Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Extraordinary
Madain Saleh
( 9am-6pm Sat-Thu, 2-6pm Fri)
is home to 131 tombs. The
enigmatic tombs combine elements of Greco-Roman architecture with Nabataean and
Babylonian imagery. Recent excavations have revealed the foundations of unprepossess-
ing houses and a market area for traders and caravans.
MADAIN SALEH SITE PERMITS
As with all archaeological sites in the Kingdom, a (free) permit is required to visit Madain Saleh. Rules were in a
state of flux at the time of writing, but the process remains fairly simple.
One option is to obtain the permit in advance from the
Saudi Commission for Tourism & Antiquities
(
01-880 8855;
www.scta.gov.sa/en
) . The office is next to Riyadh's National Museum. File the application in the
morning and return a day later to collect it. If you're not in Riyadh, fax your details 14 days in advance, including
a fax number to which the permit can be faxed back.
If you have arranged your visit through a tour operator, the company in question should be able to arrange your
permit. The Arac Hotel Al-Ula (
Click here
) may also be able to arrange the permit - check when making your re-
servation - while the Al-Ula Museum of Archaeology & Ethnography (
Click here
)
may
also be able to issue per-
mits for people who arrive in town without one; this latter option should only be seen as a last resort, not least be-
cause museum opening times may not always suit your plans to visit the site.
Whichever way you apply for the permit, resident foreigners must present their
iqama
(residence permit); trav-
ellers must present their passport and visa.
Qasr al-Saneh
RUIN
Qasr al-Saneh is an appropriate place to start a tour of Madain Saleh, as it reveals many of
the essential elements of Nabataean funerary architecture: a relatively unadorned facade;
the two five-step motifs at the top; a simple interior burial chamber with shelves for
corpses; and inscriptions above the doorway. Built around AD 50, Qasr al-Saneh was in
use for just 50 years before the Nabataean kings were overwhelmed by Rome.
Al-Khuraymat
RUIN
This area of tombs, about 750m north of Qasr al-Saneh, has some of the best preserved
tombs in Madain Saleh. With around 20 tombs carved into the rock face, look out for el-
egant gynosphinxes: spirit guardians with women's heads, lions' bodies and wings adorn-
ing the corners of pediments. There is some archaeological evidence of plasterwork on the
facades and a suggestion that people feasted outside familial tombs - a Nabataean 'Day of
the Dead'.
Nabataean Well & Al-Mahajar Tombs
RUIN
The Nabataeans were masters of hydrology and manipulated rain run-off and underground
aquifers to thrive in this desert landscape. This great well was one of more than 60 wells
currently known in the city. The wall supports - added in the 20th century - were built
