The design and construction of the Alila Jabal Akhdar resort owes much to an abandoned village nearby.
Known as Srab or Sirab it is near the Wadi Tallah and can be reached inside an hour of walking from the hotel or using a 4 wheel drive car can be reached in 15 minutes or so.
It was here that the architects designing the hotel found much of their inspiration and it is the stoned walled effect that they have copied at Alila that makes it blend in so well with the surroundings
Now completely abandoned, Srab was home at one time to several families. Perched on the sides of the valley their homes were well-protected against enemies and they had a good supply of water from the wadi down in the valley.
The houses are still mostly intact even if they are in a dilapidated condition.
They were built primarily of stone and incorporated many of the local juniper and wild olive trees. Villagers, we were told, grew crops on terraces and kept livestock.
To this day the ancestors of their herds of goats, and sheep wildly roam the area and we even saw a donkey.