From AlUla: Hegra, Elephant Rock, and Jabal Ikmah

Discover the archaeological site of Hegra, also known as Madain Saleh, on a guided tour from AlUla. Explore the site, see the Elephant Rock, and visit Jabal Ikmah.
Discover the archaeological site of Hegra, also known as Madain Saleh, on a guided tour from AlUla. Explore the site, which is the first World Heritage property to be inscribed in Saudi Arabia, and see the Elephant Rock and Jabal Ikmah.

Start your tour by visiting the Hegra, also known as Madain Saleh, or Al-Ḥijr. A majority of the remains date from the Nabatean kingdom. The site constitutes the kingdom’s southernmost and largest settlement after Petra, its capital.

The Archaeological Site of Al-Hijr (Madain Saleh) is the first World Heritage property to be inscribed in Saudi Arabia. Formerly known as Hegra, it is the largest conserved site of the civilization of the Nabataeans south of Petra in Jordan. It features well-preserved monumental tombs with decorated facades dating from the 1st century BC to the 1st century AD. The site also features some 50 inscriptions of the pre-Nabataean period and some cave drawings. Al-Hijr bears a unique testimony to Nabataean civilization.

Then, enjoy the Elephant Rock, a spectacular rock formation that resembles an elephant with its trunk touching the ground. It is one of AlUla’s geomorphological wonders and has become one of AlUla's iconic landmarks.

Next, visit Jabal Ikmah, an open-air library across AlUla’s Valley. Lie thousands of inscriptions in Aramaic, Dadanitic, Thamudic, Minaic, and Nabataean. It features one of the oldest inscriptions of the Islamic era dating back to 24AH (644 CE).

Thousands of pre-Arabic inscriptions across numerous sites make AlUla an important location in studying the Arabic language. A mountain north of the AlUla Valley, AlAqra’a, features more than 450 early Arabic inscriptions. Naqsh Zuhayr, to the east, features one of the oldest inscriptions of the Islamic era — dating back to 24AH (644 CE). But no such site is more significant than Jabal Ikmah, home to the highest concentration of and most varied inscriptions in AlUla.

In a beautiful desert landscape warmed by the sun, the largest “open library” in Saudi Arabia sits tucked away in a remote canyon valley. Dadan was a caravan way station for many peoples, and one of the clues that AlUla was truly a crossroads of civilizations is Jabal Ikmah, which was visited by those wishing to leave their inscriptions and offerings en route through AlUla. Records kept here — in the form of hundreds of inscriptions and carvings lining the cliff faces and rocks — ensured that Jabal Ikmah would be remembered throughout the ages.

Travel back to your hotel in AlUla in comfort. If you have time and want to add more to your itinerary, let the tour operator know what you are interested in and they will arrange it for you.

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