In the silence of the sands, among rocky terrains and the madness of diversity, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia speaks the language of history, home to successive civilizations, a living witness to the birth of humanity, the development of urbanization, and the convergence of cultures.

Through Vision 2030, the Kingdom seeks to redefine its global cultural position as a land rich in human, tangible, and natural heritage. Relevant authorities, such as the cultural system, have taken significant steps to preserve antiquities and register them on the UNESCO World Heritage list, turning these sites into narrators of a nation’s uninterrupted history.

Continuing the Open Museum series (Archaeology and Heritage page), which highlights the vast historical richness and heritage found throughout the homeland, it aims to activate glimpses towards these landmarks, linking the present with the past and drawing the future from the glory of those before. These glimpses do not aim to detail information or conduct investigative research, as many academics and researchers hold answers to those precise details and deep sought-after knowledge.

We start from the depths of the desert as the first archaeological site in this series, from the golden sands of Wadi Al-Qura in northwest Saudi Arabia, where Al-Hijr (Madain Salih) emerges as if it were the gateway to the open museum, carved by the tools of the earth on the earth, inscribing on its mountains the history of ancient civilizations. This archaeological icon is the first Saudi site to enter the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1429 AH/2008 AD, considered the second greatest Nabataean city after Petra, and a historic center where cultures mingled, caravans passed through, and stories were immortalized.

A Kingdom at the Crossroads of Caravans

For thousands of years, Al-Hijr was a meeting point for trade caravans traveling between various destinations, serving as a station for goods coming from Yemen and southern Arabia heading to the Levant and Egypt, and vice versa. It was inhabited by the Nabataeans and before them by the Dedanites and Lihyanites, which in turn created a cultural value through these successive civilizations and the imprint of their cultures, customs, and ways of life on the land.

Heritage Carved in Stone

The 116 tombs of Al-Hijr stand as a living testament to the skill of carving and the uniqueness of Nabataean architectural art. These tombs are classified into homogeneous architectural groups, including Qasr Al-Farid, towering on an isolated rock, Qasr Al-Bint with its impressive decorations, and the tombs of Jabal Ithlib where temples and sanctuaries blend with ingenious inscriptions reflecting Nabataean beliefs and those preceding them. Besides conveying burial rituals, these tombs narrate social and economic stories of the communities that lived and died there.

The Spirit of the Past with a Vision for the Future

In its unique developmental journey, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia strides firmly blending authenticity and vision, evoking from the depths of the desert a deeply rooted human heritage and weaving from it a renewed cultural future befitting its global status. Among these luminous steps, the Royal Commission for Al-Ula stands out as a vibrant witness to the philosophy of “creative revival,” which does not merely preserve archaeological landmarks but revives the spirit that once inhabited them.

At the forefront of these projects is the “Journey Through Time” plan announced by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – may God protect him – in 2021, an ambitious vision to transform Al-Ula into a living open museum embodying 7,000 years of successive civilizations. This comprehensive human project restores Al-Ula’s historic radiance and makes its terrain a living record of human stories, from the first inscription on stone to the last step a visitor takes in the corridors of memory.

Within this context, the Institute of Kingdoms was launched as a global center for the study of civilizations in northwest Arabia, while the Al-Hijr Metaverse initiative was launched as the first World Heritage site to appear in the virtual world, making this cultural experience and other related initiatives accessible to all interested in human history worldwide.

Al-Hijr… A Living Witness to Human Memory

Among the sands, Al-Hijr rises as a living entity pulsating with stories, legends, and facts. Every inscription on a wall, every column in a tomb, every stone jar is a sentence in the book of civilization. Within the embrace of its mountains lies an extended narrative of human history, from pre-Christian eras, through the Arab kingdoms, to the present rediscovering beauty.

With ongoing restoration and discovery efforts, and programs for cultural and touristic interaction, Al-Hijr becomes an icon in the Saudi cultural project and a global pride testifying that the Kingdom not only shapes the future but also preserves its past with fidelity and creativity.

Finally… Al-Ula in this vision is a “message” telling the world that the future is not made from nothing but from a past we read well and a memory we interpret wisely.