Hegra.
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Overview

Hegra (ٱلْحِجْر al-Ḥijr), also Madain Saleh (مدائن صالح) is a large archaeological site in Hejaz, Saudi Arabia.

Understand

History Founded in the 3rd century BC, Hegra was the second capital of the Nabataean Kingdom. A city hewed out of rock in the same style as the first capital, Jordan's far more famous Petra, Hegra has been a since 2008, and would be a top tourist draw in any other country than Saudi Arabia. With the introduction of tourist visas by the Saudi government in 2019, it has now become easier for foreigners to visit, and there is now a concerted government effort in progress to build up tourist infrastructure and awareness of the site.

Climate Located at an elevation of 600m in the Hejaz Mountains, winter is high season at Hegra, with average daily highs a pleasant 20-28°C and lows dipping down to 10°C between November and March. The mercury starts really cranking up in May and by July it's often above 40°C for weeks on end.

Get in

The nearest town is Al-Ula, 22 km away from Hegra. Al-Ula has a small international airport that fields flights to major regional destinations. Saptco also runs direct buses to Al-Ula from major towns including Jeddah (8 hr) and Riyadh (13½ hr). See Al-Ula for details.

Fees and permits

Entry to the actual archeological sites of Hegra is only possible by participating on an official tour organized by the official government tour agency Experience Al Ula. Tickets can either be bought online in advance on their website, or by visiting their official ticket office in the , a public park and parking lot about 5 km north of the Old Town of Al Ula. The Winter Park Visitor Center is also the meeting point and departure point of all tours going to all important sightseeing sites, including Hegra.

Visitors are then being put into a tour group and headed by bus to the , the actual entrance of Hegra, about a 16-km bus ride north of the Winter Park.

The regular guided Day Tour to Hegra (SR 95 per person) usually takes about 3 hours, and includes the most important archeological sites. While the quality of the English-speaking guide and their knowledge meets high standards, the regular Hegra Day Tour may appear a bit rushed to visitors. This is specifically relevant to visitors who want to take their time for pictures or to explore the individual tombs. There are other, more expensive individual tour options like the Hegra Vintage Land Rover Tour or Hegra Night Tour.

Get around

If you are staying at one of the fancy hotels, you will most likely get arranged a transport to the Winter Park Visitor Center and to all the other relevant locations in the region.

If you are travelling independently, it's highly recommended to get around by rental car. Most of the sites, including the Winter Park Visitor Center, have large parking lots and are designed for individual car drivers in mind as well.

There is also a free golf cart shuttle service operating between the Northern and Southern Parking Lot of the Old Town of Al-Ula. Just hop on one of these golf carts driven by friendly ladies and they will be bring you there within about 3 minutes.

See

Within archaeological park Hegra's sights are divided across a number of different necropolis sites containing monumental tombs. The naming of the tombs and sites is not standardized, being described variously as qasr (castle), jabal (mountain) or after inscriptions found in the tombs. Access to the sites is only possible via guided tour taking in a set itinerary.

Qaṣr al-Farīd. The most iconic site at Hegra, this tomb stands 23 meters high and proudly alone.

Jabal al-Mahjar. Tombs cut on the eastern and western sides of four parallel rock outcrops. Façade decorations are small in size.

Jabal al-Khuraymat. The largest necropolis, consisting of numerous outcrops separated by sandy zones, although only eight of the outcrops have cut tombs, totaling 48 in quantity. The poor quality of sandstone and exposure to prevailing winds resulted to the poor state of conservation of most façades.

Jabal al-Banat. Contains the largest of all Hegra tombs, the Qasr al-Bint, a series of tombs carved up to 16 meters high.

These sites are outside the park and can be visited independently.

Elephant Rock. A very picturesque rock formation and scenic place to take pictures from the surrounding rocks. The actual bottom of Elephant Rock can only be accessed by paying entrance fee of a café that surrounds the whole rock. If you are an independent camper, you can also spend the night about 500 m south of Elephant rock and gaze at the illuminated rock at night.

Rainbow Arch. A bit off the beaten path, but highly recommended. A giant rock arch of about 100 m length, picturesquely located inside a rocky valley.

Do

Nabatean Rock Carving Workshop. It is usually part of the Jabal Ikhmal Day Tour. Visitors can carve their name in ancient Nabatean language onto small rocks, which they can take home as souvenirs afterwards.

Eat

The Old and New Towns of Al-Ula have a wide range of restaurants. On site in Hegra, though, the only eating option as of 2025 is a gelato cart in the Visitor Center.

Sleep

Staying overnight at Hegra is not allowed, so most visitors sleep in the vicinity of the Old Town of Al-Ula or in one of the resorts scattered around. Prices for accommodations in this part are being considered very high (also for Saudi Arabian standards), and there is almost no selection of budget hotels.

If you plan to sleep in your own car, caravan or camping equipment, the staff at the Winter Park Visitor Center recommends spending the night in front of the iconic Elephant Rock.