Al-Ukhaydir is first clearly mentioned in the early 13th century, during
Ayyubid rule, by Syrian geographer
Yaqut al-Hamawi, who noted that the Islamic prophet
Muhammad prayed at the site on his way to Tabuk in 630. Moreover, he recorded that the story of the deadly episode had been inscribed on a rock at the site by one of the pilgrims. Mulhim continued to sabotage the Hajj caravan's rest stops until being defeated by the pilgrim caravan at al-Mu'azzam at significant loss of life to the pilgrims. In Charles Doughty's description of the site in 1875, he noted that there was a shrine within the fort dedicated to Elijah (i.e. al-Khader to Muslims) and a large cistern outside the fort's wall which was supplied by a well within the walls. Thus, construction of the remainder of the line south of al-Ukhaydir was overseen by Egyptian engineers, rather than many of the Europeans who were used for the northern line of the railway. By 1907, the fort was being used as a telegraph station with three operators. That year, French archaeologists A. Jaussen and R. Savignac carried out the first major excavation at al-Ukhaydir, producing photos, site plans and Arabic inscription squeezes. They also identified an old mosque 400–500 meters north of the fort, which they claimed was the mosque Yaqut al-Hamawi associated with Muhammad centuries earlier. At the time, local Arabs continued to inhabit the area, cultivating camel fodder and serving the garrison. ==Architecture==