Gallery
Description
Property Name: Tarout Castle
Inventory No: –
Date of infill of the inventory form: 2020
Country (State party): Saudi Arabia
Province: Eastern
Town: Al Qatif
Geographic coordinates: 26°33’49.29″N 50° 3’1.36″E
Historic Period: 16th century
Year of Construction: Unknown
Style:
Original Use: Castle
Current Use: Archaeological site
Architect: Unknown
Significance
A castle with an area of 5000 square meters was built on a mountain hill of 3 meters high and is located near the castle in spring water: Ain al-Awda and Ain al-Aounia The castle was built during the reign of the Portuguese and has four towers, but one of them is destroyed and only three of them remain. The castle is surrounded by farms and residences.
Semi elliptical non regular shaped castle with an external fence bolstered with four conical shaped tower two of which are still erected on the west side. Constructed during the 16th century BC on the remains of an ancient building with apparent rock foundations. The archaeological founds at the castle indicate that it belongs to four historical periods the oldest of which dated back to Al-Obaid era 4300 BC.
Selection Criteria
i. to represent a masterpiece of human creative genius
ii. to exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design
iii. to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared
vi. to be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance
State of Preservation
Need restoration
References
Commission of Tourism and Heritage
Taroot Castle acknowledgement on the site.