No matter how well you think you know a place, there’s always more to learn – as Alice Morrison discovers on a trip to Saudi Arabia.
Stepping off the plane, I was greeted by the sound of Chopin. A Saudi man dressed in an immaculate thawb (white robe) and red-chequered keffiyeh (head covering) was masterfully playing a public piano in the arrivals lounge. As we exchanged smiles, I wondered what other unexpected moments might await me in Saudi Arabia.
I had wanted to visit for years. But, despite knowing the Middle East pretty well – I speak Arabic and have travelled extensively in the region – I worried about travelling to Saudi Arabia as a solo woman. I had visions of a severe, closed society and an unending, featureless desert. However, when the opportunity to go presented itself, I jumped at the chance. And now a classical music lover was challenging my preconceptions before I’d even left the airport.
Hegra: an underrated archaeological wonder
I was here to explore AlUla, a giant oasis set in the desert in the north of the country, surrounded by otherworldly red sandstone rocks and mountainous outcrops. It is the home of Hegra, the Nabateans’ second great city after Petra, in Jordan.
Like Petra, Hegra is an archaeological site scattered with immense rock-hewn tombs – albeit on a smaller scale, with around 100 tombs versus Petra’s 600 or so. The key difference is that while Petra receives almost a million visitors a year, Hegra only opened to tourism in 2020 and is pretty much unknown to most travellers – including, until recently, me. However, with Intrepid’s recently launched Saudi Arabia Women’s Expedition, that’s set to change, as visiting Hegra with a local female rawee (storyteller) is a highlight of the 12-day trip.
My guide around the site was Wedad, a petite Saudi woman in her twenties. She was dressed in ranger clothes with a Saudi twist: a long khaki coat with a matching headscarf and a giant safari hat. While women make up around 30 per cent of the workforce in the Kingdom, in travel and tourism it’s reported to reach up to 45 per cent – and approximately 30 per cent of guides are women.
‘I love my job,’ Wedad told me. ‘We are ambassadors for our ancestors here and are honoured to share their untold stories.’
We spent several joyous hours clambering over rocks, unleashing our inner adventurers, examining the glorious carvings on the outside of the tombs and the sombre graves inside.
The Nabateans might just be the greatest civilisation you have never heard of. They existed at the same time as the Romans and the pharaohs, and they were fabulously wealthy because they controlled the incense trade routes across the Arabian Peninsula. Wedad taught me lots of fascinating facts. Here are my top three:
- Unlike Roman emperors and Egyptian pharaohs, the Nabateans didn’t use slaves, even the king served his guests himself.
- You were only allowed to drink 11 cups of wine at a royal party – still pretty generous.
- The Nabateans were fond of cushions stuffed and decorated with ostrich feathers – well who isn’t?
Come face to face with the Nabateans
Even more interesting was the role women played in society. They appear to have shared the highest positions as traders, priestesses and even queens. A queen could pass the throne to her daughter and many of the tombs at Hegra were built for women.
Archaeologists have reconstructed the face of a Nabatean woman: Hinat. On display in a small exhibition at Hegra Visitor Centre, she is strangely haunting, seeming to look out at you from 2000 years ago. Scientists have uncovered little personal details about her; she had an abscess in her tooth and suffered from a bit of arthritis. I find these insights poignant and relatable, and I feel a real connection to this woman even though we’re divided by many centuries.
The region’s precious water and date palms are what have sustained human life here for millennia (you only need seven dates a day to survive – perfect for desert life). The Nabateans could only exist because of the oasis and it is a fascinating place to explore.
The desert defines the essence of Saudi Arabia, and I love being in those wide, open spaces. I sit in the shade of the palms, drinking fresh pomegranate juice and watching the peacocks strut – and start to see how ancient civilisations could thrive here, even in the soaring heat.
Exploring AlUla’s Old Town
The wide-open spaces of Hegra and the cool palms of the oasis contrast sharply with AlUla’s lively Old Town. Because of the high temperatures during the day, Saudis tend to come out en masse in the evening, when it is cooler. Groups of women promenade up and down, dressed mainly in black abayas (robes) decorated with eye-catching embroidery and head scarves – although women are now free to walk unveiled. This is a family-friendly culture, and kids rush up and down begging for ice creams or to be held on their dads’ shoulders to watch the bands playing along the central walkway.
There is a wide range of dining options. I went for both ends of the spectrum, from a coffee in US export, Dunkin’ (honestly, that is cooler than it sounds as it’s in a traditional mud building), to a rooftop feast at a fancy hotel. Then, I popped into one of the galleries to see a weaving and sculpture exhibition. So far, so cosmopolitan. ‘This is the new Saudi,’ one of the women working there told me as she showed me around.
From Hinat and the queens of Hegra to the modern-day women I met along the way, what surprised me most about Saudi Arabia was women’s place in society. The stereotype portrayed in the Western media is very different from the educated, engaged women I met, who were passionate about their work. That, and the openness and friendliness of the people.
My initial concerns about travelling here have long gone. And I can’t wait till my next visit. In January 2025, I plan to walk from the north to the south of the country in an expedition that will take five months and – I hope – throw up even more exciting discoveries.
See Hegra for yourself on our new Saudi Arabia: Women’s Expedition. Find out what else is new for 2025 with The Goods.
