OLD ARABIA

Saudi Arabia is a country full of history.  The jewel is the ancient Nabatean city of Madain Saleh, but we will also look briefly at three other places worth visiting.

Madain Saleh

This ancient Nabatean city in the Hejaz, in the northwest of Saudi Arabia is a must-see.   Like its sister-city of Petra in Jordan, it consists of tombs with elaborately carved openings hewn into the red sandstone hills.  I love this place, finding it to be full of atmosphere and mystery and offering a level of peace and tranquillity that is rarely found elsewhere.  Think of Petra but hotter, and with virtually no tourists!   To enter the site, an official permit from the Ministry of Antiquities is necessary but this can be easily arranged through the hotels in the nearby town of Al Ula.  A vehicle is also necessary, unless of course you are part of a guided tour arranged through the same hotels.

Very close to the antiquities is Madain Saleh Railway Station, part of the Hejaz Railway that ran from Damascus to Madinah.  Here the old station buildings are being restored and, apparently, there are plans for a tourist hotel here.  There is even an old locomotive, built by Krupps in 1905, sitting in the engine shed.  This is the heart of Lawrence of Arabia country, and wandering around the lush palm groves and the old deserted villages, with the red sandstone hills in the background, one can easily imagine oneself transported back a century to the setting of the movie and the old, pre-oil Arabia.

The town of Al Ula makes for an interesting visit in itself, with its nearby prehistoric rock carvings, its calm serene feel and the extensive oasis just on its outskirts.  There is a drive up the mountain to the north-west of the town, where the views of the whole region are quite breathtaking.  When visiting the area, I particularly recommend the ARAC Hotel on the northern edge of Al Ula.  Getting there from Riyadh, via Qassim and Hail, is a drive of approx eight hours, and so a long weekend is needed for the trip.  From Jeddah, the journey takes about 6-7 hours, via Madinah and Khyeber.

Hail

This ancient city in the north-western part of KSA is well worth a visit.  Until they were ousted by Abdulaziz Al Saud in 1921 and subsumed into the New Saudi State, the dominant Al Rashid family used Hail as the seat from which they ruled the Al Rashid emirate.  The main historical attraction of Hail is the Barzan Palace in the centre of town, but there are also many other sites in the surrounding area, such as the Qishlah Palace.  The rocky mountainous landscape around the city makes for some fascinating trips in themselves.  For accommodation in Hail, we would strongly recommend Basmain Suites on the ring road.  The distance from Riyadh is five hours on an excellent highway.

Al Jawf

The Al Jawf (or Al Jouf) region is centred on a natural oasis in the north-west of the Kingdom, 360km from Hail, less than three hours on the recently-built highway across the Nafud Desert.   The main town, Sakaka has a number of historical attractions and details of sights and tours can easily be obtained at the Al Nusl hotel in the town centre, which is probably the best hotel (and the most expensive) in town, where I had a very pleasant stay in 2008.  This hotel is unique in that it is entirely cooled by use of traditional Arabian cooling towers, where hot air is cooled rapidly as it is naturally drawn down, although the temperature can still be regulated electronically within each guest room.  

An even more interesting visit, however, is the town of Dumat Al Jandal, 45km away from Sakaka.  This town has strong biblical associations, the old city believed to have been founded by Dumah, one of Ishmail's twelve sons.  A visit to the magnificent Marid Fortress, on the outskirts, along with the adjacent old city with its tiny labyrinthine streets and the early Islamic mosque, makes for a memorable day out.  Like Madain Saleh, this is an 8-hour trip by road from the capital, thus necessitating a long weekend.  However, there are regular flights from Riyadh and Jeddah to Al Jawf.

Tayma

This oasis town, situated in the north-west of the kingdom around 400km north of Madinah and 260km south of Tabuk, has significant historical associations, and is even mentioned in the Bible (Jeremiah 25:23).  Egyptian Hieroglyphs from the era of Rameses III have been discovered here, and the Tayma Stele (stone) now in the Louvre was found here in 1883.  Having been originally founded in the 8^th century BCE, Nabonidus of Babylon (father of Balthazar) spent ten years in Tayma in the sixth century BCE. 

Today, there is the “Tayma Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography”, just to the north of the town, and the ruins of the Qasr Al Ablaq Castle to the west.  In the town centre is an ancient well, right in the middle of a modern roundabout in fact!  Nearby, there is a Turkish fort from the 18^th century, although I am unsure of its current condition or situation re access.  In 1997, I managed to get past an old wooden door hanging off its hinges, and spent a most interesting half hour exploring the interior.  Be careful; some of the walkways were crumbling and required considerable care even back then.

Tayma is well worth visiting in combination with Madain Saleh, and is about 2½ - 3 hours’ drive north of the latter, on the Tabuk road.