It’s here that you can still find evidence of more than 130 wells, which the Nabataeans used to adapt to life in the arid environment. They left behind Hegra, their most important city in the south. Originally nomadic traders, the Nabataeans were an ancient Arab people who eventually settled and created a flourishing kingdom. For the curious, the interpretative centre in this district will help you understand the history and messages left behind.īreaking away from the green oasis are the districts of Nabataean Horizon and your final stop, Hegra Historical City, where you really become immersed in the desert landscape. Today, hundreds of inscriptions in Aramaic, Dadanitic, Thamudic, Minaic and Nabataean can all be found carved into the rocks. Pilgrims and travellers left their marks on the canyon wall as they passed through here millenia ago. Nearby is Jabal Ikmah, which together with Dadan and AlUla Old Town form a hub known as the Cultural Oasis.Ĭentral to this district is the Jabal Ikmah Heritage Site, also known as AlUla’s Open Library. Ultimately, the Institute will become the leading hub of knowledge on the civilisations that lived here. In fact, excavations around Dadan are still ongoing and the archaeological research here, and in the other four districts, will all be done through the Institute. Questions like these are what the experts at the Dadan district-based Kingdoms Institute are trying to answer. Mystery still surrounds these elevated burial sites - how were they carved into the rocks without modern construction equipment, and who’s buried here? The highlight here is of course the Dadan Heritage Site, where you’ll find what remains of the capital of the Dadan and Lihyan Kingdoms, which date back to the late 9th and early 8th century BCE and 5th to 2nd century BCE respectively.īut even more enigmatic are the handful of tombs carved into the majestic red rock cliff face, some 50 metres off the ground.
Jabal Ikmah: also in the Cultural Oasis, the inscriptions carved into the rocks at the Jabal Ikmah Heritage site is the focus here, along with an interpretive centre.Dadan: based around the rock formations of the Dadan heritage site, this is another district in the Cultural Oasis and will be the setting of the Kingdoms Institute.AlUla Old Town: centred around the Old Town Heritage site, this district will be part of the Cultural Oasis and be home to a flourishing new art neighbourhood.As well as the Old Town Heritage Site, historically an essential stop for pilgrims travelling from Damascus to Mecca, you can explore six new cultural attractions including the Arts District and the Perspectives Galleries.