![]() ![]() Madain Saleh was the kingdom’s second largest settlement after Petra, and shares the same rock-carved architecture. The number-one site to check out is undoubtedly the Unesco-listed southernmost settlement of the Nabatean kingdom, also known as Hegra. But come October 2020, they will be open year-round. AFP Are the sites in Al Ula open?Ĭurrently, the historic sites of the area are only open for three months of the year during the Winter at Tantura festival. Here's our ultimate guide.Įlephant Rock in AlUla. The National went to scout out the area as it is now, and to discover what's planned for its future. “How can you have all of this treasure and sit with it and make it difficult for people to come? It’s like having a nice backyard and having no one to come.” “You have to have lived in Saudi Arabia to know what it means, you have to have grown up here,” he says. While some are worried this might disturb the magic of this place, Al Madani vows that the locals are ready to embrace a steady stream of foreigners. The end result will bring high-end resorts and restaurants, a new cultural manifesto, and ticketing kiosks and amenities to Al Ula. “We want people who have been around the world and are looking for something they haven’t seen.” " a luxury, premium destination," Amr Al Madani, chief executive for the Royal Commission for Al Ula, tells The National. Just don’t go expecting much at the lower end just yet. There are also concerns centred around preserving the authenticity of the place, which currently allows a plucky tourist an almost exclusive experience – not a tour bus or selfie stick in sight. But this means there’s a lot of work to be done to build up the surrounding area, which is, at present, relatively sparse in terms of tourism infrastructure. As high-end travellers jet in to explore the luxury offerings of the futuristic city of Neom or the untapped waters of the Red Sea Project, the kingdom is hoping Al Ula and its surrounds will cater to those wanting to experience authentic Arabian history, too.
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