Al-Ula
al-Ula, officially AlUla, is an ancient Arabian oasis city and governorate located in Medina Province, Saudi Arabia, northwest of the city of Medina. Situated in the Hejaz, a region that features prominently in the history of Islam as well as several pre-Islamic Semitic civilizations, al-Ula was a market city on the historic incense trade route that linked India and the Persian Gulf to the Levant and Europe.
From an archaeological perspective, the immediate vicinity contains a unique concentration of precious artifacts, including well-preserved ancient stone inscriptions that illustrate the development of the Arabic language, and a concentration of rock dwellings and tombs that date from the Nabatean and Dedanite periods that coincided with Greco-Roman influence during classical antiquity. Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hegra, is located north of the city, in al-Ula governorate. Built more than 2,000 years ago by the Nabataeans, Hegra is often compared with its sister city of Petra, in Jordan. Meanwhile, the ancient walled oasis city of al-Ula, locally known as al-Dirah, situated near the oasis's palm grove that allowed for its settlement, contains a dense cluster of mudbrick and stone houses. al-Ula was also the capital of the ancient Lihyanites.
The Jabal Ikmah epigraphs and petroglyphs are located in the mountains around al-Ula. In 2023, they have been inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World International Register. Dating back to the second half of the first millennium BCE, they played a significant role in the evolution of Old Arabic languages and dialects. Carved in sandstone, these nearly 300 inscriptions are written in the pre-Nabataean Arabic languages Aramaic, Dadanitic, Thamudic, and Minaic.
Today, the city of al-Ula is within the Governorate of al-Ula, one of seven constituent counties of Medina province. The city is located southwest of Tayma and north of Medina. The city covers, and has a population of 60,103 as of 2022. In addition to the ancient old town al-Dīrah, a more recent historical and adjacent settlement, al-Judaydah, displaying the settlement patterns of Arabic-Islamic urbanism, remains occupied and is currently experiencing a redesign. Since the 1980s, the oasis of al-Ula has experienced significant agricultural and urban growth. Since then, the settled Bedouins have been added to the population of Sedentary people and, as in the rest of the kingdom, a large population of immigrant workers.
The area is also known for its striking landscape of rocks, canyons, and wadis, and the contrast between these dry surroundings and the lush, palm-filled oases near the city's centre.
The oasis of al-Ula was once a key stop on the Hejaz railway, linking Damascus to Medina.
History
The oasis of al-Ula has had permanent human settlement since 5000 BCE, through the Bronze Age.The walled city of al-Ula was founded as an oasis in the desert valley, with fertile soil and plenty of water. It was located along Incense trade route, the network of routes that facilitated the trading of spices, silk and other luxury items through the Kingdom of Aksum, Arabia, Egypt, and India. The oasis of al-Ula stands on the site of the Biblical city of Dedan but was founded with the ancient North Arabian kingdom of Lihyan, which ruled from the 5th to 2nd century BCE.
The older history of the oasis has been divided into several phases. The Dedanite kingdom spans the 7th and 6th centuries BCE. Dedan is mentioned in the Harran Stela. In these it is told how Nabonidus, last ruler of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, made a military campaign to northern Arabia in 552 BCE or somewhat later, conquering Tayma, Dedan, and Yathrib. It is thought that around the turn of the 5th century BCE, the kingdom became hereditary.
The next four hundred years, until around 100 BCE, was the period of Lihyanite kingdom. The Nabataeans were also the lords of the region at least until 106 CE, when the Roman Empire conquered and annexed it in their Arabia Petraea province.
Al-Mabiyat, some away near Mughayrah became the next commercial centre of the region. It thrived from around 650 CE until it declined at some time before 1230. In the 13th century, the old city of al-Ula, locally known as al-Dīrah, was built, and many stones of the old Dedanite and Lihyanite ruins were reused. The oasis of al-Ula now became the major settlement of the region again until modern times. Between 1901 and 1908 the Ottomans built the Hejaz railway in order to link Damascus to Medina. The railway had main stations in both Madā'in Ṣaliḥ and al-Ula, where a line was built through the western part of al-Khuraybah, some to the north of the old medieval town, which is believed to be the site of the old Dedanite and Lihyanite town that is still standing there despite being in bad shape.
In the 20th century, the new town centre was established beside the old town, and eventually, the people left the old buildings. The last family is said to have gone in 1983, while the last service in the old mosque was held in 1985. Both the ruins of the medieval town al-Dīrah and the site of the Liyhanite settlement now lie within the limits of the modern town.
The most detailed study of the area was made by the French priests Antonin Jaussen and Raphaël Savignac, who visited the area three times, in 1907, 1908 and 1910. They studied the remains at Hegra and Dedan and collected a large number of Lihyanite, Minaean, Thamudic, and Nabataean inscriptions. Accordingly, it was their work that came to constitute the basis for all further study and research in the area's history.
The first European traveller of modern times to describe the town was Charles Doughty in 1876. was in al-Ula in 1881–1882. He returned in 1883 accompanied by Julius Euting. In 1968 a team of archaeologists from the University of London investigated 15 inscriptions.
The vertical sandstone cliffs surrounding the valley provide ample surfaces for rock art, making the governorate one of the richer petroglyph regions in the Kingdom. Ar-Ruzeiqiah is a mountain in the southern part of the governorate, with a large petroglyph panel displaying hundreds of images, including depictions of hunting scenes with humans and a variety of animals. Ibex are the most common species but camels, horses and other species can also be found. Mount Ikma also has a large façade with scenes, strange symbols, and inscriptions.
Timeline
The following is the sequence of historical events and the ancient evidence found in the al-Ula governorate:| History | Evidence |
| Bronze Age |
|
| Ancient North Arabian Kingdoms | |
| Nabataean Kingdom | |
| Roman presence | |
| Islamic period | |
| Ottoman presence |
Administration
There are four major municipalities in the Governorate of al-Ula: al-Ula, the capital lying to the southwest ; Mughayrāʾ to the southeast ; Abu Raku, to the north ; and al-Ḥijr to the northeast.Heritage Village
al-Ula Heritage Village, also known as Al-Dīrah, is the traditional Arabian village to which people of the oasis moved some eight centuries ago and inhabited until the 20th century. It was built on a higher part of the valley in order to be clear of the floods that can occur during the rainy season. At its maximum expansion the town contained more than 1000 houses, which were built adjacent to one another, thereby forming a wall around the town to defend the population. On the west of the town, at the bottom of the cliff, is the old souq, which has been renovated.Royal Commission for al-Ula
The importance of al-Ula as an archaeological and historic site led to the establishment of The Royal Commission for al-Ula in July 2017, the aim of which is to develop and promote al-Ula as an international tourism destination. Moreover, the commission develops the plans for heritage conservation and preservation. The Royal commission for al-Ula, along with al-Ula Development Company, have taken various development projects in the region, including the five districts planned for al-Ula by 2030. The five districts include: al-Ula old town, Dadan, Jabal Ikmah, Nabataeane Horizen, and Hegra Historical City. These five districts are part of a larger development plan for al-Ula that further aims to transform the city into a world-class tourist destination while also preserving its cultural and historical heritage.Development plan
To promote tourism and gain more attraction, the Royal Commission for al-Ula is training 200 young Saudis on an ambitious project where tourists will explore the area's cultural treasures. Recruited from the al-Ula region, the 200 young people are in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia being trained in hospitality, learning new languages, studying farming and water technology, and researching the cultural, social and natural history of their home region.In January 2023, the Public Investment Fund launched Al-Ula Development Company, a hospitality and real estate developer which aims to turn al-Ula into a global tourist destination.