An epic adventure through time, space, and the senses
I
n Saudi Arabia, in a desert oasis 200 miles to
the north of Madinah, amid vast sandstone
mountains under a night sky glittering
with stars, the landscape reverberates
with the soaring sounds of Italian opera and
popular songs.
In this most stunning of settings, visitors
to the first Winter at Tantora
festival enjoyed more than
just a magical night of music
from legendary tenor Andrea
Bocelli. In the ancient town of
AlUla, they became privileged
spectators to the unveiling
of one of the world’s most
mysterious and unspoiled
ancient landscapes.
“Here, every rock is a witness.
Every road is a pathway into
history that spans millennia.
And every citizen has a story to tell,” says
Amr AlMadani, the CEO of the Royal
Commission for AlUla (RCU), established
in 2017 to develop the region and share its
heritage with the world.
The human story of this desert region is
long. Rock art and carved inscriptions testify
to the presence of men and women dating
back thousands of years. It was here that
the first great kingdoms of Northern Arabia
developed: the Dadanites
of biblical fame, then the
Lihyanites, and finally the
Nabataeans, best known for the
famed city of Petra, who chose
this region for their second and
most southerly capital, Hegra.
Their legacy is etched
in the landscape of AlUla,
from the ancient tombs carved
into the cliffs near Dadan to
the sophisticated irrigation
systems, intricate rock tomb
carvings, and multilingual inscriptions
left by the Nabataeans before the Roman
annexation of Northern Arabia in 106 CE.
Today, international teams of archaeolo-
gists work with their local Saudi counterparts,
using cutting-edge technology to explore,
map out, and discover AlUla’s rich heritage
and history through exceptional archaeology
programs, developing a growing center of
excellence in the area. Local communities
are also deeply involved in the plans for the
region. And through an
RCU program, students
have embarked on
international scholar-
ships to study tourism,
history, archaeology,
and architecture, which
will prepare them to
become custodians of
this World Heritage Site.
A new chapter is beginning for AlUla.
“We are offering visitors who come to
AlUla the opportunity to travel through
time in a truly awe-inspiring destination,”
AlMadani says.
“The world wants
to discover AlUla.
We are developing
the platforms
and expertise to
make this region a
living museum for
tourists.”
Amr AlMadani
CEO, Royal
Commission for AlUla
“The location
is rooted in the
history of the
land and the
history of the
Nabataeans.”
Jean Nouvel
Architect
Eras of AlUla
CONTENT BY THE BUZZ BUSINESS
PHOTOS: (L) View of the AlUla valley in Saudi Arabia; (R) The ancient Nabataean site of Hegra.
Prehistoric 622 CE - Hijra
KSA – 1932
Bronze Age
Ancient
North Arabian
Kingdoms (DADAN)
Roman Ottoman
Nabataean
Kingdom (HEGRA)
Islamic period
(QURH, AL-ULA)
Modern-day
~2,000 BCE 3c. - 4c.
3c. BCE
1c. BCE
9c. BCE 6c. BCE 1c. BCE
1c. CE 7c. 12c.
1c. 2c.
16c.
early
16c. 20 c.
