Hegra, the 'Petra of Saudi Arabia'

Hegra, formerly known as Madain Saleh, is the first site in Saudi Arabia to be added to the World Heritage List. This archaeological area is the largest and best preserved area of the Nabataean civilization south of Petra in Jordan. The landscape is dotted with 111 tombs, 94 of which are decorated with beautiful facades. These tombs date from the 1st century B.C. to the 1st century A.D. In addition, about 50 inscriptions from the pre-Nabatean period and some cave drawings can be found. With its impressive architecture including monumental tombs and wells, Hegra is an example of extraordinary craftsmanship. The city reached its peak from the late 2nd century BCE to the 2nd century AD.

History of the Nabataeans and Hegra

The Nabataeans were desert nomads who became master traders, controlling the incense and spice trade routes through Arabia and Jordan to the Mediterranean, Egypt, Syria and Mesopotamia. Camel caravans laden with piles of fragrant peppercorns, ginger root, sugar and cotton passed through Hegra, a provincial town on the southern border of the kingdom. The Nabataeans also became purveyors of aromatic products, such as frankincense and myrrh, which were highly sought after during religious ceremonies.

The Nabataeans flourished from the 4th century BCE to the 1st century AD, when the ever-growing Roman Empire annexed their vast territory, which included modern Jordan, Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and parts of Saudi Arabia, Israel and Syria. Slowly, the Nabatean identity disappeared completely. Petra was forgotten by the West for centuries until Swiss explorer and geologist Johann Ludwig Burckhardt "rediscovered" it in 1812, although local Bedouin tribes had lived in the caves and tombs for generations. It could perhaps be said that Petra was not really seen by most Westerners until a century and a half later thanks to its starring role as the setting for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989.

The challenge in learning about the Nabataeans is that they left so little from first-hand history. With the immense popularity of Petra today, it is hard to imagine that we don't know much about its creators. Most of what we have learned about the Nabataeans comes from the documents of outsiders: the ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians.

"Laïla Nehmé, the director of the Hegra archaeological project says, 'The reason we don't know much about them is because we don't have any books or sources written by them that tell us about how they lived and died and worshipped their gods. We do have some outside sources, that is, people talking about them. They didn't leave great mythological texts like we have for Gilgamesh and Mesopotamia. We don't know their mythology.'

Like Petra, Hegra is a metropolis that became a necropolis: most surviving structures that can be seen today are tombs, with many of the city's architectural remains still waiting to be excavated or already literally lost to the ravages of time. One of the few places where the words of the Nabataeans live on is in the inscriptions above the entrances of several tombs in Hegra.

Obscure as they may be to us now, the Nabataeans were ancient pioneers in architecture and hydraulics, using the merciless desert environment for good. Rainwater from the mountains was collected for later use in underground cisterns. Natural water pipes were built around the tombs to protect their facades from erosion, preserving them well for thousands of years after their construction.

"These people were creative, innovative, imaginative, pioneering," says David Graf, who has been studying the Nabataeans since he unexpectedly unearthed some of their pottery during a dig in Jordan in 1980. "I was completely overwhelmed."

Hegra contains 111 carefully carved tombs, far fewer than the more than 600 at the Nabatean capital of Petra. But the tombs at Hegra are often in much better condition, giving you a better idea of the forgotten civilization. Classical Greek and Roman architecture clearly influenced the structures, and many tombs contain crowned columns bearing a triangular pediment above the doorway or a broad architrave. A Nabatean "crown," consisting of two sets of five steps, rests on the upper part of the facade, waiting to transport the soul to heaven. Sphinxes, eagles and griffins with wings spread - important symbols in the Greek, Roman, Egyptian and Persian worlds - hang menacingly above the entrances to the tombs to protect them from intruders. Others are guarded by Medusa-like masks, with snakes fanning out like hair.

Nehmé calls this style Arab Baroque. "Why Baroque? Because it's a mix of influences: we have some Mesopotamian, Iranian, Greek, Egyptian," she says. "You can borrow something completely from a civilization and try to reproduce it, which is not what they did. They borrowed from different places and built their own original models."

Intimidating inscriptions, found on many of the tombs at Hegra but rare at Petra, are etched into the facade and warn of fines and divine punishment for entering or secretly occupying the tomb as your property. "May the Lord of the world curse anyone who disturbs or opens this tomb," proclaims part of the inscription on Tomb 41, "... and further curse anyone who alters the texts on the tomb."

The inscriptions, written in a precursor of modern Arabic, sometimes read like confusing legal language, but a significant number contain dates - a gold mine for archaeologists and historians. The oldest dated tomb at Hegra dates to 1 B.C. and the most recent to 70 A.D., allowing researchers to fill in incompletes in the Nabataean timeline, although building a clear picture is still problematic.

Graf said about 7,000 Nabatean inscriptions have been found throughout their kingdom. "Of those 7,000, only just over 100 inscriptions have a date. Most are very brief graffiti: the name of a person and his father or a supplication to a deity. They are limited in their content, so it is difficult to write a history based on the inscriptions."

Some graves at Hegra are the final resting places for high officials and their families, who, according to the inscriptions on their tombs, took with them to the afterlife the adopted Roman military titles of prefect and centurion. The inscriptions also highlight the commercial importance of Hegra on the southern edge of the empire, and the texts reveal the diverse composition of Nabatean society.

"I claim that the word Nabatees is not an ethnic term," Graf said. "Rather, it's a political term. It means they were the people who controlled a kingdom and a dynasty, and there are all kinds of people in the Nabatean kingdom. Moabites, Syrians, Jews, all kinds of people."

The full stories behind many of these tombs remain unknown. The largest tomb at Hegra, which stands about 22 meters tall, is the monolithic tomb of Lihyan, son of Kuza, sometimes called Qasr al-Farid, meaning "Lonely Castle" because of its remote position in relation to the other tombs. It remained unfinished, with rough, unpolished chisel marks along the lower third. A few tombs were abandoned midway through construction for reasons that are unclear. The abandoned work at tomb 46 shows most clearly how the Nabataeans built from top to bottom, with only the stacked "crown" visible above a crude cliff. Both the tomb of Lihyan, son of Kuza, and tomb 46 have short inscriptions that let you know they belong to specific families.

Sights of Hegra

Hegra has more than 100 well-preserved tombs and temples, all carved out of the rock. These structures are decorated with beautiful reliefs and inscriptions that show the religious and cultural practices of the Nabataeans.

Qasr al-Farid

One of the most impressive and largest structures in Hegra is Qasr al-Farid, a large tomb that stands on a rocky hill. The tomb is constructed from a single piece of rock and is beautifully decorated with Nabatean reliefs and inscriptions. Try to arrive at sunset, when the enigmatic tomb turns pink and gold before darkness falls: breathtaking.

Al Khuraymat

Another highlight of Hegra is the Al Khuraymat. About 750 meters north of Qasr Al Saneh are some of the best-preserved tombs in Hegra - about 20 are carved into the rock. Note the elegant gynosphinxes (spirit guards with female heads, lion bodies and wings) that adorn the corners of pediments. There is archaeological evidence of plasterwork on the facades and the suggestion that people celebrated outside family tombs - a Nabataean "Day of the Dead.

The Nabataeans were masters of hydrology, manipulating rainwater runoff and underground cisterns to thrive in the desert landscape. The large Nabatean well was one of more than 60 wells currently known in the city. The wall supports - added in the 20th century - were built from railroad sleepers stolen from the Hejaz railroad. The Al Mahajar tombs are especially photogenic and are among the oldest in Hegra.

Qasr al Saneh

Qasr al Saneh: Reveals many of the essential elements of Nabatese funerary architecture: a relatively unadorned facade, two five-step motifs at the top, a simple internal burial chamber with shelves for corpses and inscriptions above the doorway. Built around AD 50, Qasr Al Saneh was used for only 50 years before the Nabatese kings were overwhelmed by the Romans.

Al Diwan

Al Diwan: Carved into the hillside to protect it from the wind, Al Diwan is one of the few existing examples of non-funeral architecture in Hegra. Its name (diwan means "living room") has more to do with modern Arab culture than with the Nabataeans, who likely used the area for sacred festivals. Opposite the hollowed-out chamber, which contains three benches and a large entrance suggests that feasts were held outside, are niches carved into the rock where Nabatean deities were carved. Exposure to the elements has severely degraded these sculptures.

South of Al Diwan runs the Siq, a narrow passage about 40m wide between two cliffs with more small altars. At the far end is a striking natural amphitheater. Climb up along the southeastern slope to several altars. From here you can look west and enjoy breathtaking views.

Qasr al Bint

Qasr al Bint (Palace of the Daughter): consists of a magnificent row of facades that offers dramatic views from Hegra. The eastern facade has two particularly well-preserved tombs. If you take a step back and look up near the northern end of the western facade, you will discern a tomb that was abandoned in the early construction phase and had it been completed would have been the largest in Hegra - only the stepped gable had been carved. These tombs date to about 31 AD.

In addition to the tombs and temples, well-preserved residential houses and public buildings can be seen at Hegra. These buildings give an insight into the daily life of the Nabataeans.

Hegra is a fascinating archaeological site that has much to offer history buffs and travelers interested in Middle Eastern culture.

Hejaz railroad

The Hejaz Railway was built by order of Ottoman ruler Sultan Abdulhamid II on Sept. 1, 1909. The main purpose of the railroad was to serve the two holy mosques and provide a modern means of transportation for pilgrims coming from Asia, Europe and the Levant to the shrines in Mecca and Medina, and to strengthen ties between the then-fragmented Muslim world. There are several stations along the railroad, the most prominent being: Tabuk, Hegra and Medina. The railroad came to a halt after the Arab uprising (1916/1918). Policy during the reign of Sultan Abdulhamid II focused on Islamic unity and grouping all the various ethnic minorities in the Ottoman Empire under one state. He appointed personal Arab advisers, including Ahmed Ezat Pasha from Damascus, who was one of the brains behind the construction of the Hejaz railroad and was a prominent adviser in the Sultan's court.

The construction of the railroad brought many benefits to the Ottoman Empire. The main benefit was replacing the camel caravans that took more than (40) painful days to travel from Damascus to Madinah. It became a meeting point for pilgrims from Anatolia, Central Asia and Russia, and it was used by the general public, strengthening Islamic ties. The other benefit was to facilitate the transportation of infantry and supplies between the Hejaz and Yemen.

The railroad passed through many barren valleys, which required the construction of bridges, the total number of which is estimated at about 2,000. Many of these bridges and crossings were built of locally hewn stone because of the difficulties in the supply and manufacture of reinforced concrete. The majority of these bridges and crossings are still in good condition. To protect the railroad, a station was built every 20 kilometers or less. In most of these stations there was a well or a tank to store water. Safety was the main problem that led to the large number of stations because the railroad crossed isolated and frightening areas, far from urbanity. Workers suffered from lack of food and extreme weather. Construction of the railroad attracted migrant workers from all over the Ottoman Empire, Morocco, Arabia, including European countries such as Italy and Greece. There are hundreds of them buried along the track.

Meet HINAT

For the first time, you can come face to face with a more than 2,000-year-old Nabatean woman. 'Hinat,' as she is affectionately called by archaeologists, was excavated from one of the tombs at Hegra in 2008. A small exhibition at the Hegra Welcome Center provides insight into the reconstruction of this Nabatese woman and explores her life in this once bustling city at the heart of the Incense Route. This special exhibition marks Hegra's 15th anniversary as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

National Geographic is happy to tell you more about Hinat.

How and when to visit Hegra?

Contact contact us for a visit to Hegra.

Although Hegra can be visited year-round, the best time to go is from November through March. During this period, temperatures are more pleasant, while temperatures above 40 degrees are common during the rest of the year.