DESERT OASES AND BURIED TOMBS - Al Ula, Saudi Arabia

 ......our previous blog post concentrated on the glorious Thee Ain village near Al Bahah..........

Sal at Al Ula, KSA

Having had a couple of difficult hitching days travelling north within Saudi Arabia, and seeing that the area we were entering next was quite isolated, we decided to take a bus to our next destination of Al Ula. Leaving early in the morning, we fell asleep almost immediately on the very comfortable and punctual bus. Upon waking, we were greeted with an amazing sight. As we progressed further north into the desert, the scenery became incredibly spectacular and akin to something out of a magical story book. There was nothing but desert as far as the eye could see - only the long straight road, far away majestic mountains and small herds of camels. When some giant dunes came into view, they seemed to be floating on beds of shifting sand, and the desert colours were constantly changing with the position of the sun. It was worth making the effort to travel here, if only for this journey.

Desert scenery, road to Al Ula, KSA

Warning sign for camels, taken from the bus to Al Ula, KSA

Classic sane dunes, taken from the bus to Al Ula, KSA

Herds of camels, taken from the bus to Al Ula, KSA

As we neared Al Ula, giant rocky outcrops appeared to welcome us to the area. It seemed other worldly, and so different to the mountain areas in the central part of Saudi in which we had been spending time recently. 

Al Ula is a place that many Saudis asked if we had visited, yet none of them seem to have been there themselves. One thing everyone seems to agree on, is that Al Ula is expensive. We can verify that - at least for the accommodation, this was definitely the case. We spent double on the hotel room here than we had been spending elsewhere in Saudi. We did umm and ahh about whether we should visit for this reason, but as we were in Saudi Arabia, in the vicinity, and didn't know when we would ever be back, we decided we should go for it. And we're VERY glad we did!

Al Ula room, pricey, but necessary!

Al Ula had always been a market place and stop on trade routes- apparently traders came here travelling between India and East Africa for hundreds of years. The old town sprung up as a result of the plentiful water supply and fertile soil - agriculture and water systems were developed along with trade. The Nabataean Kingdom came into power maybe between 100 BC until around 100 AD, and the Romans established the southernmost limit of their empire here after that. The Ottomans actually created a railway when they had power of the region in the early 1900s. It ran from Jeddah, right up through the northern part of Saudi, Jordan and ended in Damascus, Syria. My goodness, we would have loved to have travelled on that!

At sunrise on our first morning, we set out out for a wonderful day on the Oasis Heritage Trail, everything one would imagine of a classic lush oasis setting. Although we hadn't realized, the trail started right around the corner from where we were staying, and continued for over four kilometres. The path had been meticulously set up to showcase the ancient abandoned mudbrick village houses, along with the small scale farming surrounding them. The dazzling spectre of the majestic red cliffs sheltered the whole area.

Sunrise at the oasis, Al Ula Heritage Walk, KSA

Wee beetle, Al Ula Heritage walk, KSA

Colour in the desert, Al Ula Heritage walk, KSA

Exploring abandoned mud houses, Al Ula Heritage walk, KSA

Oasis scenery, Al Ula Heritage walk, KSA

The ruins of old mud houses, Al Ula Heritage walk, KSA

Glorious Al Ula Heritage walk, KSA

The buildings had been partially renovated, and we were able to see the traditional construction with baked straw and mud, and were free to climb and explore to our hearts content. We walked through the shady palm tree groves, past green fields of vegetables, with water spouting from natural springs. Again, the delightful site had been very tastefully restored, faithful to the old styles and included charming sitting areas, unobtrusive cafes and subtle decorations such as earthen pots in random corners. We meandered along the quiet little dirt paths, sometimes dusty and sometimes with a low mud wall to guide us, birds waking up in the trees twittering away. Before we knew it, we had wandered for four hours to the end and back without really noticing the time go. 

Lovely vase in a corner, Al Ula Heritage Walk, KSA

Rich in the citrus grove, Al Ula Heritage Trail, KSA

Walking through the abandoned mud village

Curious cat, Al Ula Heritage Walk, KSA

Low mud wall guiding us, Al Ula Heritage Walk

Gardens with red cliffs in background, Al Ula Heritage Walk, KSA

Open mud house, Al Ula Heritage Walk, KSA

Gorgeous scenery, Al Ula Heritage Walk

Because we had left at first light, we enjoyed watching the colours change as the sun rose, and also had the added benefit of it not being too hot. The only others we encountered throughout the morning were the workers in the fields, doing a sterling job- hardly a weed could be seen. There may have been a few inhabitants still living in the oasis, as we saw some sheep in enclosures in a few spots, but we weren't to see a soul for most of the morning. We read that when the village was populated, people had town homes for the winter, and used these mud houses for the summer months. We loved this walk so much, and our minds were relaxed and free from worry on this morning. 

Palm grove, Al Ula Heritage Walk, Al Ula, KSA

Cross roads, Al Ula Heritage Walk, Al Ula, KSA

An afternoon at the touristy Elephant Rock site, turned out to be a fantastic sunset adventure, thanks to Rich! We arrived by taxi at what was a small enclosure complete with cafes and many tourists posing for Instagram pics, the surroundings ugly thanks to ongoing building works next to the site. As cool a shape as the Elephant Rock was, the scene wasn't our thing. 

Arriving at Elephant Rock, Al Ula, KSA

Cool shape, Elephant Rock, Al Ula, KSA

Rich suggested a walk out over an expanse of sand and up to an epic formation in the rocks- a giant hole looking out to a wadi and oasis. It was a magnificent view when we got there, the huge rocks looming above, completely dwarfing us, and we scrambled around to find the best spot to watch the sun set. Going home, we hitched a lift with a Polish couple, who seemed most surprised at how we were getting around, and our lives in general. Almost all the tourists we saw at Al Ula had their own hire car, and whilst there may have been some sights we didn't get to see by walking, hitching or taxi, we didn't feel at all that we had missed out on anything. 

Splendid view through the huge rock, Al Ula, KSA

Wonderful shapes in the desert, Al Ula, KSA

Desert scenery around Elephant Rock area, Al Ula KSA

Sal doing a Miranda! Al Ula, KSA

Spectacular sunset, Al Ula, KSA

We are not tour people. We have only ever done a handful of tours in our 28 years of travelling together. But at Al Ula, visiting the Nabataean ruins of Hegra is strictly controlled, and no independent roaming is allowed. The only way we could see the sites was to join a tour. It's very difficult to find out any information about independent travelling in Al Ula in English online (or anywhere in Saudi, for that matter!), as there are simply not that many foreign visitors. We noticed the Hegra tour was on special for Ramadan, half price at 50 SAR/£10, and thought we would give it a go. If we didn't enjoy it, it wasn't a fortune wasted. 

Tombs in the desert, Hegra area, Al Ula, KSA

Arriving at the extremely scenic pick up area in the afternoon, we joined a few other foreigners on a very organized and clean bus, and were shuttled out into the desert where we joined with another bus with probably about 40 tourists on board. We were ferried around to various sites in the desert - tombs and other historical areas of interest. The "get out, listen to the guide talk, take a photo, don't go too far over there, get back on the bus, go to the next spot" rhythm of the tour was soul destroying We were dying to go off and explore on our own in the amazing-looking rocks and tombs. But that was the nature of the beast, and it was the only way we would get to see anything. 

Tombs at Jalal Albanat, Hegra area, Al Ula, KSA

Ancient melted rocks, Jalal Albanat, Hegra area, Al Ula, KSA

We were aching to explore more! Hegra area, Al Ula, KSA

One cave we were allowed inside of, Hegra area, Al Ula

Tomb of Lihyan Son of Kuza, spectacular, even with all the other tourists!

Faded remnants of camel petroglyphs, Jalal Ithlib, Hegra area, Al Ula KSA

Gorgeous colours inside a tomb, Hegra area 

The Nabataeans were an interesting lot. Existing at the same time as the Greco-Roman civilisations, these Arab people were all about the trade, and displayed a strong independent streak. This lasted until, after many wars, they were eventually incorporated into the Roman Empire in around 100 AD. Their most famous settlement is Petra (which we would hopefully see soon), presumed to be their capital city. 

A series of ancient tombs, Jalal Albanat, Hegra area, Al Ula, KSA

Surviving decoration around tomb entrance, Jalal Albanat

Majestic Tomb of Lihyan, Son of Kuza, Hegra area, Al Ula, KSA

The various tombs sites were intriguing for their location in apparently the middle of nowhere. There were various stories which the guide repeated word for word from the signage available at the different sites, about mass burial sites and bodies being discovered with dates around their necks. One of the tales was that a grave site was uncovered when exceedingly high desert winds blew away the sand from the tombs. In most of the places we were taken, the face of the tomb looked as though it might have had some restoration work done on it- they were all flat, often with step decorations. When someone asked the guide what the steps represented, she answered that it was their style! 

Peering into the unknown, Jabal Albanat, Al Ula 

A huge burial site, Jabal Albanat, Hegra area, Al Ula, KSA

Really out in the middle of nowhere, Hegra area, Al Ula, KSA

Tombs all had similar step decorations, Hegra area, Al Ula

The sheer size of it, Tomb of Lihyan Son of Kuza, Hegra area

Partially buried still, tombs around Hegra area, Al Ula, KSA

The bizarre shaped rock formations really were astounding. Anywhere else, a small cluster of them would be a showstopper on their own, but here they were absolutely everywhere, as far as the eye could see into the distance. It was also a huge contrast to lush oasis we had been exploring the previous day. 

Beautiful desert hues, Hegra area, Al Ula, KSA

Odd shapes, Jabal Ithlib, Hegra area, Al Ula, KSA

The tombs had a melted feeling, Jalal Ithlib, Hegra area, Al Ula, KSA

Mysterious face in the rocks, Hegra area, Al Ula, KSA

It has to be said, and maybe we are shallow, but equally as interesting to us as the tombs, were the other passengers on the tour bus. Some of their behaviour seemed shocking. A few of the women were wearing exceptionally inappropriate clothing, the most extreme example in a leather suit with hot pants. Two Chinese women took off articles of clothing to pose for each other in ball gowns for the entirety of each stop in front of anything they could see, more interested in themselves than the history or culture. Another vlogging couple took cringey videos of themselves acting "excited" in front of the tombs. The lack of self awareness from most of the fellow tourists was an eye opener for us. We were interested to know what kind of trip they were on, and where they had come from. Surely they weren't touring around Saudi dressed in those clothes? It was a mystery. It does have to be said, although we joined the tour with about 40 tourists on the bus, this was pretty much the only time we saw tourism in Saudi on any scale. And when compared with Egypt, Thailand, or even places in Bosnia and Herzegovina, it was almost nothing.

What an outfit! Hegra tour, Al Ula, KSA

Seems like a normal dress to bring on a trip to Saudi Arabia

The difference in attire, Hegra tour, Al Ula, KSA

Our last day saw us strolling the Old Town of Al Ula. This part of town had been developed the most, and had an extremely flash hotel complete with stunning pool, a souq street with posh shops and restaurants, as well as the Ottoman-era fort and ruins of the ancient homes below. It was one time we were glad of Ramadan, as everything was closed, and no local tourists around, so we were able to enjoy the spots peacefully, with only a handful of foreigners about. The view across the Oasis Trail and outward to the enormous rock formations in the distance was a contrasting way to view areas we had seen on other days.

Old town in the morning, Al Ula, KSA

Everything closed for Ramadan, Al Ula Old Town, KSA

Lonely chair, Al Ula Old Town, KSA

Fort perched on top of a small hill, Al Ula, KSA

Remains of old houses, Al Ula, KSA

One taxi driver we spoke to said there were already too many tourists in Al Ula, but we feel he may be in for a rude shock in the next few years. This place will for sure start to be discovered by overseas tourists looking for something different. There is already good infrastructure set up, and many more hotels in the planning. We were very glad with our decision to visit Al Ula when we did.

The bus ride leaving Al Ula was just as scenic as the one entering. Again we had scored seats up the front of bus to make the most of the stunning views. For an hour or so, we sat mesmerized by the beauty of the desert scenery, giant rocks and gorgeous colours. The further away we became, the flatter the terrain was, and suddenly on the outskirts of Tabuk, an agricultural region appeared, with lush green fields and irrigated farms growing crops. 

Our stop in Tabuk was only for a couple of days, and primarily in order to discover how we would attempt the next leg of our trip to Jordan. We were completely unsuccessful on all fronts in this quest, and had to find our own way in the end. Stay tuned for details in the next part!!!

Our route from Madinah, to Al Ula, Tabuk and onwards

.......our next blog post will be a summing up of our experiences in Saudi, expenses, and feelings about Ramadan travel.........