Al Abi Bakr Al-Mulla Ribat

In the Ruwaidah quarter of Hofuf's Al-Koot district stands the Bubakr Ribat — properly the Ribat of the Al Abi Bakr Al-Mulla family — a scholarly endowment founded in 1280 AH (around 1863 CE) by Sheikh Abdullah bin Abi Bakr Al-Mulla. For generations it has offered free lodging, food and drink to students of the Islamic sciences arriving from within Al-Ahsa and far beyond, as well as to travellers, and it has graduated generations of scholars and judges. Built of gypsum, gravel, timber and palm trunks, it rises in two storeys of rooms around an open courtyard lined with arcades, with an eastern wing holding a well and kitchens. Comprehensively restored in 1430 AH (around 2009 CE) while keeping its old character, it remains active to this day under the care of the Al-Mulla family — a witness to the depth of learning in the oasis.