• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
butfirstchai.com
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Meet Famidha
  • Globe Cooking Mad
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Meet Famidha
    • Globe Cooking Mad
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×
    • chocolate salami served in a round plate.
      Chocolate Salami without Eggs
    • a plate of chocolate date balls
      Chocolate Date Balls
    • a pot of kofta curry
      Koftay Ka Salan | Meatballs Curry
    • arayes stacked
      Arayes
    • erachi choru - kerala style beef rice recipe
      Beef Rice (Erachi Choru)
    • palak paneer recipe without tomatoes
      Palak Paneer
    • red seeds milk drink recipe
      Red Seeds Milk Drink (Aliv seeds)
    • chicken chettinad curry recipe
      Chicken Chettinad Curry
    • masala chai with whole spices
      Masala Chai with Whole Spices
    • sambousek
      Sambousek
    • Greek Ekmek Kataifi using Custard Powder
    • No-Churn Mango Ice Cream

    Home » Chai Break & Travel

    Drive to Antiquities of Mada'in Saleh

    Published: Apr 20, 2016 · Modified: Sep 17, 2022 by Famidha Ashraf with Leave a Comment

    Continuing with the earlier post on Hijaz Railway, today I will share the next best thing at Mada'in Saleh. It is an archaeological site located in the Al-Ula sector, which is in the Al Madinah Region. It is roughly 400 km from Yanbu Al Bahr and can be reached in 3 to 4 hours. This location was the settlement of the people of the Nabataean kingdom during the 1st century AD and is extended from its capital Petra in Jordan.

    Like I mentioned before, you will know you reached the Stoneland as the land has acres of scattered rocks with the same pattern like waves carved around each rock. As we left in haste I had no prior reading or knowledge of the place so it really astonished me when I got to know that this place had been referenced in The Qur’an. As per the wiki, according to the Islamic text, the Thamudis, who carved out homes in the mountains, were punished by Allah for their practice of idol worship, being struck by an earthquake and lightning blasts. Thus, the site has earned a reputation as a cursed place — an image that the national government is attempting to overcome as it seeks to develop Mada'in Saleh for its tourism potential.


    The most famous and the most photographed tomb here is this loner called Qasr al-Farid.

     

    Despite it being a cursed place, the site is well maintained and in 2008 UNESCO proclaimed Mada'in Saleh as Saudi Arabia's first World Heritage Site. It was chosen for its well-preserved remains from late antiquity, especially the 131 rock-cut monumental tombs, with their elaborately ornamented façades, of the Nabataean kingdom.- wiki

     


    As I walked around the loose sand ground that filled my shoes, I was in awe imagining how the people at that early time carved on such huge rocks without any modern safety equipment! How did they live, cook, work, communicate, etc. and immediately shifted my thoughts 1000 years from now when we would be the case of scrutiny 😀 Well, history keeps happening and these remain that talk to us.

    This site is full of big and small tombs of royal and not-so-royal families of Nabataean. The outside splendour will leave you speechless but once you enter a tomb you will see the stark truth of death. At first, I didn't think all of the places there were tombs. I thought it was one and the rest are houses with shelves! really I was so stupid! They were burial spots on the walls for the rest of the family members too.

    You are on your own and there is no supervisor or guide or even caretaker near the location. These information placards that were mounted in front of a few specific tombs were the only insight into what we were looking at. Yet, I am glad it is maintained far better than I expected. I did notice that even here, like in India some idiots have scribbled to leave their mark I suppose. What do they get by doing that??

    There were also mentions about Nabataean's excellent water storage system using artificial wells and agriculture techniques that brought them wealth and became a buzzing city.

    We were walking around in peak afternoon,  and yet it was pleasant weather even though it was sunny. There are no food stalls or even water stations around this place. So carry your own for emergencies. I saw just another couple of cars during our time and so it is not crowded which gives us the liberty to stay and take a look at everything there. we chose to leave early as we had to drive back to Yanbu and EAT!

    None of the pictures here is edited or modified. I really thought I will have lots to share, but with time I have forgotten some details 🙁 However, the good news is there are a few websites dedicated to this place apart from Wiki. If you are interested you can read more from them.

    Wiki
    UNESCO

    More Chai Break & Travel

    • Most Popular Recipes 2021
    • Most Popular Recipes of 2020
    • Most Popular Recipes of 2019
    • The hunt for home, IKEA shopping and things we did in Feb

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    No Comments

    Did you make this recipe? Let me know! Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    I'm Famidha, a chai lover, Indian in UAE, Hooman of two cats, a Malabari who loves Tamil food and the cook cum writer behind But first Chai.

    More about me →

    Trending

    • baked samosas
      Baked Samosas
    • two mugs of chai
      Chai for Two
    • kacchi mutton biryani served with yoghurt, pappad and onions
      Kacchi Mutton Biryani
    • cream kunafa
      Cream Kunafa

    Seasonal

    • a loaf of tahini cake with tahini glaze
      Tahini Loaf Cake
    • three puff pastry afghan samosas on a blue plate.
      Afghan Sambosa with Meat and Peas
    • mansaf with jameed sauce
      Jordanian Mansaf | Lamb Meat Cooked in Jameed Sauce
    • yemeni chicken mandi recipe
      Yemeni Chicken Mandi | Baked Smoky Chicken Rice

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Media Mentions

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up!

    Contact

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Pinterest

    Copyright © 2023 But first Chai