From the temple complex of Salm, it is a 10-minute drive to the old town, which consists of a thriving collection of palm farms, a few mud houses and a fortress. However, the main attraction is the Haddaj Well, located in the centre of the old settlement. ‘Bir Haddaj’ in Tayma is one of the most famous wells and an outstanding technical landmark in the region. Archaeologists and historians believe that the well dates back to the middle of the 6th century BC, meaning it was built during the reign of the Babylonian King Nabonidus. It is considered one of the largest wells on the Arabian Peninsula. It is approximately 23 metres wide at its furthest point. The stated depth of 13 metres appears to be realistic. Its walls are made of hewn stones, which are not fixed together with mortar, but simply stacked on top of each other by many hands to make the imposing structure stable enough. But its dimensions alone and its unexpected location in the middle of a sandy desert not far from the foothills of the Hejaz Mountains do not make the well an outstanding sight – it is rather the millennia-old construction of the mechanism for drawing water from the well; more precisely, it is its pulley system, i.e. the water bags were drawn by camels. A visitor center adjacent to the well provides all details of the well.
