AlUla

AlUla Arabia’s extraordinary wonder unveiled

Explore Arabia’s best-kept secret, a place where you can discover 200,000 years of largely unexplored human history

In 1959, when Wilfred Thesiger published his seminal work Arabian Sands, large areas of the Middle East were unmapped and unknown. It was a region shrouded in mystery and intrigue; a birthplace of civilisations whose stories lay buried in the impenetrable desert and enveloping dunes. Decades later, lands that once challenged the very limits of human endurance have been transformed by development and wealth – although one fragment of the British explorer’s “vanished past” remains. In place of skyscrapers, sandstone pinnacles soar from the ochre deserts of AlUla, Saudi Arabia’s historical and cultural heartland and a gateway to understanding human history in the Middle East.

Largely closed to outsiders for centuries, the kingdom’s northwest region has been untouched by tourism, making it one of the rare places on our planet where few modern visitors have set foot. The prospect of unravelling 200,000 years of history is tantalising. Glowing red beneath a setting sun, ancient tombs provide a fascinating insight into early civilisations, and symbols etched into the rocks outline a story to be told. An important stop for traders carrying precious cargo along the Incense Route, AlUla has always been a crossroads. From the Lihyanites and Dadanites to the Nabataeans and Ottomans, past communities have established citadels, temples and burial sites at this strategic meeting point.

Industrious pioneers constructed wells and water channels to collect rainwater from the mountains to allow life to flourish in this fertile valley and today, two million palms flourish in an oasis and 200,000 citrus trees bear fruit, creating a natural landscape as unusual and surprising as any of its man-made archaeological sites. Because beyond its historical significance, AlUla is also beautiful. Rock formations that have been hewn by nature create a sculpture gallery of abstract shapes and uncannily familiar forms of giant elephants, sprouting mushrooms and dancers caught swaying in the wind. Canyons slice through mountains revealing a labyrinth of narrow corridors to be explored by adventurous hikers, while clear, star-studded skies showcase constellations once used by caravans to navigate their paths.

Traditionally a hub of culture, ideas and innovations, AlUla is no different today. A new raft of luxury hotels and gourmet restaurants accommodate modern travellers, although the joy of arriving at an oasis remains the same. Habitas, Banyan Tree and the Shaden Resort have all opened, with luxury brands Aman and Abercrombie & Kent among others planning to open properties in 2023 and 2024. Meanwhile Social, the fine dining restaurant atop the mirror-fronted Maraya concert hall, could be the most beautiful meeting point in the world. Thesiger’s days of exploration may long be over but his spirit of adventure has been inherited by generations of travellers seeking something new, authentic and unspoilt. As our globe continues to shrink, opportunities for discovery are fewer, but AlUla is invigorating proof that there are still places to be seen with fresh eyes.

AlUla Timeline

AlUla's chronology spans from prehistoric times to present day. Explore its rich ancient history and discover which of the world's most famous monuments were coming into existence alongside it.

The easiest way to fly is direct from London to Saudi Arabia with Saudia or British Airways, taking six and a half hours. Change planes in either capital Riyadh or Jeddah to take a short domestic flight of around 90 minutes to AlUla’s newly renovated international airport, a 35km or 30 minute drive from most accommodation. Another option is to fly with Emirates Airlines to Dubai where flights connect with Emirates’ partner airline flydubai flying non-stop from Dubai into AlUla International Airport. Alternatively, you can fly with Qatar Airways or Royal Jordanian from the UK non-stop to Doha or Amman with flight connections directly into AlUla. Local Saudi airline flynas provides flights into AlUla from Dubai, Cairo, Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam.

How to get to AlUla

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Hegra

Illustration: Pei-Hsin Cho, Design: Matthew Brant, Editor: Hannah Hopkins, Pictures: Alex Kelly, Web Producer: Caroline Stacey, Project Manager: Michelle Birbeck Words: Sarah Marshall

c. 5400-5000 BCE AlUla (Late Neolithic period) Impressive communal ritual structures, unique to northwest Arabia, are built in the AlUla region

c. 3000-1500 BCE AlUla (Late Prehistory) Funery landscape of monumental tombs and cairns in AlUla Region

c. 3000-1500 BCE Egypt Construction of the Great Pyramids of Giza

c. 1334-1325 BCE Egypt Reign of Tutankhamun

c. 900-100 BCE AlUla (Ancient North Arabian Kingdoms) Capital city Dadan is thriving and develops water management and the development of agriculture alongside trade; prosperity from incense trade to Mesopotamia and Egypt; ancient scripts written at Jabal Ikmah

100 BCE-1 CE China Terracotta Army created to guard mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor

1-75 CE AlUla Construction of majority of Nabataean tombs at Hegra

100 BCE-1 CE AlUla (Nabataean Kingdom) Hegra becomes the main southern city; tomb facades are crafted; prosperity from incense trades to the Mediterranean

70-80 CE Italy The Colosseum in Rome is completed

106 CE AlUla Roman presence at Hegra creates the southernmost limit of the Roman Empire in Arabia

100 CE Mexico Construction of the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan

c. 600-1200 CE AlUla (Islamic Period, Qurh) Prosperity from trade and pilgrimage; water management and agriculture; largest city after Makkah until the 10th century

c. 1100s CE AlUla AlUla Old Town (Al-Dirah) is founded and inhabited until the 1980s

c. 900s CE AlUla Construction of AlUla Castle

1160 CE France Construction of Notre Dame de Paris begins

1870-1890 CE AlUla The earliest western explorers, including Charles Doughty, Charles Huber and Julius Euting, travel through and document AlUla

1505-1512 CE Italy Michelangelo paints the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City

1889 CE France Construction of the Eiffel Tower

2004 CE AlUla Archaeologists from King Saud University begin to excavate sites in AlUla

1907-1908 CE AlUla Hijaz Railway station at AlUla inaugurated for pilgrimage route

2008 CE AlUla Excavations begin at Hegra under the Saudi-French Madah’in Saleh Archaeological Project

Click an area on the map to explore AlUla, or scroll to keep reading

AlUla Timeline

AlUla's chronology spans from prehistoric times to present day. Explore it's rich ancient history, and discover which of the worlds most famous monuments were coming into existence along side it.

c.5000-2000 BCE Late Prehistory Funery landscape of monumental tombs and cairns in AlUla Region

c. 5200 BCE Neolithic period Impressive communal ritual structures, unique to northwest arabia, are built in the AlUla region

2550 BCE Egypt Construction of the Great Pyramids of Giza

c1334-1325 BCE Egypt Reign of Tutankhamun

C900-100BCE Ancient North Arabian Kingdoms Capital city Dadan is thriving and develops water management and the development of agriculture alongside trade; prosperity from incense trade to Mesopotamia and Egypt; ancient scripts written at Jabal Ikmah

246 BCE China Terracotta Army created to guard mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor

1-75 CE Construction of majority of Nabatean tombs in Hegra

100 BCE-1CE Nabatean Kingdom Hegra becomes the main southern city; tomb facades are crafted; prosperity from incense trades to the Mediterranean

70-80 CE Italy The Colosseum in Rome is completed

106 CE Roman presence at Hegra creates the southernmost limit of the Roman Empire in Arabia

100 CE Mexico Construction of the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan

600 CE Islamic Period (Qurh) Prosperity from trade and pilgrimage; water management and agriculture; largest city after Makkah until the 10th century

c.1100s CE AlUla Old Town (Al-Dirah) is founded and inhabited until the 1980s

c.900s CE Construction of Musa bin Nusayr castle in AlUla

1160 CE France Construction of Notre Dame de Paris begins

1870-1890 CE The earliest western explorers, including Charles Doughty, Charles Huber and Julius Euting, travel through and document AlUla

1505-1512 CE Italy Michelangelo paints the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City

1889 CE France Construction of the Eiffel Tower

2004 CE Archaeologists from King Saud University begin to excavate sites in AlUla

1907-1908 CE Hijaz Railway station at AlUla inaugurated for pilgrimage route

2008 CE Excavations begin at Hegra under the Saudi-French Mada’in Saih Archaeological Project

Jabal Ikmah

Dadan

AlUla Old Town & AlJadidah

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Jabal Ikmah

Dadan

AlUla Old Town & AlJadidah

One of Arabia’s oldest cities and home to the Nabataean city of Hegra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the ancient region of AlUla is being rediscovered. For more inspiration, visit experiencealula.com