On the drive to Baha, our guide took us to his family farm for tea. This farm is like a vacation house for the family. Charlotte went inside to meet our guide’s wife and the three wives of the guide’s father. I stayed outside to see the farm. Men are not allowed to see the faces of the women. Houses have separate areas for men and women to keep everybody separated. Charlotte was unable to take any pictures because the women feared their faces would be seen on social media. While Charlotte was inside, I was given a tray of sweets and toured the farm.
Our guide has been married 17 years. When he turned 21, his parents told him it was time to get married. 3 women were chosen by his mom for him to choose for a wife. He knew who 2 of the women from childhood, but had no interaction with them since the age of 14. At 14, the women are covered (faces with hijab and body with abaya) and separated from men. Our guide chose the woman most recommended by his mom having never seen her or talked to her. After the women’s family accepts the marriage, the wedding takes place within 6 months. Our guide paid a dowry of $16000 USD. As he was telling the story he asked me how much I had to pay to get married in America. I said it is free. After thinking about it what I should have said is “the down payment is free, but you have to pay the rest of your life” Hey ohh. Our guide also had to pay for the wedding which was for 500 people. Families are large and this is a typical size wedding.
On the drive to Al Baha we passed through 25 tunnels as we drove through the mountains. This was our first stop at a village with the typical stone architecture.
Next stop was Dhi ‘Ain. This place was famous for its fruits and banana plantations which still grow here. The village dates back about 400 years.
A natural spring from the mountains runs all the time creating an oasis. The guide was super excited to show us the running water. Water is so rare that to see a running steam is an amazing site for people in Saudi Arabia. I wanted to explore all the ruins, but the guide wanted to show us the most impressive feature first.
Final stop was to the honey market. Baha is famous for honey production. We sampled many different types of honey and purchased a lavender honey. Honey was $50 for a small jar (1/4 kilo) which our guide said was a good price.
Matthew of Arabia 