Thee Ain

The village of Thee Ain (Arabic: ذي عين), also known as Dhi Ayn or Zee Ain village, is in the Al-Mikhwat province of the Al-Baha Region, Saudi Arabia. The village is characterized by houses built from polished stones and dating back to the 8th century. It is located to the southwest of the city of Al Makhwah about 20 km from the village. The village includes more than 40 houses and a mosque adjacent to the river. Nearby forts protected them from raids.

Etymology
The village was named for the water that flows from the nearby mountains. The river has several branches, each with a different name. There is a local legend that a man lost his stick in one of the valleys, and to retrieve it he followed the river until he arrived in the village and gathered its people and extracted the stick after the excavation of the eye.

History
The village was established in the tenth century AH, and witnessed many invasions between the tribes before the unification of the Kingdom by King Abdul Aziz Al Saud. One of the most important invasions against the region was when they met the armies of Zahran and Ghamd tribes on the one hand with the army of Muhammad Ali Pasha. Ali Pasha and known tombs as "graves of the Turks".

Osmani provided a history claiming the presence of large quantities of high quality marble and metals. The marble was used during the expansion of the Grand Mosque.

Climate
The climate of the village is hot in summer and mild in winter because it is part of the Tihamah region, at about 1985 meters of elevation. The rain is heavy in the summer and medium in the winter.

Agriculture
This village is known for its agricultural crops such as bananas, Kadi, basil, lemon and palm trees, stores, and scenic river.

Housing
The village consists of 49 houses, of which 9 are single, 19 in two, 11 in three, and 10 in four. The village was built on the Madamek wall system and the walls are approximately 70 to 90 centimeters thick. The large rooms are decorated with columns known as zafer. Above the Sidr sits a type of stone known as "prayer". The stones are covered with mud. Lower floors are used for reception, sitting and sleeping floors. Some buildings have been in existence since the beginning of the village.

Restoration
The Saudi Tourism Authority allocated 16 million riyals for the project of rehabilitating the village, which aims to restore and develop the village and turn it into a tourist site. The project was divided into three phases over a period of five years. The first phase included the rehabilitation of the main corridor of the village and the establishment of sessions along the corridor to the waterfall and the reopening of the mosque and rehabilitation of a number of buildings to make it a museum in addition to the establishment of a visitor center and restaurant and public toilets.