Just go to Mount Harrat viewpoint to see the extent of Al Ula oasis. The presence of water and the consequent existence of an oasis was the reason why Dadan was able to develop and then become flourishing and rich with trade. A well organized and interesting tour, with very friendly and knowledgeable guides, which in our opinion should be done if you are in Al Ula, remembering however to bring a camera with a good zoom. Although it is not known why ancient people decided to leave their inscriptions here, Jabal Ikmah is also known by the title of “Open Library”. Here there are thousands of ancient inscriptions carved into the mountain. We then left the Dadan site and proceeded by bus until we reached Jabal Ikmah. After a few minutes by bus we stop at the edge of the excavations of the city which, in addition to proceeding slowly, offer very few interesting points for the tourist other than a huge cylindrical basin for water hewn from a single stone visible from far away. The guide provided us with binoculars to observe them and luckily we had a camera with a powerful zoom to take good photos. ![]() Unfortunately the Lion tombs of Dadan, the most famous among the tombs present in the region, carved into the rock at a height of 50 m, can only be seen from a long distance. Starting from the 7th century BC, Dadan was an important trading centre along the north–south caravan route of the Incense Road and then in 6th century BC the control over Dadan shifted to the kings of the tribe of Lihyan becoming the capital of Lihyan Kingdom. After an initial briefing, the site visit took place in two steps moving by bus. This solution is optimal because there are only a few parking spaces in front of the site. Here we got on the bus which took us to the Dadan site in a few minutes. We booked the visit online and, following the instructions, we parked in Winter Park. If you visit Aula it is definitely recommended to visit this viewpoint The restaurant, from which music spread, was very busy although we didn't stop having other dinner plans. The best time to visit Harrat is before sunset, when the reddish mountains have brighter colors, and the fact that the road starts from Winter Park helps this choice (we started our visit from the car park after Dadan's afternoon visit). The extensive green area of the oasis immediately makes us understand why this area had been inhabited since very ancient times. It seems to observe the town and the surrounding desert areas of mountains separated by flat sandy areas as if you were in a helicopter. At the end of the staircase you reach the true extremity of the mountain and therefore the real view point and from here the view of Al Ula is fantastic. After leaving the car in the car parking (there is a toilet there), you can proceed on foot down a staircase while the restaurant is on the left. The road then becomes flat along the rocky desert top of the mountain. Already during the ascent of the road the landscape of the Haraat Nature Reserve impresses with its beauty and the area is used for some adventure sports. It is a paved road in perfect condition which, climbing rapidly in its central part, in 17 km leads to a car parking next to the observation point. The road to this viewpoint begins at the roundabout at the western end of Winter Park. We recommend everyone to make this visit and hope that more in-depth visit options can be offered for those interested in the future. The visit is worth the trip to Saudi Arabia and it is spectacular even if the method of doing it by bus and in a short time can leave a little unsatisfied. During the Nabataean period all the vestiges were built and these ruins in a certain way recall Petra, the capital of this people. Hegra, known as Al-Hijr or Mada’in Salih, taken from the Nabataeans to the Lihyanite kingdom, was ruled by them in the 1st century AD before the annexation to the Roman Empire in the early 2nd century AD. The site is spectacular both for its tombs carved into the face of the rock and its desert setting. ![]() However we are more dedicated to the photos than to following the explanations also because the visiting times are not long. When we did the tour, the bus was not very crowded and the guide was very knowledgeable and helpful. The bus makes four stops in front of the main points of interest and in some of these points there are toilets. The tour of the site is done with an air-conditioned bus on which bottles of water are available at no cost. Arriving in Hegra we have seen that the parking area is large and therefore if you are late or want to reduce the transit time you can go directly to the site. We went to park in Winter Park as indicated on the reservation and here we checked in and took the bus to the site. We bought the tickets online in advance choosing the last tour of the day both to have a lower temperature and for a better intensity of colors for the photos.
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