A journey through time

Within the superbly preserved ancient site of Hegra, make your way across reddish sands to Khuraymat, an area of craggy outcrops carved by hand into unique wonders of architecture. Hegra was the southernmost capital of the Nabatean people, a once-nomadic Arabian tribe that settled and grew wealthy from trade in frankincense, spices and other luxury commodities. Each of Khuraymat’s ornate facades, showing a distinctively Nabatean blend of cultural influences, was a tomb where individuals and whole families would have been laid to rest two thousand years ago, often alongside jewellery and other precious possessions.

Nowhere is AlUla’s natural beauty more dramatically showcased than at the stunning Sharaan Nature Reserve. Canyons of red rock, desert dunes and graceful valleys carpeted in delicate wildflowers cover an amazing 1,500 square kilometres (579 sq mi), now under careful protection. This delicate ecosystem remains home to gazelles, Nubian ibex, red-necked ostriches and even the elusive Arabian wolf, with the long-term goal of reintroducing the majestic, critically endangered Arabian leopard. Don’t miss the opportunity to explore the landscapes and spot the wildlife on a 4x4 safari tour, best in the early morning as the sun warms the desert sands.

Like a pair of cupped hands, the vast, heart-shaped bowl of a dormant volcanic crater nestles in the plains of Harrat Uwayrid, just to the north of AlUla. This immense natural feature is another highlight of a hiking tour that allows visitors to explore by foot, showcasing the little-known wonder of the many hundreds of dormant volcanoes that can be found scattered all across the northern deserts of Saudi Arabia.

Sculpted by wind, rain and sand, AlUla’s rocky crags have taken on weird and wonderful shapes, which you can explore on foot, from horseback or by camel. You’ll find the famous Elephant Rock, a red sandstone outcrop shaped just like an elephant, huge naturally-formed arches, such as the Rainbow Rock, in the desert, the eerie rock pillars of Gharameel—a perfect backdrop to stargazing under AlUla’s crystal-clear night skies—and many more: Dancing Rocks, Face Rock and even Jar Rock, pictured here, shaped like a jar sculpted by nature. Visit on a 4x4 tour that includes a hike up to the “jar” itself. 

No, your eyes are not tricking you. Welcome to Maraya, the largest mirrored building in the world. Set in a desert canyon and designed to reflect the beauty of AlUla, this stunning artwork rises, mirage-like, from the sands. Clad in 9,740 mirrored panels, Maraya celebrates the wonder of nature and history that is AlUla, creating a contemporary backdrop for culture. The ultra-modern performance complex hosts concerts and theatrical events, galleries and workshops, gastronomy and conferences, all on a grand scale, effortlessly fusing the cultural heritage of the past with cultural innovations of today.

More than two thousand years ago, people living in and around the oasis we now know as AlUla founded the city of Dadan. In time, Dadan grew to become capital of its own kingdom – a centre of agriculture and worship. After the Dadanite people ceded power to the Lihyanites, Dadan lived on as the capital of the Lihyanite kings, its growth fuelled in part by lucrative trade in frankincense and other luxuries. Today, in the golden light of the desert, you can explore the temples and carvings, testament to the sophistication of AlUla’s ancient civilisations.

In the heart of AlUla, a sweeping stretch of more than 2 million date palms marks the huge AlUla oasis, about 20 kilometres (12.5 miles) long. This natural bounty provides shelter and life in the desert, creating the conditions for the growth of civilisations. The oasis, and the wider area around it, hosted the ancient city of Dadan, capital of the Dadan and Lihyan kingdoms in the first millennium BCE, as well as Hegra, part of the later Nabataean kingdom that included the great city of Petra, and desert settlements that thrived on trade and agriculture through to modern times.

A bird’s-eye view over the mud-brick buildings of AlUla Old Town reveals a dense mosaic of courtyards and alleyways that characterise village life in the Arabian desert. In the 12th century, AlUla Old Town became an essential stop on the pilgrimage route from Damascus to the holy city of Makkah. It thrived for 800 years or more, protected at one point by 14 gates. People lived here right through to the 20th century, and today you can still explore on foot through preserved neighbourhoods, browsing through shops and markets, and taking time to dine on shaded terraces.

A bow-legged ostrich raises its wings, flapping indignantly. Wide-stanced hunters bearing weapons surround it, ready to strike. Such a scene may well have been common at AlUla in centuries past, preserved forever by the artists of the day on the walls of the cliffs and canyons that snake through the area. These petroglyphs, as they are called (from the Greek words petra, meaning rock, and glyphe, or carving), dance their way across the rocks of AlUla, depicting animals such as camels, cows and ibex, people, weapons and tools, even ancient games – a unique insight into the past.

All across Hegra, you’ll find evidence of the beauty and artistry of Nabatean civilisation. Intricately decorated niches, carved into Hegra’s sandstone cliffs by sculptors and skilled masons, whose chisel marks still show in the rock, show how the Nabateans’ visual culture blended elements of Arabian style with the Classical influences of ancient Greece and Rome. Often, such niches marked a place of worship or supplication to a deity. Hegra’s many carvings and inscriptions testify to the importance of religious observance in the daily life of its people.

Archaeological investigation at AlUla is only just beginning. Specialist archaeologists, historians, scientists and other scholars are now turning their attention to the extraordinary depth of historical evidence that AlUla conceals, dating from the earliest periods of human history. Here, out on the rubble-strewn plains of the Harrat Owayridh, north of AlUla, archaeologists under a scorching sun investigate structures and tombs from the Neolithic era, perhaps as much as ten thousand years ago.

Journey through time to discover the rich history of AlUla here.