Discover AlUla the world’s largest living museum

I recently visited Saudi Arabia on a familiarisation trip with several colleagues. The visit included Jeddah, Riyadh, and AlUla. This blog covers AlUla only, Jeddah and Riyadh were covered in my previous blog.

AlUla was the highlight of the tour for me, I had quite a lot of knowledge about this city, but seeing it was something else. There is so much history and beauty in AlUla, and yet only a fraction of this area has been excavated, who knows what will be found!

We stayed at the Shaden Desert Resort, which is surrounded by mountains, all rooms are chalet design that blends nicely in with the surroundings. Other accommodation options in AlUla are Habitas Resort, The Banyan Tree, and RV rentals, all of which are built with the environment in mind. Our first visit in AlUla was to Dadan which was one of the most significant discoveries in AlUla. In this area, you can see the ancient tombs that remain as the legacy of 7000 years of human civilization. The city dates back between the late 9th and early 8th century BCE and was one of the most developed areas due to its proximity to the incense trade routes.

We next visited the AlUla Old Town with its stone and mud-brick building, this is the ‘modern’ site of AlUla and is slightly elevated in the AlUla Valley. The Old Town has quite a buzz, it has five squares with many shops, cafes, restaurants, and art galleries. One of the funniest sights we witnessed was when we came across a group of international and domestic tourists on a guided tour of the town. They were wearing headphones and suddenly broke into dance, such fun! The Old Town of AlUla is the place to have a bite to eat or sit with a drink and people watch, also to buy the perfect souvenir or gift to take back home.

Day two in AlUla started with a visit to Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. As we approached, I was totally in awe of the sheer size of Hegra in its desert landscape. Hegra is the second-largest settlement of Nabataeans with more than 100 well-preserved tombs, with elaborated carved facades. A guide is needed to visit the tombs of Hegra, you can also hire bikes, or go horseriding in the area as well as vintage 4 x 4 experiences.

We had lunch at the Habitas Resort, this is another unique resort that blends into its surroundings, offering villa-type accommodation, a spa retreat offering yoga and pilates, a restaurant, and a pool. As a lover of sculptures, I was impressed with the many pieces around the resort especially the blue structure in the yoga pose on a rock overlooking the resort.

After lunch, we visited the Maraya Concert Hall. Well, what can I say about this modern feature that is camouflaged by its surroundings - it’s simply magnificent, definitely something you need to witness yourself!! Unfortunately, there were no concerts during our visit, which was such a shame as I would have loved to have experienced a live concert in this magnificent building.

Our final stop in AlUla was to Elephant Rock (Jabal ElFil) this monolithic red sandstone elephant has been shaped over millions of years by wind and water erosion. This is a great place to watch the sunset, you can sit in one of the dug-out pits with a drink and a bite to eat from one of several food trucks whilst listening to music or watching the big screen projected onto a huge rock.

AlUla is a must when visiting Saudi Arabia, in the two days we had, we could only experience a small part of AlUla. There is so much more to see and do, including a visit to the outdoor library, stargazing, concerts, desert safaris, and hiking to name just a few. Additional experiences

Our visit was a taster of a large country with much to offer and much more to come. Beyond what we experienced, Saudi Arabia boasts quite an adventurous itinerary, from desert, mountaineering and water activities to camping and hiking through caves and craters. The balloon festival is an annual marvel, so is the Saudi Cup, one of the world’s richest horse-race. Our trip also didn’t cover the beautiful eastern region known for its lush green parks, airy waterfronts, and sandy beaches that boasts endless views of the tranquil Arabian Gulf. There will be the next time!