Qasr Marid is a castle in Dumat Al-Jandal, in the north of Saudi Arabia built before 272 CE. Its walls are 80 cm to 1 metre thick and it commanded the old city of Adumato. The castle Marid (which means “the rebel” in Arabic) stands on a natural limestone outcrop overlooking the valley where the ancient oasis lies. Its position, occupying what appears to have been a genuine acropolis, suggests that this must have been the site of one of the oldest settlements at Dumat al-Jandal. It dates back to at least Nabatean times and is mentioned in the records of the Assyrian era but texts do not specify the time of the building of Marid Castle or who built it. The Marid castle is a giant walled fortress built on a high plateau overlooking the ancient city of Dumat al-Jandal. Some of its parts have been rebuilt, but most of its other parts remain as it was in ancient times. The form of the original building was rectangular but some additions including conical towers which look as if they have been added at a later period. The lower part of the building has been made of mud. The few excavations which have been made in the lower part in 1976, revealed some Nabatean and Roman pottery which dated back to the first and second century BC.
