The hook
Saudi Arabia's answer to Petra: monumental tombs carved into desert sandstone outcrops by the same Nabataean people, standing almost alone in a dramatic oasis valley that until recently almost no outsider had seen.
01Why it's worth it
Hegra, also called Mada'in Salih, was the second city of the Nabataeans, the great caravan traders who built Petra, and here too they carved elaborate temple-like façades into freestanding sandstone outcrops as tombs, over a hundred of them, ornamented with eagles, faces, and inscriptions. Because Saudi Arabia was closed to tourism for so long, these have stood in near-solitude, and visiting feels like having a Petra-scale wonder almost to yourself. They sit within AlUla, a spectacular oasis region of palm groves, towering eroded rock formations, a labyrinthine old mud-brick town, and newer dramatic venues, now the flagship of the kingdom's push to open up. It became Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. Seeing world-class antiquity in a place so newly accessible, and so uncrowded, is the particular thrill of it.
02How to experience it
Visit Hegra on the timed guided tours the site requires, booked ahead, and give AlUla itself time for the old town, the rock formations, and the oasis. Come in the cooler months. It anchors a trip through the Hejaz, and access and infrastructure are improving fast.