Closed to foreigners for years and considered cursed by many locals, this Saudi valley is beginning to reveal its archaeological and tourist potential.
Situated in a beautiful valley, this ancient desert oasis gave rise to thriving civilizations. Now, after years closed to the public, he begins to reveal his secrets.
As a photographer, I have always been drawn to the unique way the light in the desert extends, reflects off the sand and rocks, and illuminates the plains. There is a stillness to these landscapes that I have learned to long for, but I am also fascinated by the relationship people have with deserts.
In the Middle East, humans have found ways to survive and even thrive in these hostile environments for millennia.
Perhaps nowhere is this ingenuity more evident than in one of the Arabian Peninsula’s most important cultural cradles: AlUla (sometimes spelled “al-Ula”).
Located in the AlUla Valley, among the towering sandstone and granite mountains of the Hijaz region of northwest Saudi Arabia, this ancient oasis has supported human life for 200,000 years.
Fertile soil and access to water have fueled several civilizations. The kingdom of Lian, which flourished here between 800 and 100 BC, was followed by Hegra, an important city of the Nabataean civilization, whose capital, Petra, was further north, in modern-day Jordan.
However, it was only in 2019, when Saudi Arabia began issuing tourist visas for non-religious travel, that foreign visitors could begin to discover this valley that had long remained unexplored by the public.
As archaeologists slowly begin to uncover the many tombs and inscriptions scattered across AlUla, this ancient oasis is finally starting to reveal its secrets.
Kingdoms carved in stone and messages from the past
A stone-built city thrived in the AlUla Valley as early as 800 BC
Dadan, capital of the kingdom of the same name and later of the kingdom of Liã, quickly became a popular trading center for frankincense (a substance widely used in the production of incense) along routes to Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Mediterranean.
The Dadanites developed their own writing and today these inscriptions, some of which date back more than 2,500 years, are well preserved at Jabal Ikmah, often called “the open-air library of AlUla”.
These recorded messages range from simple inscriptions to elaborate documents documenting offerings to the gods.
Nabataean tombs
By the 1st century BC, the Nabataean civilization of the southern Levant (modern-day Jordan) had expanded into northwestern Arabia.
Although Petra remained the capital of the kingdom, the most important Nabataean city to the south was Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site.
For around 200 years, skilled masons worked within the Hegra necropolis on majestic monuments such as Qasr al-Farid, an unfinished but beautifully preserved tomb that likely once belonged to a prominent member of the Nabataeans.
The vast 1.6-hectare Hegra archaeological complex contains 111 tombs that travelers to AlUla can visit today.
One of Hegra’s largest burial complexes, Jabal Al-Banat, contains 29 tombs commissioned or dedicated to women.
At another spot, called Jabal Ahmar, was found the tomb of Hinat, a woman rich enough to build a tomb for herself and her 80 descendants.
In addition to human remains, textiles and skins have been found here, giving archaeologists some clues about Nabataean life.
In 2023, a team of scientists completed a months-long project to reconstruct Hinat’s face, which now welcomes visitors at the Hegra tourist reception center.
Old Town
In the centuries following the disappearance of the Nabataeans, the valley became home to numerous villages.
It was only with the arrival of Islam in the 7th century AD that the oasis became important again, this time for the faithful on pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca.
Settlements in the valley began to prosper again: the most famous of which is Ad-Deerah, known as the “old city of AlUla”, built around the 10th century with some of the same stones used millennia earlier in the kingdoms of Dadan and Liã. .
Filled with mud-brick houses, shops, mosques, squares and a fort, the city was continuously inhabited for more than 800 years until the 1980s, when the government moved residents to the nearby town of AlUla to preserve the original buildings.
Today, the historic center is a labyrinth of abandoned houses, pottery workshops and shops where travelers can buy handicrafts and dates from the region’s forests.
The many secrets of AlUla
In addition to the fact that Saudi Arabia has been generally closed to foreigners for centuries, some parts of AlUla remained inaccessible to all Muslims – including those from Saudi Arabia – until recent years, due to the belief that the place had been “cursed” by the prophet Muhammad and, therefore, would be “infested”.
However, in an effort to shed light on the many civilizations that once thrived here, a team of researchers began conducting the first in-depth archaeological survey of the area in 2019.
Since then, a series of extraordinary discoveries have rewritten our understanding of human history in the Arabian Peninsula.
More than 1,600 Neolithic stone monuments named mustatili (“rectangles” in Arabic) were discovered in the AlUla region, revealing that people were thriving here as early as around 7,000 years ago.
In 2021, a team of archaeologists discovered evidence that dogs were being domesticated at the site as early as 4,000 BC. And in 2023, the world’s largest prehistoric axe, a 200,000-year-old 51cm tool, was found south of the AlUla oasis.
“Archaeological discoveries in recent years are rewriting our understanding of this area,” says Rebecca Foote, director of archeology and cultural heritage research at the AlUla Royal Commission.
“We are getting a detailed picture that the towns and cities of the AlUla Valley were dynamic, with people living in various places at all times in history.”
The “technology” of the desert
The ancient residents of AlUla used sophisticated technologies to thrive in this arid landscape.
Starting from the Dadan kingdom, enormous cisterns and wells were built to collect rainwater and access underground aquifers.
In the early Islamic period, a system of irrigation canals called qanat it transported water from the foot of mountains to the fields using gravity and precise calculations of slope.
This skillful water management has helped AlUla become an agricultural center, where dates, citrus fruits, figs and even wheat and barley are grown.
Today, native date palms continue to dominate the landscape, with 2.3 million trees producing more than 90,000 tons of dates per year.
AlUla’s date industry forms the basis for the rest of agricultural production: in the shade of millions of date palms, citrus trees produce oranges, lemons, grapefruits and kumquats.
Under the trees, farmers grow aromatic herbs such as mint and basil. A Moringa pilgrimA plant appreciated for its cosmetic and medicinal properties is grown nearby.
Every January, the AlUla Citrus Festival brings together farmers, shoppers and tourists at harvest time, when more than 15,000 tons of citrus fruits are harvested and sold.
Natural attractions, modern buildings
In addition to its extraordinary human history, the AlUla Valley is also rich in natural wonders such as desert canyons, sandstone cliffs, wind-sculpted rock formations and volcanic landscapes.
Northeast of AlUla Oasis, the 1,500km² Sharaan Nature Reserve is home to Nubian ibex, gazelles, red-necked ostriches and the elusive Arabian wolf.
In the Ashar Valley, gigantic ocher sandstone formations frame new tourist settlements, such as hotels, restaurants and even a concert hall hidden among the rocks.
Jabal AlFil, or Elephant Rock, is one of the most important monuments in AlUla.
This towering sandstone mountain, reaching 52 meters high, has been shaped into the shape of an elephant by wind and water erosion over millions of years.
Seeing Jabal AlFil from above during a helicopter ride helped me appreciate how vast – more than 22,000 km² – this valley is, and how welcome this oasis must have been to weary travelers centuries ago.
Other whimsical natural creations are dotted around AlUla: in Hegra, two-faced stones greet the setting sun, while the Sharaan nature reserve is home to the “dancing stones”, two tower-shaped sandstone structures that appear to display a dance duo.
In addition to nature’s creations and inscriptions from humans of the past, contemporary artists and architects are also leaving their mark on AlUla.
In 2019, a contemporary mirage emerged from the desert of the Ashar Valley.
This is Maraya, the largest mirrored building in the world, covered in 9,740 glass panels that reflect the imposing cliffs that surround it.
Part art project, part space for cultural events and concerts, Maraya is the symbol of what AlUla has always been and intends to continue to be: a meeting point and refuge for different people and ideas in the middle of the desert.
Read the original version of this report (in English) on the BBC Future website.
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
