact after artefact and thus uncovering many stories that have patiently been waiting under the sand. At the heart of many of these stories is Bir Haddaj.
How the wells came to be here
First things first: how was Bir Haddaj even created? There are aquifers – water reserves underground, beneath layers of permeable rock. Whenever one was found, all people had to do was dig to create a well. Well…. they had to do more than that, of course. If you look at Bir Haddaj, its sheer size indicates that it is the work of many hands.
The bricks are not held together with mortar, yet they are believed to have been there since the well’s beginnings. Quite the feat of ancient engineering – just like the structure built around and above the well designed to get the water out. It is an impressive pulley system.
The frames above the well hold wooden wheels known as ‘Mih’ala’. There are over 40 of them around the edge of the well nowadays, but there would have been even more in times gone by – some evidence suggests there may have been a hundred.
A rope sits along each wheel’s edge, with a deep goatskin bucket attached to the end of it. It was lowered into the water, filled up and then hauled back up by a camel that was pulling on the rope from the other end - walking along a special pathway called a ‘Camel Draw’.
The bucket was then emptied into one of over thirty stone channels cut into the ground, which funnelled the water to local orchards and fields. Of course, there weren’t any mechanical pumps for a long time, so farmers were dependent on gravity for the water to reach their land – which meant they had to level out their farmlands so that the water could reach it.
The bricks are not held together with mortar, yet they are believed to have been there since the well’s beginnings. Quite the feat of ancient engineering – just like the structure built around and above the well designed to get the water out. It is an impressive pulley system.
The frames above the well hold wooden wheels known as ‘Mih’ala’. There are over 40 of them around the edge of the well nowadays, but there would have been even more in times gone by – some evidence suggests there may have been a hundred.
A rope sits along each wheel’s edge, with a deep goatskin bucket attached to the end of it. It was lowered into the water, filled up and then hauled back up by a camel that was pulling on the rope from the other end - walking along a special pathway called a ‘Camel Draw’.
The bucket was then emptied into one of over thirty stone channels cut into the ground, which funnelled the water to local orchards and fields. Of course, there weren’t any mechanical pumps for a long time, so farmers were dependent on gravity for the water to reach their land – which meant they had to level out their farmlands so that the water could reach it.
Lost, found and renovated
Bir Haddaj stood proudly for over a millennium, but a combination of earthquakes and extremely heavy rains brought about a destructive flood in the 9th century CE. The people of Tayma were forced to leave the town and the well was swallowed by the desert. The story of Bir Haddaj entered its next chapter when a man called Sulaiman Bin Ghnaim Al Shammari decided to dig out the well with his sons.
It is a famous story among the people of Tayma– even more so because Sulaiman Bin Ghnaim was of a prominent family, already known before he became the well’s benefactor.
In 1953 His Majesty King Saud Bin Abdulaziz arranged for large modern pumps to be installed at the well so that every local farmer could have access to a regular supply of water. Wonderful as this was for the farmers profiting, this also meant the traditional method of drawing water– and the traditional structure built around Bir Haddaj – fell into disuse. Luckily, its importance as a historical landmark as well as the source of many stories was recognised and, in 2002, His Royal Highness Prince Fahad Bin Sultan Governor of Tabuk restored the traditional structure of the well at his own expense.
In doing so, he not only made sure that the legendary landmark was preserved, but also that it could go on to be a part of people’s memories for generations to come, as it has been for the generations before us.
For instance, Saud AlMadhi – Head of Tayma’s Heritage Commission – remembers growing up here and swimming in Bir Haddaj: “Places to swim were few and Haddaj was a public property. We had time to swim, especially at Eid because then no one uses water for irrigation, so the water level was high.”
It is a famous story among the people of Tayma– even more so because Sulaiman Bin Ghnaim was of a prominent family, already known before he became the well’s benefactor.
In 1953 His Majesty King Saud Bin Abdulaziz arranged for large modern pumps to be installed at the well so that every local farmer could have access to a regular supply of water. Wonderful as this was for the farmers profiting, this also meant the traditional method of drawing water– and the traditional structure built around Bir Haddaj – fell into disuse. Luckily, its importance as a historical landmark as well as the source of many stories was recognised and, in 2002, His Royal Highness Prince Fahad Bin Sultan Governor of Tabuk restored the traditional structure of the well at his own expense.
In doing so, he not only made sure that the legendary landmark was preserved, but also that it could go on to be a part of people’s memories for generations to come, as it has been for the generations before us.
For instance, Saud AlMadhi – Head of Tayma’s Heritage Commission – remembers growing up here and swimming in Bir Haddaj: “Places to swim were few and Haddaj was a public property. We had time to swim, especially at Eid because then no one uses water for irrigation, so the water level was high.”
Bir Haddaj in culture
Many other stories about the well are still doing the rounds– even beyond local stories. Its fame has made it the subject of literature, poetry, and proverbs. Dr Salma Mohamed Hosawi: “If Arabs wish to describe the generosity of someone, they say he is like Tayma’s Haddaj - and does not run dry”.
Bir Haddaj is also mentioned in poems of lament and praise. Such as one from the poet Mohammad Al Sidairy who says: “May Allah speed the eye’s relief / It sheds tears like the stream of Haddaj’s well.”
The cultural and practical impact of the well cannot be underestimated. It continues to give life and beauty to its surroundings. And if you’re ever lucky enough to be in Tayma and see Bir Haddaj with your own eyes… look down and perhaps you’ll spot a fish or a turtle in the lush green of the water.
Bir Haddaj is also mentioned in poems of lament and praise. Such as one from the poet Mohammad Al Sidairy who says: “May Allah speed the eye’s relief / It sheds tears like the stream of Haddaj’s well.”
The cultural and practical impact of the well cannot be underestimated. It continues to give life and beauty to its surroundings. And if you’re ever lucky enough to be in Tayma and see Bir Haddaj with your own eyes… look down and perhaps you’ll spot a fish or a turtle in the lush green of the water.
Anne de Bruijn | Date:20 Apr 2023
Anne de Bruijn
Anne de Bruijn is a contributing writer for The Living Museum and regularly writes texts and
audio guides for museums. She also co-authored Don’t Buy This Book – Entrepreneurship
for Creative People and its predecessor Don’t Buy This Book – Time Management for
Creative People. She loves art, languages and history and bakes her own bread.
Follow her on Instagram for art and food photos @Acertainmissbrown.
audio guides for museums. She also co-authored Don’t Buy This Book – Entrepreneurship
for Creative People and its predecessor Don’t Buy This Book – Time Management for
Creative People. She loves art, languages and history and bakes her own bread.
Follow her on Instagram for art and food photos @Acertainmissbrown.
Follow us
