العلا
AlUla
The oasis of civilisations on the ancient Incense Route
Regional heritage
For millennia the AlUla oasis was a caravan station on the Incense Route, shaded by more than two million palms beneath the sandstone of Hegra — Saudi Arabia's first World Heritage site. AlUla's dates, led by Barni, fed the Dadanite and Nabataean civilisations.
Today the ancient oasis pulses with new life: organic farms and harvest festivals under palms that border Hegra's rock-hewn tombs.