AlUla
Maraya / Ashar Arts District
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The world's largest mirrored building, contemporary arts, luxury glamping, and the gateway to Sharaan Nature Reserve.
Maraya — Arabic for 'mirrors' — is the astonishing cubic concert hall clad entirely in mirrored panels that reflects the surrounding sandstone cliffs and sky, making the building appear to disappear into the landscape. It holds the Guinness World Record as the world's largest mirrored building and hosts the headline concerts of the Winter at Tantora festival from December to March. The surrounding Ashar Valley is AlUla's contemporary arts and hospitality cluster: luxury tented resorts (Our Habitas AlUla, Shaden Resort), the Ashar Arts District with curated galleries and outdoor installations, and the reception point for Sharaan Nature Reserve — the 1,500km² protected area designed by Jean Nouvel that encompasses the valley's gorges, ibex populations, and rock art sites. This is where AlUla's most expensive accommodation concentrates, alongside the best-designed restaurants and evening programming.
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Price
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Family-friendly
Centrality
What you gain
- ↑Maraya concert venue: outdoor and indoor performances set against illuminated sandstone cliffs during Winter at Tantora (Dec–Mar)
- ↑Closest accommodation cluster to Sharaan Nature Reserve — ibex tracking, gorge walks, and desert rock-art guided tours
- ↑Best restaurant and hospitality design in AlUla — Ashar Valley resorts lead the region for luxury glamping
What you sacrifice
- ↓Most expensive accommodation in AlUla — luxury tented resorts target high-end international visitors
- ↓20-minute drive from Hegra, 10 minutes from AlUla Old Town — a base for those with private transport
Best for
Avoid if
Other AlUla neighbourhoods
A 13th-century mud-brick ghost city in the palm oasis — 900 abandoned houses, winding alleyways, and a hilltop Ottoman fortress.
The volcanic rock elephant and the ancient Lihyanite city ruins — AlUla's most iconic landscape, 10 minutes from town.
Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site — 111 Nabataean rock tombs carved into sandstone mountains, 23km south of town.
Know where to stay — now find when to go.
Best time to visit AlUla →