Experience the best of AlUla

AlUla lies in a valley of palm groves in north-western Saudi Arabia, surrounded by sandstone mountains that the wind has carved into arches and pillars. Hegra, the first Saudi site listed by UNESCO, preserves more than a hundred monumental tombs cut into the rock by the Nabataeans, the builders of Petra, two thousand years ago. The tomb of Qasr al-Farid stands alone on the sand, carved from a single huge rock.

Dadan, the capital of an earlier kingdom, and the nearby cliffs of Jabal Ikmah, covered in ancient inscriptions, show that the oasis has been settled for thousands of years. The old town of AlUla is a maze of mud-brick houses climbing a hillside, lived in for centuries until the 1980s. Elephant Rock, a huge sandstone block eroded into the shape of its name, rises from the desert floor.

Dates, citrus fruit and vegetables grow in the oasis, and meals feature rice with lamb, flatbread and strong cardamom coffee poured in small cups. The desert climate brings very hot summers and mild days in winter, when nights turn cold, and the clear air and dark skies suit stargazing.