What’s there in Saudi Arabia for the traveller? Aah, you’d be surprised.

Hidden deep inside the desert which covers 95 percent of its terrain are historical and natural wonders which are all the more extraordinary because one could not access them till recently. It is only on 27 September, 2019, that the Kingdom launched its tourist visa.

These treasures span the nation’s very essence—spread across a wide arc, both geographical and in time. From plentiful prehistoric petroglyphs in Jubbah, to impressive remnants of Saudi Arabia’s earliest civilizations from the 1st millennium BC in Dadan. From Hegra’s mystical windswept 2,000-year-old Nabataean tombs, to the medieval town of AlUla steeped in stories. Jump to more recent times, and one gets to explore Adobe forts from the Saudi States in Ha’il to its vision for the future through the ‘Mirror’ aka Maraya Concert Hall nestled in the vast Arabian Desert.

Interesting? Mind-boggling is more the word. Let me take you on a photo essay from Ha’il to AlUla’s Maraya and the secrets the desert guards oh so zealously along the way. ❤️

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