Enchanted Soudah: Traditions in the Clouds | Saudi Arabia | National Geographic
Dancing flower men. An ancient stone village. Secrets hidden in Saudi Arabia's mountains might surprise you. I'm a photojournalist, and ever since I heard about the Rijal [Altib], the flower men of Rijal Almaa, I've wanted to come to Soudah Peaks.
In the early morning, Ibrahim Al Fathy and Ahmed Ali Asogaei collect flowers for the elaborate crowns they'll make later. These flowers have excellent aromatic scents, and they enhance a person's appearance. Can I have some for my hat? Such amazing smells.
Flower crowns, known as essabah, were once worn as sun protection. Now, they're key to the flower men's cultural identity. Isaba symbolizes youth and good health, so medicinal qualities and a beautiful aroma are as important as vibrant color. What about these? Are these useful?
Regarding this sanicula, we collect it to make an essabah for special occasions and weddings because it has a good, pleasant scent. Before gathering later with other flower men, Ibrahim shows me Rijal Almaa, his home village. Local people have made huge efforts to protect its incredible, timeless architecture.
These walls are so thick, it's like a fortress. - This is your house? - This is my house. I was born in this house. This belonged to my great grandfather, almost 300 years old. - 300 years. - 300 years old. - And I tried to renovate it by myself, yeah. - Amazing.
Ibrahim has preserved much of the original fabric of the building. These are the original doors. They still exist in the house. Traditionally, they used the same decoration of Al-Qatt Al-Asiri art. All art is taken from nature. Ibrahim's dream was to bring his ancestral home back to life and share it with the world.
I have been possessed by the beauty of this house. The house, the village have become an integral part of my life. While exploring Rijal Almaa, I met Amal Turshi, who bakes bread, just as her ancestors did. A wood-fired oven, called mifa, adds a unique local flavor.
This bread is for arikah. We make it almost every day or every other day. We get everything from nature, from the area. We bring the wheat from the mountains and honey from the bees. We prefer it because it is natural, without any additives. It is completely healthy. So good.
This sweet dish is a perfect way to keep her community nourished. Do your daughters know how to make this bread? Yes, this know it. This is our tradition. We teach it to the next generations. It is delicious, a dish that cannot be missed in any home.
It's the men who make all the food when flower men get together. So, this is some kind of a social club for you? Yes, this is a tribal gathering in which the tribe and friends come together to have fun, sing, cook haneeth, find out each other's news and exchange knowledge. It's like they say, a gathering of good men.
A respected elder, Abu Wail, is the group's social anchor and a master essabah maker. Did you learn this from your father? I learnt this from my family. Maybe when I was seven or eight years old, I started tying my own crown. This is about a deep relationship between men and the flowers. The flowers even sweeten the conversation.
This is the master, and this is the apprentice. I'm taking it. People in Rijal Almaa are passionate about protecting their unique culture. This is a place where ancient traditions remain part of the everyday.