Look: Hegra, an ancient city in Saudi Arabia, now open to tourists

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Look: Hegra, an ancient city in Saudi Arabia, now open to tourists

Hegra was once a bustling trade route in the Saudi Arabian desert

Published: February 01, 2022 18:50 AFP and Compiled by Devadasan K P, Chief Visual Editor

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SAU PIC 1-1643719753761 — A general view shows the Nabataean archaeological site of al-Hijr (Hegra), near the northwestern Saudi city of al-Ula. Dating back to the first century BC, the archaeological site, now open to tourists, includes 111 tombs, most of which boast a decorated facade, cave drawings and even some pre-Nabataean inscriptions. Image Credit: AFP

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TEA 2 ULA-1643719776810 — A partial view shows an ancient Nabataean carved tomb at the archaeological site of Hegra, near the northwestern Saudi city of Al-Ula. The Hegra Archaeological Site is the first World Heritage property inscribed in Saudi Arabia. Image Credit: AFP

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SAU PIC 3-1643719783093 — The archaeological site of Hegra is an important site of the Nabataean civilisation, in the south of its zone of influence. Its integrity is remarkable, and it is well conserved. It includes a significant ensemble of tombs and monuments whose architecture and decorations are directly cut into the sandstone. It bears witness to the development of Nabataean agricultural techniques using many artificial wells in rocky ground. The wells are still in use. Image Credit: AFP

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SAU PIC 4-1643719763377 — It bears witness to the encounter between various decorative and architectural influences (Assyrian, Egyptian, Phoenician, Hellenistic) and the epigraphic presence of several ancient languages (Lihyanite, Thamudic, Nabataean, Greek, Latin). Image Credit: AFP

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SAU PIC 5-1643719766866 — Qasr al-Farid, a single tomb carved into a small dome that stands alone in the open. The façade was never finished, so the heavily chiselled surface of the lower third documents how the tombs were fashioned from the top down. Image Credit: AFP

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SAU PIC 6-1643719790214 — The delicate details on the entrance portals and the smooth surfaces of its 111 tomb façades reflect the incredible skills of the masons of their time. Image Credit: AFP

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SAU PIC 7-1643719756965 — The Nabataeans began as pastoral nomads, raising their sheep, goats, and camels in the desert as so many other Arabian tribes have done through the millennia. Above, tourists visit the Nabataean archaeological site of Hegra. Image Credit: AFP

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SAU PIC 8-1643719779829 — They also practised oasis agriculture, utilizing a set of wells dug into the rock. Their origin is uncertain, but there is a strong possibility that they came from the Hejaz region of northwest Saudi Arabia. Image Credit: AFP

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SAU PIC 9-1643719773264 — However, the real cause of the Nabataeans' success was control over much of the spice trade. Image Credit: AFP

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SAU PIC 10-1643719786198 — The Nabataeans built their empire as the middlemen. Hegra was a crossroads where the major north-south incense route intersected a road from the Red Sea to the Arabian Gulf. Image Credit: AFP

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SAU PIC 11-1643719769827 — Before the Nabataeans chose Hegra as their most southerly outpost for caravans on the spice route, the settlement was occupied by their predecessors in the trade, the Dedanites and then the Lihyanites. Image Credit: AFP

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SAU PIC 12-1643719793638 — The new opportunity for tourists to see these works is in part due to Saudi Vision 2030, a plan for Saudi Arabia released in 2016 to help the country expand in tourism and trade. Image Credit: AFP

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