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UNESCO World Heritage Sites of KSA

UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Saudi Arabia

2.1

There are six UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Saudi Arabia inscribed from 2008 to 2021 namely:

01. Al Hijr Archaeological Site (Madaiín Saleh)

02. Al Turaif

03. Historic Jeddah

04. Rock Art in Al Hail Region

05. Al Ahsa Oasis

06. Hima Cultural Area

Here TBO Academy takes you on a journey of discovery to each of these diverse UNESCO World Heritage sites spread across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Come explore, learn, appreciate, imbibe, enjoy these gems of Saudi culture and heritage and disseminate the information further to your esteemed clients for them to plan a culturally and historically enriching journey to what is considered the last frontier of tourism in the world – The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Al Hijr

2.2

Site 01.

Name	Al Hijr Archaeological Site - Mada’in Saleh
Location	Al Ula Governorate
Inscribed	by UNESCO as World Heritage Site in 2008
Airport	Prince Abdul Majeed bin Abdulaziz Airport
Airlines	Saudia, Flynas Airlines

The Site:

Sitting deep in the desert in the kingdom’s northwest Al-Ula region and historically located on the ancient frankincense road is the gateway to Saudi Arabia’s very own Petra – Mada’in Saleh also known as Al Hijr. It was the first site in Saudi Arabia to be inscribed by UNESCO as a world heritage site in 2008. It is home to an ensemble of monumental well preserved ancient tombs of the lost civilization of the Nabateans dating from the 1st century BC to the 1st century AD whose architecture and decorations are directly cut into the sandstone.

The Nabateans were desert dwelling nomads turned merchants who transformed Al Hijr into a thriving international trade hub that facilitated the trading of frankincense, myrrh, spices, silk and other luxury items through Arabia, modern day Jordan, Egypt and Mesopotamia to the Mediterranean and at its peak it was the second most important city of the Nabatean kingdom. As a result of the trade the Nabateans prospered from the 4th century BC to the 1st century AD when the expanding Roman empire annexed their land and subsumed their huge wealth due to which Nabateans declined.

The Nabateans were creative, innovative, imaginative, pioneering and they harnessed the harsh desert environment to their benefit evident in its architecture, and in preservation of rainwater collected for later use in ground-level cisterns.

Like its more famous cousin Petra in Jordan, Al Hijr is a metropolis turned necropolis where most of the remaining structures that can be seen today are tombs with much of the architectural remains waiting to be excavated. It is also one of the only places where the words of Nabateans exist in the inscriptions above the entrances to several of the tombs of Al Hijr.

The area of al-Ula is an archaeological treasure trove with heritage sites like Al-Ula’s labyrinthine old town of mud houses, the Biblical settlement of Dadan, the capital of ancient Dadanite and Lihyanite kingdoms which predated the Nabateans and Jabal Ikmah, a canyon filled with ancient rock inscriptions.

There is much to explore, discover and learn of 7000 years of history when in the area.

Al Hijr (Contd.)

Highlights of Al Hijr (Mada’ín Saleh)

- The Al Hijr archaeological site bears unique testimony of the architectural style specific to the Nabateans, consisting of monuments directly cut into rocks and with facades bearing a large number of decorated motifs.

- The site consists of four necropolis which include 111 monumental tombs 94 of which are decorated with inscriptions, a Siq, walls, towers, water conduits and cisterns.

- The site has a set of wells most of which were sunk into the rock demonstrating the Nabateans mastery of hydraulic technique for agricultural purposes and interestingly these wells are still in use.

- Al-Ula Heritage village also known as Ad-Deerah is a traditional Arabian village which has existed for more than 8 centuries and was inhabited until the 20th century. Visitors can admire beautiful mud ruins, sundial and the village mosque here.

- Al-Ula Fort was built in the 6th century using red sandstone blocks on a promontory that offers panoramic views of the surrounding valley with red tinged cliffs.

- Ar-Ruzeiqiah is a mountain in the southern part Al-Ula region with a large petroglyph panel displaying hundreds of images including descriptions of hunting scenes with humans and animals. Also of note is Mount Ikma and on its large façade can be found inscriptions and strange symbols.

- The designated core zone also includes two historic sites from the later date – the Ottoman fort built between 1744 and 1757 and Hedjaz railway station built by Ottoman empire between 1901-1908 to link Damascus and Jerusalem to the holy cities of Madinah and Makkah.

- To promote tourism the Saudi authorities since 2018 are holding ‘Winter at Tantora Festival’ inspired by a local sundial is a traditional celebration to mark the changing of the seasons and the festival has music, arts and food with performances from invited national and international artistes.

Accommodations - Visitors can stay in Madain Saleh in:

Sahrny Al Ula Resort

Shaheen Resort

Waad Al Ula Hotel

Al Turaif

Site 02.

Name	Al Turaif
Location	ad- Dirýah, Riyadh Governorate
Inscribed	by UNESCO as World Heritage Site in 2010
Airport	King Khalid International Airport
Airlines	Saudia Airlines, Flynas

The Site:

This is located in Ad-Diriyah northwest of Riyadh was founded in the 15th century. Al Turaif is regarded as one of the most important political and historical sites in Saudi Arabia known as the original home of the Al-Saud dynasty and was also the country’s first capital from 1744 to 1818. Invaded and sacked by the Ottomans in 1818 and thereafter it was abandoned in favor of Riyadh.

Al-Turaif was the first historic centre with a unifying power in the Arabian Peninsula. Its influence was greatly strengthened by the teachings of Sheikh Abdul Wahab, a reformer of Sunni Islam who lived, preached and died in this city and after his enduring alliance in mid-18th century with the ruling elite the message of Salafiyyah spread throughout the Muslim world.

Al-Turaif remained deserted until 2000 when Saudi authorities carried out an impressive restoration project to transform the site into an international tourist destination.

The site has the remains of many palaces built in the Najdi architectural and decorative style and has an urban ensemble built on the edge of Al-Diríyah oasis was one of the UNESCO criteria to list the district as a World Heritage site.

Al Turaif (Contd.)

Highlights of Al-Turaif District:

- From stunning castles to beautiful Najdi landscapes combined with a rich history makes Al-Turaif a must visit site on a trip to the kingdom.

- Al-Turaif is an outstanding example of the Najdi architectural style characteristic of the centre of the Arabian Peninsula representative of a diversified and fortified urban ensemble with an oasis.

- Rich in history, it was once home to Mohammed bin Saud the founder of first Saudi state.

- The site provides an insight into the old Saudi way of life, the architecture of those times (usually two storied houses with a central courtyard), other old houses, walk through labyrinth of alleyways of that era. For visitors it will be like exploring what is essentially a giant open-air museum.

- Visitors to Al-Turaif should visit Salwa Palace – once the royal residence of the monarch of first Saudi state and centre of power houses four museums namely Diriyah Museum, the Arabian horse museum, military museum and the Saudi daily life museum housing a large collection of materials and displays documenting the life and times of the kingdom’s royal family, Saad bin Saud and Nasser bin Saud palaces. Also worth a look are Al-Turaif Bath house and Imam Mohammad bin Saud Mosque.

Accommodations - Visitors can stay in Al Turaif in:

* Visitors should take note that Al Turaif is about 23 kms. From Riyadh and it can also be visited while based in Riyadh city where there is a large choice of hotels to suit different budgets however below TBO Academy is sharing the hotels located in Al Turaif itself.

Briara Hettin Resort and Villas

Saraya Al Daraya Aparthotel

Taleen Al Aqiq Hotel Apartments

Historic Jeddah, the Gate to Makkah

Site 03.

Name	Historic Jeddah, the Gate to Makkah
Location	in Jeddah city, Makkah Province
Inscribed	by UNESCO as World Heritage Site in 2014
Airport	King Abdulaziz International Airport
Airlines	Saudia, Flynas Airlines

The Site:

Known as ‘the Bride of the Red Sea’, Jeddah is the second largest city in Saudi Arabia with a fascinating history that spans thousands of years of civilization pre-dating Islam and Christianity. Jeddah is believed to have been permanently settled in 522 BC by members of Qudaá tribe who were from Yemen however it was under the third Rashidun Caliph – Othman that the city acquired prominence when he declared Jeddah the official port of the holy city of Makkah thus establishing its commercial foundation which made it the prosperous city of today.

Al-Balad founded in the 7th century literally means the town is the historic centre of the city of Jeddah. It has since served as a gateway and passageway for Muslim pilgrims to the holy city. After the opening of Suez Canal in 1869, Indian ocean sea trade flourished in the historic city making Jeddah even more significant cosmopolitan and a commercial hub which continues to serve millions of Muslim pilgrims annually for Haj and round the year for Umrah pilgrims.

The cityscape of historic Jeddah is the result of exchange of human values, technical know-how, building materials and techniques used across the Red Sea region and along the Indian ocean routes between the 16th and early 20th centuries. Historic Jeddah represents the cultural world that thrived thanks to international sea trade, possessed a shared geographical, cultural and religious background and built settlements with specific innovative technical and aesthetic solutions to cope with extreme climatic conditions like heat and humidity of the region. Historic Jeddah is a unique example of its final flourishing as a pilgrimage and trading city that still preserves the ensemble of the attributes of this culture, commercial based economy, multi-cultural environment, coral masonry construction, precious woodwork, decorating the house facades and use of innovative methods to aid internal ventilation.

Historic Jeddah, the Gate to Makkah (Contd.)

Highlights of Historic Jeddah:

- Al Balad District is a thriving multicultural neighbourhood famous for its heritage buildings and traditional intricately designed ‘Hejazi mansions’, has fascinating maze-like narrow alleyways that retain a real sense of old Arabia.

- it also boasts of having Jeddah’s oldest mosque – Masjid al Shafi’i said to be dating back to the time of Rashidun Caliph Umar, ‘Bab Makkah’ (gate of Makkah) which faces the holiest city of Islam where millions go for Hajj and Umrah, village majlis (place where people congregated), souqs that still exist as they did centuries ago with shops and street vendors plying their colourful and exotic wares.

- Old Mansions of Merchant Elite in Al Balad area:

Beit Al Balad: also known as municipality museum was previously the British legation’s (diplomatic representative office) headquarters from 1915 to 1930s. It has now been converted to a museum and showcases ‘Hejazi’ architecture and houses an impressive collection of artifacts, paintings and photographs.

- Beit Al Nasseef: also known as ‘Nasseef House Museum’ is one of the best-preserved buildings of the historic area is a grand four storey mansion which features elaborate architectural elements including wooden lattice windows, Islamic calligraphy carvings and stairways to accommodate horses and camels. This building is considered to be the epitome of the ‘Hejazi architecture’. It was also the temporary residence of the founder of modern Saudi Arabia ‘Ibn Saud’ who stayed here for 3 years while in Jeddah.

- Matbouli House: is over three centuries old and a beautiful example of a traditional Hejazi merchant’s home now tastefully restored and this heritage building as a private museum is now open to public. This three-storey mansion belongs to the prominent ‘Matbouli’ business family whose ancestors were the ‘Sheikhs’ of grain traders in Jeddah.

- Souqs in the Historic Quarter: in the past within the walled perimeters of Jeddah of what is now known as ‘Al Balad’ or the historic quarter of Jeddah the souqs then were the economic lifeline of this port city servicing the local population and the arriving and departing pilgrims and today they offer a delightful shopping experience to tourists and pilgrims while they are in Jeddah. These bazaars sell foodstuff, handicrafts, fabrics, dresses, abayas, leather merchandise, spices, dates, frankincense, Arabic perfumes, gold jewellery, utensils, trinkets, fresh meats, delicious street food and much more.

Souqs (traditional marketplaces) to look out for in Historic Jeddah:

Souq Al Nada

Souq Al Alawi (one of the oldest souqs of Jeddah)

Al Khashkia

Souq Al Badw (Bedouin market)

Souq Qabil

Accommodations - Visitors can stay in Al Balad, Jeddah in:

* Visitors to Jeddah are spoilt for choice when it comes to accommodations to suit various budget ranges spread across the city however here TBO Academy is providing hotels located close to historic Jeddah for visitors who would like to stay and enjoy close proximity to this UNESCO World Heritage site.

Holiday Inn Al Salam

Jeddah Jeddah Trident Hotel

Mena Red Sea Palace

Burj Al Balad Hotel Apartments

Al Azhar Hotel

Touq Balad

Cozy Apartment

Rock Art in Al Hail Region

Site 04.

Name	Rock Art in Al Hail Region
Location	Hail Province
Inscribed	by UNESCO as World Heritage Site in 2015
Airport	Hail Regional Airport
Airlines	Saudia, Flynas, Nesma Airlines

The Site:

The rock art sites are located in the desert of Hail region and includes two components, the first is Umm Simhan mountain in the city of Jubbah located 90 kms. northwest of the city of Hail and the second is Jabal Al-Manjor and Raat at Al-Shuwaymis, 250 kms. south of Hail where ancestors of today’s Arab population have left traces of their passages in numerous petroglyphs and inscriptions on the rock faces which cover ten thousand years of history.

These sites have been visited by European historians such as Doughty in 1888, Huber in 1899, Euting in 1914, Philby in 1952 besides others who wrote brief accounts of the site. The rock art site at Jubbah was first thoroughly investigated and recorded by the rock art survey team of the Department of Antiquities and Museums of Saudi Arabia in 1986 and published their report in 1987. Later the site was re-visited by Dr. Bednarik and Dr. Khan who wrote a scientific report in ‘Rock Art Research’ in 2005.

The rock art in Hail provides an exceptional testimony to the challenges of past societies that vanished due environmental catastrophes leaving behind a very detailed record of its existence.

Rock Art in Al Hail Region (Contd.)

Highlights of Rock Art at Hail:

- The sites at Hail contain the biggest and the richest rock art complexes in Saudi Arabia. The sites contain some of the best examples of Neolithic rock art.

- The petroglyphs were carved using a range of techniques with simple stone hammers which represent visually stunning expressions of human creative genius.

- The petroglyphs show numerous representations of humans and animal figures providing clues to their activities, hairstyles and clothing. Differences in social status can also be seen in carvings by a few large figures wearing unique ornamentation.

- Interestingly the rock art at Hail is the first ever depiction of dogs and also shows the world’s oldest images of dogs.

- There are scenes of hunting dogs that were domesticated and shown being walked on leashes. Domesticated dogs were used to hunt a variety of game including gazelle, ibex and even wild Arabian horses.

- Processes of desertification from the mid-Holocene period altered the local environmental conditions and patterns of human settlement in the area and these changes are expressed in petroglyph panels and inscriptions.

- The petroglyphs are well executed and detailed and must have taken considerable time and effort to carve.

- The components of the sites have been extensively documented and are in a good state of conservation.

Accommodations - Visitors can stay in Al Hail in:

Millennium Hotel

Holiday Villa Hail Hotel

Golden Tulip Hail Hotel

Sukhai Royal Hotel

Aromani Hotel

Princess Suites Hail

Raoum Inn Hail

Al Ahsa Oasis

Site 05.

Name	Al Ahsa Oasis
Location	Al Ahsa Governorate, Eastern Province
Inscribed	by UNESCO as World Heritage Site in 2018
Airport	Al Ahsa International Airport
Airlines	Saudia Airlines, Flynas

The Site:

Al Ahsa Oasis located in south-eastern Saudi Arabia. It has been recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site under the natural and cultural heritage category. This cultural landscape consists of gardens, canals, springs, wells, an agricultural drainage lake, archaeological sites and historic buildings.

Meaning of Al Ahsa:

Is the plural of Al-Hisa which refers to the accumulated sand with an impermeable layer underneath, thus when rain comes down, the water soaks through the sand remaining protected from evaporation by the sand and be retained by the base layer, forming an aquifer hence the site when drilled for water would become like a sweet cold spring. The oasis landscape that evolved over thousands of years presents a way of life typical of the gulf region of the Arabian Peninsula.

Al Ahsa Oasis (Contd.)

Highlights of Al Ahsa Oasis:

- Al Ahsa has been continuously inhabited since neolithic times to the present and is a microcosm of Saudi Arabia’s archaeological and ecological features occupying an area of 85.4 square kilometers irrigated by 280 artesian springs.

- The oasis is an outstanding example of traditional human settlement developed in a desert environment exemplifying the intimate link between landscape, natural resources and the human effort to settle the land.

- The rich water table close to the surface permitted the growth of a large oasis settlement.

- The vestiges of villages, fortresses, mosques, markets and houses though in a ruinous shape preserve a complete catalogue of the architectural elements composing the urban settlement of Al Ahsa from the early Islamic period to the Saudi kingdom.

- Guinness book of world records has declared Al Ahsa the largest self-contained oasis in the world with more than 2 million palm trees, 12 landmark locations namely – Eastern Oasis, Northern Oasis, As-Seef, Suq-Al-Qasariyah, Khuzam palace, Ibrahim palace, Jawatha archaeological site, Jawatha mosque, Al-Oyun village, Ain Qannas archaeological site and the yellow lake.

- Al Ahsa was previously included in UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network in the field of handicrafts and folk arts in 2015.

- Al Ahsa Oasis remains today the largest agricultural area in the Arabian Peninsula and is particularly famous for the highly rated Khalasah date variety grown here.

- A dates festival is held every year in Al Ahsa.

Accommodations - Visitors can stay in Al Ahsa in:

Intercontinental Al Ahsa,an IGH Hotel

Al Ahsa Grand Hotel

Somewhere Bliss HotelAl Ahsa

Coral Al Ahsa Hotel

Palm Lily Suites Hotel

Al Muhaidb Residence Al Ahsa

Grand Lily Hotel Suites

Lily Hotel Suite Mubarraz

Hima Cultural Area

Site 06.

Name	Hima Cultural Area
Location	Najran Governorate
Inscribed	by UNESCO as World Heritage Site in 2021
Airport	Najran Regional Airport
Airlines	Saudia Airlines, Flynas

The Site:

Bir Hima is located in an arid and mountainous area in Najran province in southwest Saudi Arabia between Najran and Wadi Addawasir. This ancient Paleolithic and Neolithic era site is believed to be 7000 years old. Hima cultural area is a rock art site that contains a substantial collection of rock art images depicting flora, fauna, hunting scenes and lifestyles in a cultural continuity of thousands of years. The site is also rich in unexcavated archaeological resources in the form of stone structures, stone tool scatters and seven freshwater ancient wells that fascinate archaeologists and visitors alike.

The area was explored by Philby-Ryckmans-Lippen expedition in 1951. It found that the area was once a major route for traders, armies and later Hajj pilgrims who travelled from different parts of Arabia namely Mesopotamia, the Levant and Egypt. UNESCO has noted while inscribing this site that it has a universal value providing valuable information on evolution of human life and culture in ancient times.

Hima Cultural Area (Contd.)

Highlights of Hima Cultural Area:

- The site is about 140 kms. north of the city of Najran is well preserved and has largely intact rock art.

- Archaeological excavations carried out discovered that the city of Najran is amongst the oldest inhabited places through archeological evidence at various sites belonging to different periods in history starting with the ancient stone age to the Islamic are.

- It is one of the largest rock art complexes in the world and features over 34 separate sites including rock inscriptions which are believed to be 7000 years old and also wells that are 3000 years old and still produce fresh water along the ancient Arabian caravan route.

- People crossing the desert over the centuries have left a remarkable collection of rock art petroglyphs depicting hunting, wildlife, plants, symbols, bows, spears, stone circles, graves and tools used at the time, as well as thousands of inscriptions in a range of languages like Thamudic, Greek and Arabic.

- 1239 human drawings, 5121 animal drawings, 3616 Thamudic inscriptions, 2775 ancient South Arabian script (Musnad) inscriptions and 3 Nabatean inscriptions have been found while excavations and scientific research continue to uncover more monuments and historical cultural heritage.

Accommodations - Visitors can stay in Najran City in:

Currently accommodations for visiting Hima Cultural area can be availed in Najran city:

Park Inn by Radisson, Najran

Gloria Inn Najran

Hotel Le Park Concord

Najran Hotel

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UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Saudi Arabia

Al Hijr

Al Hijr (Contd.)

Al Turaif

Al Turaif (Contd.)

Historic Jeddah, the Gate to Makkah

Historic Jeddah, the Gate to Makkah (Contd.)

Rock Art in Al Hail Region

Rock Art in Al Hail Region (Contd.)

Al Ahsa Oasis

Al Ahsa Oasis (Contd.)

Hima Cultural Area

Hima Cultural Area (Contd.)

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