Hegra (Mada'in Saleh)

Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site — 111 Nabataean rock tombs carved into sandstone mountains, 23km south of town.

Hegra is the southern anchor of the AlUla valley and the reason most visitors fly in. The Nabataean civilisation carved monumental tomb facades — some 22 metres high — directly into the faces of freestanding sandstone inselbergs between the 1st century BC and 1st century AD. With 111 preserved tombs across an area larger than Petra but a fraction of the crowds, Hegra has an eerie solitude that the Jordanian site lost decades ago. Access is by timed-entry guided tour departing from the Hegra visitor centre; the highlight circuits are Jabal Ithlib (a Nabataean processional way and biclinium carved sanctuary) and the Qabr al-Bint tombs. The site sits 23km south of AlUla town across the palm-grove valley, accessible by shuttle or private car.