Shuwaihtiyeh centre is located along the banks of Shuwaihtiyeh valley. The area was inhabited from the Stone Age dating back 130,000 to 100,000 years ago. It has various interesting sites including the old village, and the Shuwaihtiyeh tree, an ancient Tamarix tree, dating back to 1941. This type of tree was used for ceilings in the old village. It also holds one of the oldest, human inhabited archaeological sites in the Kingdom, which was fenced off and closed when we visited. Field studies have revealed 15 settlements and 2000 stone tools including knifes, hammer stones and arrowheads have been found. Various examples of Rock Art (petroglyphs) can be found on the hills surrounding the area, including depictions of Camel, Ibex and hunting scenes as well as inscriptions.
