Ruins of Al- Ula: Saudis revive forgotten past

Al- Ula, Saudi Arabia: Trudging up a caramelhued cliff pocked with ancient tombs, guide Bandar al- Anazi gazed at the stunning view: a windswept desert landscape of pre- Islamic ruins at the centre of Saudi- Franco preservation efforts.

Al- Ula, an area rich in archaeological remnants, is seen as a jewel in the crown of future Saudi attractions as the austere kingdom prepares to issue tourist visas for the first time.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is set to sign a landmark agreement with Paris for the touristic and cultural development of the northwestern site.

“All of Al- Ula is an open air museum,” Anazi said during a media tour just days before Prince Mohammed’s trip, revealing a patchwork of rock- cut tombs containing niches for burials.

“There is so much history here still waiting to be discovered.”

The tombs, some containing pre- Islamic inscriptions and drawings such as hunting scenes, are a legacy of the Nabataean artistic tradition.

The chiselled rock art forms could help unravel the mysteries of millenniaold civilisations on the Arabian Peninsula.

The area, roughly the size of Belgium, served as an important way station and bedouin watering hole on the trade route linking the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa and India.

It is home to the kingdom’s first Unesco World Heritage Site, Madain Saleh, built more than 2,000 years ago by the Nabataeans.

“Every day something new is being discovered,” Jamie Quartermaine, an expert from the Britain- based Oxford Archaeology group, told AFP.

“The potential is endless. Look behind you,” he said, pointing at ancient animal art depictions engraved on a rocky spur inside an Al- Ula hotel resort. Ahelicopter

tour of the area revealed a desert landscape that appeared like the top of a foamed latte, dotted with heritage sites and towering maze- like rock formations.

The Saudi- Franco partnership is in part aimed at preserving the site from further erosion.

At one archeological site called Al- Khoraiba, Anazi pointed at a bereft cistern.

The walled city of AlUla, with tightly packed mud- brick and stone houses that were inhabited until modern times, sits decaying under the scorching sun.

But before a preservation plan is launched in collaboration with France, all archaeological treasures need to be accounted for, said Amr al- Madani, head of the Royal Al- Ula Commission.

A Franco- Saudi deal to develop Al- Ula calls for the creation of a dedicated agency modelled on the lines of the French museums agency, which spearheaded the establishment of the Louvre museum in Abu Dhabi.

At least one large museum is planned to be built in Al- Ula.