Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
MADAIN SALEH & THE NORTH
Madain Saleh is without doubt the most impressive site in Saudi Arabia and should be on
every visitor's must-see list.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Al-Ula
04
Al-Ula - gateway to Madain Saleh - is a small town lying in the heart of exceptionally
beautiful country, with palm groves running down the centre of the wadi (valley or river
bed) and forbidding red sandstone cliffs rising up on two sides.
As well as extraordinary Nabataean tombs in the vicinity, there are the delightful ruins of
Old Al-Ula - one of the best examples of traditional architecture in modern Saudi.
Sights
Al-Ula Museum of Archaeology & Ethnography MUSEUM
( 884 1536; Main St; 8am-2.30pm Sat-Wed) This small museum is attractively designed
with some intriguing and informative displays on the history, culture, flora and fauna of the
area, as well as on Madain Saleh and Nabataean culture.
Old Al-Ula HISTORIC SITE
Old Al-Ula is one of the most picturesque old towns in Arabia. The mudbrick town stands
on the reputed site of the biblical city of Dedan, mentioned in Isaiah (21:13) as home base
of Arab caravans, and in Ezekiel (27:20-21) as trading partner of the Phoenician city of
Tyre. The buildings that you'll see mostly date back a few hundred years, although bricks
from much earlier settlements have been used in their construction.
Medieval Al-Ula was walled, with two gates protecting 800 families, and was occupied
until the late 1970s. Throughout the atmospheric ruins there are superb house doors made
from tamarisk. Rising up from the centre of the old town are the remnants of the fortress
Umm Nasir. The palm trees and maze of low mudbrick walls, directly across the road from
the old town, were once farms whose owners lived in the old town.
 
Search WWH ::




Custom Search