Places to Visit in Al Ula

Al Ula is a city full of archeological wonders. Located in the northwest of Saudi Arabia in the Madinah province, it is a top tourist destination. Al Ula holds the distinction of containing the first UNESCO World Heritage Site of the country. This site, known as Mada'in Saleh or Hegra is an interesting archeological site that dates back to the Nabatean kingdom. It is often also associated with being the location of the Thamudi people upon whom the Prophet Salih (AS) was sent. According to Quran, the Thamud people were idol worshipers and were punished by an earthquake and lightning due to their idolatry. Mada'in Saleh is located 20km north of the city of Al Ula. 

Hegra has also served an important role as a station along the ancient Hajj route. It was an important stop and provided supplies and water to the traveling pilgrims. It is also the main trade route. The famous 14th-century traveler Ibn Battuta, mentioned the red stone-cut tombs of Al-Hijr (Hegra) in his accounts. The place was uninhabited at that time. Researchers credit the immaculate preservation of this ancient site to the extremely dry weather and the lack of rehabilitation after the site was abandoned by its original inhabitants.

Al Ula is an oasis located in the desert valley. It has fertile soil and a reasonable amount of water. For this reason, it has been an important city along the historic incense trade route. Al Ula Heritage Village, often known as Ad-Deerah was settled by people in ancient times. It remained inhabited until the 20th century and now the abandoned mud houses offer a great insight into the cultural life of the old inhabitants. The houses are close to each other and appear as if it’s a single huge building that is walled from the outside. Narrow, twisting alleyways pass through the houses. A sundial clock can also be found in the south of the old city. An old souk in the town has also been renovated recently.

Al Ula is set to become one of the top cultural tourism destinations in the world. It has all the right ingredients: a fascinating and rich history spanning centuries, glorious archeological sites and tombs, natural geographical wonders, undiscovered ancient artifacts and sites, and most importantly a preservation and development plan backed by the government. Recently, an ambitious 'Journey Through Time Masterplan' amounting to a total cost of $15 Billion was unveiled by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. This plan seeks to establish Al Ula as a global tourism hub for art, culture, and nature. As phase one of this plan, the Prince Abdul Majeed bin Abdulaziz International Airport was expanded to accommodate international flights. Its capacity has been tripled to cater to 400,000 passengers per year from the initial 100,000.

Al Ula is set to become one of the top cultural tourism destinations in the world. It has all the right ingredients: a fascinating and rich history spanning centuries, glorious archeological sites and tombs, natural geographical wonders, undiscovered ancient artifacts and sites, and most importantly a preservation and development plan backed by the government. Recently, an ambitious 'Journey Through Time Masterplan' amounting to a total cost of $15 Billion was unveiled by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. This plan seeks to establish Al Ula as a global tourism hub for art, culture, and nature. As phase one of this plan, the Prince Abdul Majeed bin Abdulaziz International Airport was expanded to accommodate international flights. Its capacity has been tripled to cater to 400,000 passengers per year from the initial 100,000.

The Sharaan Resort is a revolutionary new resort destination being constructed in the Sharaan Nature Reserve. It is a state-of-the-art, sustainable project that is set to be completed and inaugurated in 2023. The best thing about this project is how it plans to integrate the resort with the environment and landscape without harming the integrity of the landscape and the local culture. Thus, Al Ula is rapidly evolving into one of the top bucket-list destinations of the world. It is estimated that by 2035, over two million tourists will visit Al Ula.

Read more about the wonders of Al Ula here: Discover Al Ula - Saudi Arabia's Forgotten Past