Hegra (Al-Hijr / Mada'in Salih)

Hegra, also called Al-Hijr or Mada'in Salih, is Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage site, inscribed in 2008. It lies about 22 km north of AlUla town in north-west Saudi Arabia, reached from the Hegra Visitor Centre on Highway 375. The site was the southern capital of the Nabataean kingdom, the same civilisation that built Petra in Jordan, and holds about 110 monumental tombs cut into free-standing sandstone outcrops, dating mainly from the 1st century BCE to the 1st century CE. Many facades carry Nabataean inscriptions naming the owners and warning against violation of the tombs. The most photographed monument is Qasr al-Farid, the Lonely Castle, an unfinished tomb carved into a single isolated rock. Other clusters include Jabal al-Ahmar, Jabal Ithlib with its banquet hall (the Diwan), and the Qasr al-Bint group. Visits are by guided tour only. Standard coach tours, from about SAR 95 per person, stop at several tomb groups with a guide explaining Nabataean burial customs, water engineering and trade in incense. Vehicle tours and more intensive experiences cost more, from about SAR 700 per vehicle up to around SAR 1,000. A tour takes two to three hours. Late afternoon gives the warmest light on the rose-coloured rock and is the most popular slot; early morning is quieter. Summer midday is very hot, so winter, roughly November to March, is the best season. Tickets are booked through experiencealula.com or the Experience AlUla app, and popular slots sell out in high season. Visitors should bring water, sun protection and closed shoes, and are asked not to climb on or touch the monuments. Drones are not allowed. Photography from the designated paths is permitted.