Unraveling the mysteries of AlUla
Once a key center on ancient trade routes, the region is now the site of an ambitious project revealing its rich history
bin Farhan and his French counterpart Franck Rieter, as well as Jack Lang, president of the IMA. Nehme described AlUla as a “living museum,” with well-preserved tombs, historic dwellings, monuments and eye-catching sandstone outcrops that offer clues to a largely untold story going back at least 200,000 years. And the region seems to be preciously guarding its secrets. Nehme said that it is difficult to gauge the human story of AlUla, especially the variations in its population during its long history. “It’s hard to put an exact figure on the maximum or even the
ROCK OF AGES
optimum population of AlUla at a given time, notably in the early years of Dadanite and other pre-Roman eras. I might venture to say between 5,000 to 20,000, but it is only a guess,” the archaeologist told Arab News. Another puzzle is the region’s transition between various kingdoms. In a period of less than 800 years up to the 2nd century AD, AlUla changed hands between the Dadanite and Lihyanite empires, the Nabateans from the Jordan valley and, finally, the Romans.
Nehme said that archaeologists have been unable to pinpoint the It is a jewel of Saudi Arabia and we want to share this with the entire world,” he said.
Among the wonderful sights that await visitors to AlUla are thousands of rock inscriptions, some of which show the evolution of Arabic script. The region also has hundreds of tombs built by the Nabateans in the same style as in their most famous city, Petra, in Jordan. The best-known Nabatean site in AlUla is Mada’in Salih, also known as Hegra, which was recognized by UNESCO as the first World Heritage Site in Saudi Arabia. Al-Madani said that the Royal Commission of AlUla is planning a series of activities, beginning later this year, to highlight the region’s attractions for visitors and tourists. The site will be open fully to tourists in October next year.
The royal commission will keep the focus on community involvement and sustainable tourism to ensure that AlUla’s heritage is preserved, and that the local population benefits from tourism and cultural activities that will take place there, he said. “We need to be sure that we hand over AlUla to future generations in the same unspoilt and well-preserved state in which we inherited it,’’ Al-Madani said.