Look: Hegra, an ancient city in Saudi Arabia, now open to tourists

A general view shows the Nabataean archaeological site of al-Hijr (Hegra), near the northwestern Saudi city of al-Ula. Dating back to the first century BC, the archaeological site, now open to tourists, includes 111 tombs, most of which boast a decorated facade, cave drawings and even some pre-Nabataean inscriptions.

A partial view shows an ancient Nabataean carved tomb at the archaeological site of Hegra, near the northwestern Saudi city of Al-Ula. The Hegra Archaeological Site is the first World Heritage property inscribed in Saudi Arabia.

The archaeological site of Hegra is an important site of the Nabataean civilisation, in the south of its zone of influence. Its integrity is remarkable, and it is well conserved. It includes a significant ensemble of tombs and monuments whose architecture and decorations are directly cut into the sandstone. It bears witness to the development of Nabataean agricultural techniques using many artificial wells in rocky ground. The wells are still in use.

It bears witness to the encounter between various decorative and architectural influences (Assyrian, Egyptian, Phoenician, Hellenistic) and the epigraphic presence of several ancient languages (Lihyanite, Thamudic, Nabataean, Greek, Latin).

Qasr al-Farid, a single tomb carved into a small dome that stands alone in the open. The façade was never finished, so the heavily chiselled surface of the lower third documents how the tombs were fashioned from the top down.

The delicate details on the entrance portals and the smooth surfaces of its 111 tomb façades reflect the incredible skills of the masons of their time.

The Nabataeans began as pastoral nomads, raising their sheep, goats, and camels in the desert as so many other Arabian tribes have done through the millennia. Above, tourists visit the Nabataean archaeological site of Hegra.

They also practised oasis agriculture, utilizing a set of wells dug into the rock. Their origin is uncertain, but there is a strong possibility that they came from the Hejaz region of northwest Saudi Arabia.

However, the real cause of the Nabataeans' success was control over much of the spice trade.

The Nabataeans built their empire as the middlemen. Hegra was a crossroads where the major north-south incense route intersected a road from the Red Sea to the Arabian Gulf.

Before the Nabataeans chose Hegra as their most southerly outpost for caravans on the spice route, the settlement was occupied by their predecessors in the trade, the Dedanites and then the Lihyanites.

The new opportunity for tourists to see these works is in part due to Saudi Vision 2030, a plan for Saudi Arabia released in 2016 to help the country expand in tourism and trade.