Al Ula

The road south towards Al Ula slowly turned into another world.

The black volcanic fields disappeared behind us, replaced by towering sandstone cliffs, narrow canyons and giant boulders balancing where gravity apparently hadn't been informed. Every now and then, a lonely camel watched us blast by as if wondering what these two crazies were doing out there in the afternoon heat.

Eventually, we rolled into AlUla.

Al Ula is a bit dodgy, yet the government tries to use the cultural value to turn it into one of the flagship tourism projects, and one street of the old town is indeed a bit fancy.
For thousands of years, caravans passed through this valley carrying incense, spices and silk between southern Arabia and the Mediterranean. We jump on a bus to go sightseeing at the remainings of the ancient culture of the Nabateans. These guys, ancestors of the Arabs of South Jordan and Northern Saudi, originated from further south in Yemen, migrated north in search for fertile lands, and eventually settled here a century before Christ as the first high culture of the region. Their impressive diwaniyas, tombs and treasuries carved into the rocks remind you it's the same people who made Jordan famous for Petra.
We ride to the elephant rock everybody is crazy about and enjoy easy Maghreb rides, exploring the valleys surrounding Hegra. Massive sandstone monoliths rise straight out of the ground, carved by wind and time into impossible shapes.Baca lagi