Experience the best of Tabouk

Tabuk lies in the north-west of Saudi Arabia, on a plain ringed by sandstone and granite mountains, a few hours' drive from the Jordanian border and the Red Sea coast. Tabuk Fort, a restored Ottoman-era stone fort, stands in the old centre. The town was a stop on the Hejaz Railway, built by the Ottomans in the early twentieth century from Damascus toward Medina, and the old station is preserved as a museum.

To the south-west, Wadi Disah is a sandstone canyon with a stream, palms and tall rock walls. Jabal Al Lawz, the highest peak of the region at about 2,580 metres, is sometimes dusted with snow in winter. The Gulf of Aqaba coast has coral reefs and quiet beaches, and irrigated farms around the city grow wheat and vegetables.

The local table is Saudi: kabsa, rice with spiced lamb or chicken, mandi, meat cooked in a pit oven, and dates served with cardamom coffee. Tabuk is one of the coldest cities in the country, and winter nights can fall below freezing. Summers are very hot, so the cooler months from November to March are the best time.