HEGRA

Ancient Nabatean capital, Hegra is located 20 kilometers north of AlUla. The site is a vast sandy plateau planted with rocky bars and isolated rocks. The Nabataeans left a legacy of a hundred tombs dug into the rock, with ornamented facades. It is the second most important Nabataean site after Petra in Jordan. It was occupied between the 2nd century B.C. and the 2nd century A.D., which marks the golden age of the Nabataean civilization in the Middle East. Hegra is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008, making it the first Saudi site listed by the institution. Tours are organized by the Royal Commission of AlUla from the Winter Park. Due to the limited number of daily tours, it is recommended to book your ticket on the website. The tours are conducted in air-conditioned buses with an English-speaking guide. They last 2 hours. The bus makes 5 stops in the site. Videos are shown in the bus between each stop, presenting the essential characteristics of the next stop. It is also possible to visit Hegra at the same time in vintage Land-Rovers for private tours. In winter, Hegra organizes horse-drawn carriage tours and a "Hegra by night" show. The evening takes place at the foot of a group of tombs illuminated with hundreds of candles, followed by a carriage ride under the stars. It ends with a historical re-enactment of life at the time of the Nabataean king Aretas IV. All information is available on the AlUla website.

The history of Hegra. The Nabataeans succeeded the Lihyanite civilization and took over the oasis of AlUla around the 2nd century B.C. They settled their city further north around the Jebel Albanat. This civilization of unknown origins derived its wealth from the control of the incense, myrrh and spice route. It established an important city, very modern, which is currently being excavated by a team of French archaeologists. The city occupied the central part of the plateau. It was supplied with water by a complex network of pipes. Numerous wells supplied by natural springs or rainwater have been found all around the city. The network also made it possible to irrigate the fields that surrounded the city. The mountains and rocks of the plateau allowed the Nabataeans to perform their mortuary rites. Tombs were dug into the rock to bury the most important members of the community. Inscriptions give information on the lineages occupying the vaults. Hegra began its decline when the Romans took over the Middle East. The trade routes now took the sea route up the Red Sea. Evidence found at the site suggests that the troops of Emperor Trajan came down to Hegra, putting an end to Nabataean power around the beginning of the second century.

Following the rediscovery of the site of Petra by the Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812, Charles Montagu Doughty set out to find a second Nabataean city of which he had heard. The Nabataean tombs would be located near an Ottoman fortress and a Bedouin village on the road between Damascus and Mecca. The British writer joined a caravan of pilgrims on their way to the Hajj and reached Hegra in 1876. He spent two months in the Ottoman fortress and wrote about his discovery in his memoirs "Travels in Arabia Deserta" published in 1888. When the Ottomans built the Hedjaz Railway, they made the rails pass at the end of the site of Hegra. The station is still there and is currently undergoing a complete renovation to turn it into a hotel. In 1960, the Saudi government tried to sedentarize the Bedouins and proposed them to settle in Mada'in Saleh. The wells are already present to allow them to irrigate their fields. The discovery of inscriptions and archaeological elements in 1972 forced the government to find a new location for the Bedouins. The village was abandoned and the Bedouin settled to the north of the site, outside its boundaries. The Saudi government immediately recognized the importance of these discoveries, but undertook little scientific research. Idolatry and the veneration of objects, a taboo with a strict ban, prevented any serious excavations. Only a few archaeologists study the inscriptions discovered in 1977 and 1985. In the 2000s, the conservative religious measures were relaxed somewhat and the Saudi government began to document the archaeological treasures of Hegra. It brought in teams of archaeologists, including a French team, who undertook excavations and brought to light many elements that allowed a better understanding of the lifestyle of the Nabateans and the power of their civilization. Hegra occupies a major place in Saudi Arabia's desire to open up to international tourism. The site is still the object of important excavations, its size and its exposure to strong heat make that its visit remains very framed for the moment. The desert climatic conditions and the absence of occupation of the site by other civilizations or human groups after the fall of the Nabatean civilization make that Hegra presents an extraordinary state of conservation.

The tombs of Hegra. The necropolis of Hegra surrounded the city and is divided into 4 distinct zones. The tombs are dug in the soft sandstone of the mountains. 111 of them are decorated with elaborate exterior facades and 16 are simple vaults. Most of them include inscriptions giving the name of the deceased, his lineage and sometimes his profession. In particular, a large number of inscriptions mentioning military ranks have been found, suggesting that Hegra was a military center and that the city required special protection. The façades were carved from top to bottom, starting with the double staircase merlons, the cornice, the attic, the entablature and sometimes pilasters framing the doors. The tombs of high-ranking figures were larger and their facades could be adorned with additional decorative elements such as triangular pediments above the doors or medallions. In contrast, the interiors of the tombs have no decorative elements, only burial chambers cut into the walls or floors.

Tomb of Lihyan son of Kuza. The most emblematic tomb of Hegra is the only one of the whole site to have been carved in a monolithic block, isolated from the others. For this reason, it is also called Qasr al-Farid, "the isolated castle". It is obviously not a castle, but a tomb, the most beautiful of the entire site. The 22-meter high façade was carved in the direction of the city. The return of the rock on the right side allows to notice the mass of stone that had to be hollowed out to make the architectural pieces appear. The door is framed by 4 pilasters with Nabatean cornices and surmounted by an eagle. The tomb would have been carved around 186 BC. The lower part of the façade is more imprecise and less worked than the upper part, which suggests that it was unfinished.

Jebel al Banat. the "Mountain of the Girl" has many numbered tombs all around. If all the tombs are similar in their main elements, they are distinguished by singular decorative elements. One can thus see friezes of flowers which symbolize immortality, eagles or medallions above the tombs. Some have cartouches with the name of the deceased or the sculptor. On the west side of the mountain, one can see an unfinished façade. Only the merlon stands out from the wall. The rock is very crumbly, so it sometimes falls apart and collapses on itself during the work. Other tombs are unfinished for unknown reasons.

Jebel Ithlib. A narrow fault splits the mountain in two, allowing the passage. The picture is famous. Mount Ithlib was probably the main religious center of Hegra. The entrance to the narrow canyon is marked by a vast room carved in the rock, the diwan. Not much remains of the entrance, which must have been grandiose. The entablature has collapsed, as have some of the columns that frame the door. The large opening suggests that public meetings were held here. The exact function of this room is not known, but it is not unlike the tricliniums of Petra. A bench runs along the three interior walls. The room could possibly have been used for funeral banquets and libations. The Greek geographer Strabo reports in his "Geography" published in 7 B.C. that the Nabataeans "prepare meals together, in groups of 13 persons; and they have two young singers for each banquet. The king holds drinking contests [...], but no one drinks more than 11 full cups, each time from a different golden cup."

As you leave the diwan, in the parade, you will notice the presence of betyls and niches carved in the wall. The Nabateans practiced polytheism. The gods belonged to the pre-Islamic Arab pantheon with the addition of foreign deities, such as Isis from Egypt, Atargatis from Phoenicia or Dionysus from Greece. Dusares, whose name means "Lord of the Mountain" was possibly worshipped at Hegra, because of the inscription "Lord of the Temple" that was found. The betyls, these sculpted cylinders, represent the divine abode, the divine presence, without personifying it. The niches served as temples and allowed the faithful to place their portable betyls.

The procession leads to a natural esplanade where a temple was located. One can still see the bases of its foundation. On the right, stairs cut in the rock lead to other temples. Archaeologists have found a sacrificial circle at the top of a Jebel Ithlib (inaccessible). If the cultic rites of the Nabateans are rather unknown due to the absence of sources and the looting of different sites, we do know that they practiced sacrificial rituals of animals and sometimes even of humans.

Jebel Alahmar. The monolithic block has 18 tombs carved at different heights. The lowest ones have only recently been cleared. The entrances were blocked by aggregates of stone and sand. One can clearly see the interior of the lowest tombs. Just in front of Jebel Alahmar, a rock presents an original profile. The rock draws a face looking towards the sky.

The workshop. Between Jebel Ithlib and Jebel Alahmar, the tour stops near the old Ottoman station of the Hedjaz railway, north of the site. Women give demonstrations of pottery which you can buy at the store.