.jpg)
With its otherworldly landscape, a wealth of archeological finds and the promise of unforgettable adventures, Hegra in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, has cemented its repute as a travel bucket list essential. And as it celebrates the 15th anniversary of being named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this incredible region's promise as a leading global travel and culture destination only grows.
The 52-hectare ancient district was once the principal southern city of the Nabataean Kingdom, with its capital at Petra, in modern-day Jordan. Established in the 1st century BCE, Hegra was a sophisticated centre of trade, architecture, engineering and language; today 111 well-preserved tombs – many with elaborate facades cut into the sandstone outcrops – remain as time travelling ambassadors of an ancient settlement.
.jpg)
The greatest design stories from AD Middle East, delivered to your inbox
“What I find really interesting about Hegra is that it gives us a different perspective on Nabataean society than what you get at Petra,” archaeologist and Heritage Curatorial Expert for the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) Helen McGauran tells AD about this 2025 travel bucket list essential. “Early on, when one would describe Hegra, you would say 'it’s like Petra,' but actually, it's nothing like Petra at all."
Desert Rock, a New Cave-Like Saudi Resort, Was Carved Out of the Hejaz Mountains
“It has those hallmarks of Nabataean civilisation – the monumental tombs and the carving – but the sites themselves are very different in character,” she adds about this unique, 2025 travel bucket list destination. “Hegra has a higher concentration of tomb inscriptions than Petra, despite the fact it has fewer tombs. We also have tombs that have been excavated that give really fascinating insight into Nabataean funerary practices, which we didn't know about before.”
Earlier this year, the facial reconstruction of a 2000-year-old Nabataean woman named Hinat, found in a tomb in 2008, was unveiled at the Hegra Visitor Centre, showcasing the wealth of yet-undiscovered knowledge at the site. Then, in September, archaeological teams increased their work on the residential settlement in the area, seeking to unearth more information about daily Nabataean life and the Roman presence that came afterwards.
Since it opened to the public in 2020, history lovers and adventure seekers have flocked to Herga's monumental tombs embedded in the stunning desert landscape, paving the way for many more archaeological sites of significant value to capture attention. RCU, which was founded six years ago, has spent considerable resources exploring meaningful ways to make these magical sites accessible to tourists, whilst honouring their historic significance, and given that archeological surveys are still underway, protecting them.
“We set up RCU with a mandate to safeguard and share this incredible place of heritage and create new opportunities for the over 41,000 people who live here – 14,000 of which are school-aged children,” RCU Narrative Experience Expert Leila Chapman says. “There's a huge opportunity for us to really create something for their future. We wanted to make sure that everyone had a really safe, accessible and engaging experience.
Rebuilding AlUla Old Town: How One Mudbrick House Brought Life Back Into the Forgotten Saudi District
“For me, the Hinat project really exemplifies that spirit for discovery and sharing the people of the past, not just the places of the past,” she adds. “Quite a few of our Rawi team (storytelling guides) would say 'that looks like my aunt,' so there's a real personal connection there. So I'd say opening up the place, shining a light on who those people were, and developing our amazing team of Rawis and Rangers, is what makes Hegra so amazing.”
During the second edition of the Ancient Kingdoms Festival (that took place Nov. 16 - Dec. 2), visitors were able to take special tours of Hegra with Augmented Reality (AR) glasses, or explore the region's dramatic landscape with the Wildlife and Nature Tour programme. The in-situ exhibition, Life at Hegra, curated by AlUla’s heritage experts, spotlighted the Nabataean way of life through 15 objects discovered at the site.
Beyond Hegra, the programme included immersive events at Dadan, a live archaeological site that was once the capital city of the Dadanite and Lihyanite kingdoms, and which rose to prosperity as a key trading post on the Incense Road. Visitors were able to watch first hand as archaeologists unearth new secrets which will soon be presented at a new atmospheric museum in AlUla.
Nearby, a new site has been opened to the public: Wadi AlNaam, believed to be the ancient Dadanite ostrich hunting ground, experienced with dune buggies on a trail showing incredible rock art and inscriptions.
By night, an after dark experience at Jabal Ikmah – a canyon recently entered into UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register – illuminates over 500 inscriptions, some of which are 2,500 years old. Through rock carving workshops, storytelling and a massive projection on the mountains, visitors are invited to step back in time.
“Our real focus was to connect the three oases of North Arabia – AlUla, Khaybar and Tayma – and this year, given it's the 15th anniversary of Hegra being awarded the UNESCO World Heritage Site status and that we are developing the world's first museum of the incense road, our focus was to really activate those sites that tells those stories,” Chapman says. “Hopefully, we've done that in a way that it doesn't matter what your background is, your accessibility level, or if you think history is not exactly for you… Anyone can engage, and anyone can enjoy it!"
