Arabian Nights
The next day we drove over 400km north to Buraidah. On route we enjoyed an interesting tour around Ushaiger Heritage Village. The Bedouins first settled here 1,500 years ago as it was a popular stop for pilgrims travelling to Mecca. The extensive area is now a living museum with a small community who live on site in the maze like houses adorned with beautiful white shuraf (embellishments) on top of each building and intriguing small triangular windows. About a 30 minute drive from Buraidah is the small town of Unaizah which has a lovely restored souk plus a stunning renovated heritage house. The Buraidah Camel Market is the world’s largest camel market and also sells sheep and goats from all over the Middle East. Next up was the date market, it’s out of season so there were only a handful of sellers but at prime harvest time the giant car parks are jam packed with 1,000’s of individual farmers selling their product, then we continued onto Hutaymah Crater, formed by a volcano, this 600m wide and 150m deep crater sits in an expansive field of volcanic tuft grass.
Faid’s strategic location made it a key stopping point on the Arabian trading routes and later on the Iraqi Pilgrimage Route which connects Kufa and Mecca. The fort was built from volcanic lava and used as a place where travellers could rest and trade their goods, then from here we had a scenic drive through the mountains to our overnight stop in Ha’il. Qishlah Palace lies in the centre of Ha’il and was built in the 1940’s as a military barracks, weapons store and prison. A’arif Fort, Ha’il is the oldest building in the city and was constructed in the 17th century to guard the city against attack.
The next day we explored the rock art of Jubbah. Dating back to prehistoric times the mountain range surrounding the desert town is an ancient art gallery depicting wildlife, hunting scenes, symbolic motifs and dwellers names. Dedicated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2015, Mount Umm Sinman is one of the oldest inhabited sites in the region with stone tools and artefacts dating back 120,000 years ago! Tombs and stone circles have also been discovered from the Neolithic period (7,000 - 4,500 BC)
From here we travelled to the infamous AlUla, Elephant Rock stretches 52m into the sky and is hewn from sandstone eroded by wind and water. We then enjoyed a 2 hour hop on hop off tour of Hegra, founded by the Nabateans as their southern capital in the 1st century AD, there are over 100 tombs carved out of the rocks spread across the vast desert landscape. We then continued to the ancient Kingdom of Daden which features the Lion Tombs and was once on of the most developed communities in the whole of the Arabian peninsula before visiting Jabal Ikmah across the valley and its impressive rock art. AlUla’s Old Town Market Street comes alive after dark and is an historic marketplace with local handicrafts and restaurants.
Next stop was Medina and The Prophet’s Mosque (the 2nd largest mosque and holiest site in Islam after Mecca only allows Muslims to enter). The mosque contains the tomb of Muhammad and can fit 1 million pilgrims. The International Fair & Museum next door was one of the coolest museums I’ve ever visited - chock full of the latest technology. We then continued to The Blessed Grave of Hazrat Hamza (know as the Lion of Allah) next to Mount Uhud.
We then took the bullet train down to Jeddah which travelled as up to 300kph. The Central Fish Market, Jeddah was fun to walk around and see all the different and colourful varieties of seafood, some of which are only available in the Red Sea. There’s even a large area where you can get the fish prepared how you want after purchase. We then enjoyed a coach tour around the city including seeing part of the upcoming Formula 1 track and visiting Al Rahmah Mosque more commonly known as the “floating mosque” as once the tide comes in the structure seems to float on the water. The mosque was built in 1985 and is one of the most visited in Jeddah. Combining ancient and modern Islamic architecture, the structure compromises of a main dome, 52 outer domes, 23 external umbrellas and a single minaret. Next up was the very scenic and immaculate corniche, the waterfront stretches for 30 kilometres! In the cooler evenings, families come and hang out on the lawned areas and kids play in the multiple playgrounds. Home to numerous 5 star hotels, restaurants and cafes aswell as the highest fountain in the world (King Fahad) it’s a beautiful place to while away a few hours.
I’ve had a lot of amazing meals during this trip but Irth Boutique and Cafe, Jeddah was hands down the best. Launched by the Culinary Arts Commission and situated in a 120 year old building in the old town, the restaurant celebrates young Saudi Arabian chefs. Traditional dishes are given a modern twist and the flavours were off the charts! The final stop and one of my favourite places was the historic old town of Jeddah (Al Balad) which dates back to the 7th century! Originally a walled city, the old town consists of 650 traditional, wealthy merchant houses in the Hejazi style, built with coral stone and featuring iconic wooden balconies (rawasheens) which allowed ladies to view suitors and the goings on outside without being seen by the men. A UNESCO Heritage Site, the buildings feature three colours of balcony - the traditional brown, emerald green and sapphire blue. The maze of alleyways also feature mosques and a network of handicraft shops.
Saudi Arabia is definitely going to become a major tourist powerhouse within the next 10 years!
