Hi. I had to go for work. When I had nothing to do I looked for tourist stuff. This was not easy. They dont put as much value in stuff I would consider historic or culturally important.
Stuff to see. Some I saw, Some I didnt
THis place is by the people who also made Petra. Called Mada'in Saleh
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mada%27in_Saleh
Al-Qarah Mountain - this is in Hofuf which also has historic mosques but i didnt go to any. Its a very neat looking landscape and a sort of cave that is very cool inside. bring your own flashlight.
ThePlace: Al-Qarah Mountain in Al-Ahsa | Arab News
Al-Uqayr - not sure what this was but its a castle. i read that the armies that invaded India and Persia left from here.
https://lifeinsaudiarabia.net/blog/2...-saudi-arabia/
Thaj - not much to see but a town from the time of alexander where there was once a lake. super old looking buildings hidden among the village. old wells and tons of pottery shards.
Tarout Island with its old portuguese fort. alot of these places are enclosed in fencing. some kid wandered by and showed me how to get in thru a hole in the fence. spoke good english cuz he went to a local school supported by oil companies.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarout_Castle
the markets are interesting too. animals, spices, all sorts of stuff.
one of the oldest christian churches is there. that was a surprise.
ruins of turkish forts on the west coast and the Red Sea is amazingly beautiful. Snorkeling was awesome. you can swim up to a "wall" where the sea drops sharply deep.
alot of these places were hard to find and i was frequently lost. i had to rely on the kindness of strangers more than once. i'm also a man.
anyway. if you're stuck there without family for weeks you make do.