Hegra is not only an architectural marvel but also Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hegra is the most indiscreet Nabataean civilization site in Saudi Arabia. Explore more than 110 remarkably well-preserved tombs while learning about the ancient AlUla people and their culture. These tombs are situated in a desert setting.
Here you will find proof of human existence since the first millennium BCE. The city was at its peak from the late second century BCE to the second century CE. Still, the position of this Nabataean metropolis from the end of the first millennium BCE to the beginning of the first millennium CE appears distinctive and well-preserved.
You will find 130 wells and stone-lined water channels in addition to the magnificent tombs, which were used to bury the Nabataean elite. These features highlight the civilization's high level of craftsmanship. According to excavations, the excavations used ceramic pipes and stone-lined water channels to transport water from courtyards into the streets. Additionally, these wells were carved above the façade of the tombs to direct precipitation away from the delicate carvings and also to preserve them for hundreds of years.
Its strategic location gave the Nabataean leaders control over the ancient Incense Road from southern Arabia north to Egypt, the Mediterranean, Mesopotamia, and beyond. Roman architecture can also be seen in the former city's protective walls, gates, and towers.
There are inscriptions all over the Hegra site. They shed light on the traditions and beliefs of past civilizations as well as the roots of the Arabic language.
North of AlUla, Al Ula, Saudi Arabia
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