Al-Harrah should ‘spring’ a surprise for Saudi tourism

Neglect and disrepair have almost ruined the health tourism potential of Al-Ain Al-Harrah, a hot spring in Jazan, south of the Kingdom. People in Jazan want the authorities concerned to take steps to develop the natural spring into a prominent tourist center. They fear that the hot springs, a rare natural phenomenon in the Kingdom, may disappear because of negligence.Sick people from the Kingdom and other Gulf countries and even Europe used to visit the spring before it became a victim of official neglect. The water temperature in Al-Ain Al-Harrah used to be as high as 54 degrees Celsius. However, it did not cause any burns.People suffering from rheumatism, cartilaginous disorders, bone and skin diseases used to benefit from the therapeutic powers of the spring. Even people with sinusitis or unhealed fractures said their condition improved after they visited the spring, Al-Eqtisadiah reported on Tuesday.Supposedly, a hot spring acquires therapeutic power because it holds more dissolved solids than normal water and often has a very high mineral content containing everything from simple calcium to lithium and even radium.The chemical composition of the water in Al-Ain Al-Harrah is close to those in Japan and the United States. The water contains carbonate of calcium, calcium oxide minerals, silicone acid, hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid.The spring swirls out from the midst of rocks and flows down winding through palm trees. Since the owner of the location withdrew its security guards and tourist guides, the location has been vandalized.Executive Director of Tourism in Jazan Rustom Al-Kabisi said the hot springs would be developed into a health tourist center comparable to any hot spring abroad “Al-Ain Al-Harrah is one of most important health hot springs in the Arab world,” Al-Kabisi said. Attributing the hot spring’s present state to the negligence of its owners, he said a plan would be submitted to the governor and any obstacle in its development would be removed.