The Āṭām — Fortresses of Yathrib

Significance

The uṭum (pl. āṭām): a tall stone structure like a small fortress, used by the people of Yathrib to guard their wealth and lives from tribal raids. Al-Samhūdī counted some fifty-nine well-known āṭām in Madīna. Uṭum Rātij is among the most famous; it was built by the Anṣārī tribe of the Aws, and traces of its foundations are still identifiable east of Madīna.