Throughout the al-Ula area there are countless graffiti and rock-carved inscriptions in Lihyanite, Aramaic (a dialect of which the Nabateans used for writing), Greek, Latin, and Arabic, an open-air lexicon shedding fresh light on both ancient writing forms and the origins of today’s Arabic language.Ĭharged with the site’s conservation and development, the first task of the Royal Commission for al-Ula (RCU) was documentation. Mada’in Saleh has wells the Nabateans sunk into the bedrock that are still in use today, proof of the ancients’ knowledge of hydraulics. The site is home to over 100 well-preserved monumental tombs (dating to 100 BCE-100 CE), their elegant facades masterfully cut into limestone outcroppings like those of the Nabatean capital of Petra in Jordan, but more richly decorated with human figures, sphinxes, snakes, lions, and other animals. Photo courtesy of the Royal Commission for al-Ula Mada’in Saleh, 14 miles north of the town of al-Ula, was an urban center of the Nabateans, a people believed to have originated on the Arabian Peninsula whose wealth was derived from the incense trade until the Roman annexation of the region in 106 CE.ĭadan stonework at the al-Ula site. 6,000), and the remains of its 800-year-old mud-brick predecessor. Once the throughway for caravans bearing costly aromatics and connecting the Arabian Peninsula with Asia and the Mediterranean world, al-Ula is now at the center of a project to raise awareness of the country’s ancient history, inspire national pride, and fuel tourism, all objectives within the purview of Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia’s roadmap to a post-fossil-fuel future.Ĭovering an area the size of New Jersey (8,600 square miles), al-Ula’s arid landscape is relieved by Wadi al-Qura (Valley of Villages), a lush aquifer-fed oasis, home to the modern agricultural town of al-Ula (pop. Mada’in Saleh, the modern name for the ancient city of al-Hijr, mentioned in the Torah, the Bible, and the Qur’an, attests to the legacy of the Lihyanite and Nabatean kingdoms dating back to the first millennia BCE. Situated in the desert heartland of al-Ula, 200 miles north of Medina, the first Saudi site to earn UNESCO recognition (2008) is also the most spectacular. But five recent UNESCO World Heritage Site designations have highlighted the universal value of the country’s material legacy: historic Jeddah, a maritime hub since the 7th century (2014) the rocky Ha’il Region, with its mural-sized 10,000-year-old petroglyphs (2015) the al-Ahsa Oasis with its proof of Neolithic settlements (2018) and the austere mud-brick palaces of al-Turaif, 18th-century seat of the House of Saud (2010). Saudi Arabia’s archeological treasures have long been hidden in plain sight, known mainly to the people living in their proximity and a handful of scholars.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |