The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia's most cosmopolitan city Jeddah sees millions of international visitors passing through it each year either en route to Mecca and Medina for Hajj or to conduct business in the port.

In the seventh century AD the city rose to prominence as a commercial port city and later became the gateway to Mecca as Islam became the principal religion in the reagion. Today the ancient cultural heart of the ancient port city can be explored at t Al Balad while the waterfront around the corniche offers relaxation with many cafes, restaurants and shops dotting the promanade. 

Jeddah's Museum of Archaeology housed in the former Khuzam Palace and the Fekieh Aquarium displaying over 200 species of sharks, stingrays, and other marine life are a must.

Here narrow alleyways of Al Balad hide a treasure trove of 19th-century tower houses of wealthy merchants with their unique architectural style and the intricate handcrafted woodwork of their ornate balconies. These are interspersed with squat houses made of of coral stone, souq’s, spice-merchants, traditional bakeries and quirky cafes., where you can sit and watch teh world go by. 

Medina is the second holiest city for Muslims, making it a key destination for millions of pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia for Hajj or Umrah. Originally a Jewish settlement known as Yathrib, it later became known as Medina for the role it played in establishing Islam. This is where the Prophet Mohammed and his followers fled in 622AD after being persecuted in Mecca. The event marked the re-setting of the Muslim calendar back to zero and re-naming the city as the City of the Prophet, Madinah Al-Nabawiyah, abbreviated to Medina.

It is significantly the location of the first mosque, The Quba Mosque, the foundation stones for which were laid by the prophet himself.  However, the most important mosque in the city is the Al-Masjid An-Nabawi, the second largest mosque in the world after Mecca and enshrines the tomb of the Prophet. 

Alula, the undiscovered hidden gem of Saudi Arabia was the capital of the ancient kingdoms of Dadan and Lihyan.

Recently opened to leisure travellers this largely undiscovered region holds remarkabally well preserved, timeless and complex history spaning 200,000 years. Evidence of prehistoric habitation with the discovery of Paleolithic stone tools, inscriptions and rock art, through to burials and funerary monuments of the Bronze age, the grand tombs of ancient Arabain Kingdoms of Dadan and Nabataea from 600 BC, Roman settlements dating back to 106 BC and traces of water management systems from the early islamic period 600 AD through to modern day. 

Layer upon layer of human history and a wealth of natural wonders are waiting to be explored, from dramatic rock formations and sand-swept dunes to archaelogical ruins that tracing ancient cultures. 

Hegra or Mada’in Saleh a UNESCO Heritage-listed site, is the second settlement of the Nabatean people who also built the city of Petra but with barely any visitors. Our recommendation is to visit as early as you can before the crowds hit! Strewn between some of the most stunning desert scenery are a collection of tombs carved into the rock about 130 of which have been excavated so far. Each one is different in shape, size and decoration reflecting the status of the people buried here and giving a great into the lives of these ancient people.

Dadan and Jabal Ikmah

Renowned as one of the most developed ancient cities of the Arabian Peninsula the Kingdom of Dedan flourished from at least the 6th century until the 2nd century BCE. What remains of the city are a dozen or so tombs cut into a cliff-face with some remarkable inscriptions demonstrating the high culture of this civilisation. A visit to nearby Jabal Ikmah an area with the largest concentration of pre-historic man-made rock art and script in Saudi Arabia.

AhUla Old Town, still an active restoration project, the 900 traditional mud-brick houses and 5-Rabha's or squares are being loveling restored to for preservation. Although presently empty, the town was still inhabited until the 1980s when most families left to settle in newer cities with more modern facilities.

The Hadaj Well of biblical importance is one of the oldest ancient mechanical structures still standing in Saudi Arabia. It is beleiveid to have been built in the 1st millennium BC by the last of the Babylonian rulers, King Nabonidus who spent 10-years in Taima, on self-imposed exile away from Babylon. it is said he disagreed with and in order to reflect of a course of action retreated to Taima. 

The well is still functional and and has waters in at least one of its outlets.

The UNESCO World Heritage site at Jubbah where we see the thousands of fascinating and exceptionally well-preserved  petroglyphs, inscriptions and rock-art drawings tracing human habitation some 10,000 years back. These depict man pre-historic man rearing cattle, hunting as well as an array of wild animals from ibex to ostrich, horses and lions. Camels are probably the latest to populate both this area and the walls of the surrounding rocks.

Every morning at 6am the outskirts of Buraidah are home to the world's largest camel market, where thousands of camels, goats and sheep are bought and sold, along with saddles and other accessories. The extreml;y serious and highstakes business appers pretty haotic to teh uninitiated but we are told there is order and veryestablished rules for the trade.  If you are not disturbed too much by the smell of the animals, it is a truly unique Saudi experience.

The political and historical heart of the Kingdom, Riyadh is one of the largest, most spread out cities of the Kingdom. Despite its modern exterior, it is more conservative than other places and one should bear this in mind when in public. Centrally located with numerous cultural and historical places nearby the city makes an ideal location for visitors like Jebel Fihrayn, for a brisk walk to the ‘The Edge of the World’ viewpoint to experience sunset from the top of the 300-meter-high desert cliffs, overlooking the never-ending surrounding plain, which was once a sea bed.  

The UNESCO World Heritage Site of D’iriyah, the historic home of the Saudi state.Sacked by the Ottomans in the 19th century, the city had remained largely neglected for decades, until now. Today it has four rather impressive and modern museums that preserve, protect and showcase have been designed to sit sympathetically between the ancient mud-brick houses, with walls of glass that preserve the oldest parts in situ, while allowing access to visitors.