ajran Region is a land between two worlds. On one side, as with the neighboring Aseer Province, it is located along the green Sarawat mountains where the monsoon still brings rain twice a year, but on the other side it hosts the southwestern part of one of the most arid deserts in the world, the Rub' Al-Khali.

Wadi Najran and the Sarawat mountains (photo: Florent Egal)Wadi Najran and the Sarawat mountains (photo: Florent Egal)
Thanks to its special climatic conditions, the large wadis of Najran Province can become real rivers when they get flooded during the raining seasons.

The largest one, the Wadi Najran is created by the confluence of many tributaries running through the Sarawat mountains and finishes its course in the first sands of the immense Rub' Al-Khali. The path of the Wadi Najran is somehow the natural link between the green and arid worlds of Najran Province

Najran Region is also a land between ancient civilizations. Indeed, it was crossed for centuries by some major routes of the caravan trade of frankincense, myrrh, and other valuable commodities coming from southern Arabian kingdoms heading for the Mediterranean World and Asia.

With a very long agricultural tradition in Najran Province, it is not surprising that it has also a rich culinary history. As with its architecture, Najran cuisine is strongly attests to a strong Yemeni influence. The most famous dishes of Najran include:

Al-Burr: a breakfast meal which consists of bread made from wheat and flour, it is mixed and given a round ball shape and a hole is made to put milk, honey, or date syrup on it
Al-Wafed: a thick kind of bread made of wheat, also made in a round shape, it is served in Al-Matrah beside Al-Marg
Al-Maasooba: made of ground corn flour and some soup added to make it soft, usually served in special ceremonies
Ar-Ruksh: a soft kind of bread which served as a slice, presented in a pot made of stone, and then mixed with soup
Al-Margoog: consists of dough which is cut into small slices and cooked with soup and vegetables