Twin ranges
Aja and Salma are the twin mountains of Hail, with the Great Nafud to their north and west. Salma runs about 60 km from north-east to south-west and lies some 50 km east of its twin. Their valleys hold springs, Ain Sada the best known, and dense stands of acacia and sidr.
Their names come from a pre-Islamic love story told in several versions: the lovers came from rival tribes, or their families refused the match. In every telling both die, one on the mountain north of Hail and the other on the mountain to its south.
The land of Hatim
Hail was the homeland of the Tayy tribe, and of Hatim al-Ta'i, whose name still stands for generosity in Arab memory. The remains of his palace are in the village of Tuwarin, in the Aja range, which is also one of the mountains' natural parks.
On the slopes of Salma, near the old town of al-Nai, is the spring of Antarah ibn Shaddad, with his believed burial place on the cliff above. In 2022 the Ministry of Culture launched the Aja and Salma Festival at al-Maghwah Park in Hail.