Page 34 - DIVA 1 2023
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Culture                                                                                                                international




























              However, what we saw in the morning was stunning: warm red  An  isolated  monolith  in  the  honey-hued                 of the Nabatean civilization south of Petra. It  sunset, which gave wonderfully mysterious ending to our journey.
              hues  that  appeared  suspended  in  air  and  gigantic  coral-shaped  desert,  the  tomb  of  Lihyan,  son  of  Kuza,   features  well-preserved  monumental  tombs  There are other fascinating places and rocks of ages, such as thee
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              rocks that soared up to pierce the blue almost cloudless sky. Thesee  is  shrouded  in  mystery.  Unfinished  and       with  decorated  facades  dating  from  the  first  Rainbow  Rock,  Dancing  Rocks,  Face  Rock  and  even  Jar  Rock,
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              desert giants are scattered haphazardly and sculpted by the wind  apparently  abandoned,  the  largest  of  this        century BC to the first century AD. The site  shaped like a jar sculpted by nature: sadly, due to time constraints
              and rain over millennia. Even after all our preparation, we were  region’s  grand  funerary  facades  has  become       also features some 50 inscriptions of the pre-  we were unable to visit those. We were lucky enough, however, tooo
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              not ready for the impact of these dramatic honey-coloured rocks inin  an iconic symbol for the Al Ula region. Yet,      Nabataean  period  as  well  as  cave  drawings.  have a couple of hours to wander in the Old Town of Al Ula.
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              enigmatic shapes with their stillness and mystery. We stayed as long  as  with  so  many  landmarks  in  this  ancient   With its 111 monumental tombs, 94 of which
              as we could, taking long lazy breakfasts in the organic, sustainable  metropolis, archaeologists are still piecing its   are  decorated,  and  water  wells,  the  site  is  According to archaeologists, “Hegra is absolutely the jewel in the
              restaurant in the middle of the faraway desert, with the turquoise  perplexing past together.                           an  outstanding  example  of  the  Nabataeans’  crown, however, one of the beautiful and unique things about Al Ula
              heated pool at our feet, and the huge boulders for meditation, yoga,                                                    architectural  accomplishment  and  hydraulic  is that it is a palimpsest of human civilization for many thousands of
              and reflection.                                        Positioned at a crossroads of commerce along                     expertise. This latter is evidenced by the many  years. There is a near-continuous spread of 7,000 years of successive
                                                                     major spice and incense routes, Saudi Arabia’s                   artificial  wells  the  Nabateans  constructed  in  civilizations settling in this valley—important civilizations that are
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              We followed meandering pathways at the foot of an immense rockk  first UNESCO World Heritage site was once              the rocky ground for irrigation: many of these  just  now  being  revealed  to  the  world  through  archeology.” Onee
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              formation and found many other interesting places. Eventually,,  a  thriving  hub  for  Al  Ula’s  succession  of       wells are still in use today.          of Arabia’s oldest cities, and home to the Nabataean city of Hegra,
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              however we had to leave for our day-long journey to more mysteries,  civilisations,  with  the  earliest  estimated  to                                        the ancient region of Al Ula is being rediscovered. If you visit thiss
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              especially Hegra: the main purpose of our visit to Al Ula.  date back 7,000 years ago. Set on a vast plain              Today  Hegra  is  open  for  tourists  and  can  historic crossroads on the incense route, its pristine desert oasis and
                                                                     at  the  foot  of  the  Hijaz  Mountains,  the  site             be  visited  either  by  the  organized  bus  tours  monumental  landscapes,  you will be among the first to discoverrr
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              Mirage  in  the  desert  -  Before  going  there,  we  made  another  reached  its  zenith  in  the  first  century  AD,   in  English  and  Arabic,  or  by  a  private  old-  200,000 years of largely unexplored human history and successive
              stop. This time it was a stop in the future, at the largest mirrored  when it became the southernmost settlement        style  car  tour,  or  even  by  horse-carriage.  ancient civilisations. It is a place where archaeological mysteries are
              building in the desert: an incredible structure called Maraya. It is an  in the Nabataean Kingdom, around 300 miles     It  cannot  be  visited  without  government-  still being uncovered today, as Al Ula is an undiscovered masterpiece..
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              architectural marvel, and adds a touch of optical illusion to the Al  from its capital city, Petra. Falling into steady   subsidized  excursions  and  guides,  all  of  We  managed  to  explore  a  part,  and  will  definitely  return.  We
              Ula experience. The building, despite its size, all but vanishes into  decline  after  it  was  annexed  by  the  Roman   which are well organized and easy to arrange.  encourage you to go there and to make your own discoveries.

              the landscape, reflecting the surroundings, changing with the light,  empire,  its  secrets  have  been  buried  in  the
              and being sometimes undetectable, like a chameleon in the sand.  sand for the past 2,000 years.                         We  still  managed  to  see  more:  the  city  of  Our short visit to this fairytale kingdom came to an end, and we
              The impression of this building added to the mystical feeling we got  Over this time, Hegra was only occasionally       Dadan, the ancient Kingdom of the Lihyanite  took the late evening flight via Riyadh to return home, knowing for
              in Habitas. The mixture of mirage reality and unreality, integrated  mentioned by pilgrims on their way to Mecca        and  Dadanite  civilizations,  dating  back  next time what to see and discover. We want to see Riyadh, and see
              into the dramatic rocky landscape, seemed to make the ravines an  who used it as a refreshment station for supplies     between  the  late  nineth  and  early  eighth  Jeddah again, and visit the city of future Neom. A couple of years
              optical illusion. It was incredible to see how this futuristic complex  and water along the Hajj route. While Jordan’s   century BC (Kingdom of Dadan) and 5th–2nd  ago we wrote in our magazine about this fascinating project – The
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              marries with thousands years of natural formation. Its dream-likee  rock-hewn  wonder  became  an  historical           century BC (Kingdom of Lihyan). Sadly, Jaball  Line in Neom - which is being built now. I think it will be even
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              existence has a very real purpose, however: it is also a concert hall  showpiece and world-renowned wonder after        Ikhmah, an open library of inscriptions, rock  much more impressive that what we saw, with 170 km mirrored
              with an annual roster of events, including the Al Ula winter and  the lost city of Petra was rediscovered in the        art and petroglyphs set in a stunning desert  horizontal skyscrapers, where nature and sustainability will marry
              summer festivals.                                      early  19th  century,  even  today  Hegra  still                 canyon,  could  only  be  approached  and  seen  with the artificial intelligence of the future.
                                                                     remains largely unknown.                                         from a distance.
              Hegra – a journey through time. Hegra is an almost-untouched                                                            We  were  delighted,  however,  to  visit  the  Al  It is certain that Saudi Arabia is the destination of the future while
              ancient city, an untold story awaiting discovery. Left undisturbedd  Hegra Archaeological Site (al-Hijr / Madā ͐ in     Ula Harrat viewpoint, which gives an amazing  carefully preserving the past. It is a country ready to reveal to tourists
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              for 2,000 years, Hegra is emerging from the fog of history to take its  ͐āli͐). The Hegra Archaeological Site, formerly   view over the Al Ula and canyons, and we were  some of its cultural and historical treasures and secrets, and many
              rightful place as one of the wonders of the world. .   known as Hegra, is the largest conserved site                    fortunate  to  visit  the  Elephant  Rock  at  the  more discoveries await those who visit this fascinating country.
                                                                           w w w. d i va i n t e r n at i o n a l . c h               w w w. d i va i n t e r n at i o n a l . c h
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