You can also visit the ancient city of Dadan and its tombs adorned with lions carved into the rock, or Jabal Ikmah and its rock drawings at the origin of Arabic writing. The evening sound and light show is a perfect way to appreciate this curiosity. Jabal Al Fil and its huge rock that looks like an elephant is also worth a visit. Nearby is Jabal Al Banat, a succession of over 100 mausoleums carved out of a red sandstone rock monolith and adorned with human faces. The monumental tomb of Qasr al Farid is the most impressive with its giant tomb resting on four carved pillars. This ancient Nabataean city is made up of several monumental tombs, with decorated facades, built between the 1st century BC and the 1st century AD. The main one is Hegra (or Madâin Sâlih), the first site in the country to be classified by UNESCO in 2008. Al-Ula, Petra’s little sisterĪl-Ula also guarantees a complete change of scenery, with grandiose landscapes and several vestiges reminiscent of those of Petra in Jordan. And if France is here, it is not by chance: Afalula, a French agency for the development of Al-Ula, supports its Saudi partner in the region’s development. This large-scale project includes 40 rooms and a good dozen pavilions. The challenge is to create a luxury hotel, part of which is underground, directly in the rock. Other establishments are planned, such as the Sharaan, a project by French architect Jean Nouvel, a regular in the Middle East (the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the National Museum of Qatar).
The latest is a Banyan resort, the luxury tents of which dot a rocky plain. On site, seven high-end hotels have quickly sprang up to welcome tourists. As Al-Ula also features desert landscapes and spectacular rock formations, it is not surprising that Saudi Arabia decided to make this region its window.Īlready boasting an international airport, the Al-Ula Valley is accessible from Riyadh via numerous flights. The elite built their tombs there, creating archaeological sites of majestic beauty. The caravan tracks that linked northern Arabia to Yemen and Dhofar converged there. The Nabataeans settled in this arid valley of the Arabian desert in the 1st century BC. The region of Al-Ula, with a population of 40 thousand and a one and a half hour flight from Riyadh, in the northwest of the country, was not chosen by chance. It is the Saudi spearhead of a new image that the Kingdom has been projecting to the world since 2019 and the issuance of the first tourist visas.
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