Saudi Arabia: On the trail of the Nabataeans in AlUla
- Where To Go Next By I&P
- Oct 31, 2022
- 3 min read
After Jeddah, we flew to AlUla. This city in the northwest of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is highlighted to promote tourism based on the Nabataeans’ history. But tourism here is still at its beginning as we will soon discover.
Arriving at the airport, we had to find the car rental team in the unlit parking of the airport. It almost seemed like we were conducting an illicit transaction, using our phones' flashlights to check the car in the dark.
Then driving to the hotel, we had to learn a few numbers in Arabic on the spot to know the speed limit. I know my numbers in Arabic now!
The following morning, we planned to visit Hegra. It was the Nabataeans’ second biggest city after their capital, Petra, during the first century AD. As this is a protected site it can only be visited with a tour group, booked through the official Experience AlUla website.
On the way to meet our tour bus, we were amazed by the beautiful landscape. This valley is surrounded by two mountain ranges that resemble the ones you could find in the American Far West. But the valley is greener as it is covered with well arranged (artificially planted) palm trees, below which run kilometers of tubes that act as an irrigation system.
We were supposed to visit the Tomb of Lihyan Son of Kuza, Jabal AlBanat, Jabal AlAhmar, Jabal Ithlib. However, the visit to the tomb of Lihyan, also called Qasr al-Farid, an isolated iconic tomb carved on a boulder that is one of AlUla main attractions, was cancelled because of the preparations for the new Hegra by night tour. It is a big disappointment for us as we were amazed by the beautiful photos of this "lonely castle".
We still visited the 3 other sites, the first two being a group of Nabataeans' tombs. The Nabataeans thrived during the first centuries before and after Christ, thanks to the strategic positions of the cities on the trade routes between Arabia, Egypt and Syria.
The tombs and wells surrounding the area are a reminder of this grandiose civilization that mastered rock carving and water engineering. It’s presumed that they believed in an afterlife and that the way to achieve it was to be buried in the mountains. The higher, bigger and more decorated the tomb, the wealthier the person or the family.
The last site was Jabal Ithlib where there is a passage, a Siq like in Petra but far smaller (50 m maybe). The sun only enters the Siq once a day during 15 mins, which we had the chance to witness. There is also a Diwan, a cube shaped room carved into the mountain that was used by the Nabataeans to host political meetings and banquets. Because of its shape, size and location, it worked as a natural sounding board and air conditioner.
After the tour, we drove to the Maraya, a building made of mirrors in the middle of the mountains, reflecting its environment, making it practically invisible from afar.
This concert hall is within a private zone containing resorts and high-end restaurants. We were actually given a tip by one of the site’s supervisor guards on how to enter the area and where to enjoy a beautiful view. We decided to spend the scorching hot afternoon having drinks at the Tama at Habitas Resort, enjoying the beautiful landscape and pretending to be rich Saudis on vacation.
At sunset, we went to see the Elephant rock. Yes, it is just a rock in the shape of an elephant but the Saudis really know how to highlight it through the use of light, torches and projections, especially at sunset and during the evening. It was a nice way to end this long day.
The next morning, we visited AlUla’s Old Town. Once we arrived at the parking, we were offered a ride in a golf cart to the entrance of the Old Town. This was a very welcomed perk as the entrance was a 10 minute walk in the sun through the AlJadidah district (a more modern part of AlUla).
Although this part of the city is still being restored, we were still able to walk down the “Incense Road”, one of the main roads in the Nabataean’s trade routes. We were also able to visit the newly restored and narrow passages of the Old Town, which were once full of street vendors.
Overall, this is a great city to visit but it will be even better in a few months, once they finish "beautifying" the entire area.
After sundown, we went back to the beautifully lit Old Town to enjoy another stroll and have dinner, as the shops and restaurants were just starting to open up.
We picked the Palm Garden restaurant overlooking the ruins of the Old Town and were joined by an army of salivating kittens trying to steal our lamb chops.
That's all for AlUla. Next stop: Riyadh!
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