Saudis save “heritage tree” from collapse

Residents of a Saudi village pooled their efforts to save a collapsing tree, which they see as a symbol of their heritage, Alwatan newspaper reported on Sunday.

The residents in Darama bani Bashr in the southern province of Abha backed up the tree trunk with wood planks and surrounded its base with concrete to prevent soil erosion after they noticed that it was leaning and could fall down.

“We have just finished its rehabilitation…this old tree is a very special place for us…residents often gather under it to eat and talk,” the paper quoted Mohammed Al Musaed, the village’s chief, as saying.

“In the past, it was a place for reconciliation and consultations among the notables of the village and surrounding areas.”