Trying to define AlUla in just one word is impossible. It's a city that has been continuously inhabited for over 5,000 years. It’s an oasis that withstands harsh climatic conditions, and it’s a region that encompasses mountains, canyons, and plateaus. A destination that has quickly become the symbol of Saudi Arabia’s cultural renaissance.Its archaeological heart is Hegra, also known as Madain Saleh — the first Saudi site to be declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It features over 110 monumental tombs carved into the rock by the Nabataeans, the same civilization that built Petra in Jordan. Some tombs soar up to 22 meters high and are adorned with geometric motifs, columns, inscriptions, and figures — an architectural and symbolic legacy that reflects the rich cultural and commercial exchanges between the Arabian Peninsula, the Mediterranean, and Asia.

But while Hegra is AlUla’s most iconic face, it’s not the only one. Just a few kilometers away lie the remains of Dadan, once the capital of the kingdoms of Dadan and Lihyan. Colossal statues and a rock-cut necropolis are striking evidence of how advanced this civilization was as early as the 1st millennium BCE. Even more astonishing is Jabal Ikmah: a rocky gorge engraved with hundreds of petroglyphs and inscriptions in Aramaic, Thamudic, Dadanitic, and Nabataean. It’s like an open-air library that has helped scholars reconstruct details of daily life, religious practices, and trade routes along the ancient Incense Route.

When it comes to nature, AlUla is a continuous spectacle. Here, the desert is anything but monotonous — it ranges from wind-sculpted rock formations like the iconic Elephant Rock (a sandstone giant shaped like an elephant’s head) to red-sand plains dotted with lush oases. The contrast between aridity and vegetation is a core part of the experience.It’s no surprise that more and more travelers are choosing AlUla not just for excursions, but for truly immersive experiences: trekking, desert sunrises, hot air balloon rides, stargazing nights, and 4x4 desert tours are just a few of the possibilities.

But AlUla is also looking forward. In recent years, it has become an international hub for contemporary art. The region hosts Desert X AlUla, an event that brings site-specific installations to the desert, engaging Saudi and international artists in direct dialogue with the land. In addition to this, exhibitions, artist residencies, permanent installations, performances, and educational programs are curated by the Royal Commission for AlUla, which oversees the region’s cultural and tourism development. There’s even a major international festival: Winter at Tantora — a celebration of music, art, and cinema that has previously welcomed world-renowned artists like Andrea Bocelli and Alicia Keys in spectacular venues such as the Maraya Concert Hall, a mirrored building set in the desert and the largest reflective structure in the world. The message is clear: AlUla is not just a site to preserve, but a place where culture, tourism, and sustainability can coexist. It’s a clear example of Saudi Arabia’s investment in cultural soft power — and a unique opportunity for global audiences to rediscover the complexity and richness of Arab history, too often overlooked or reduced to stereotype.

Visiting AlUla today means standing exactly where the ancient past and contemporary creativity meet face to face.