Product Description

Pretend you’re an archaeologist for the day on this private tour that takes you to the remote areas of Hegra, Dadan, and Ikmah. Feel free to customize this itinerary depending on your group’s interests. Check out Elephant Rock, Lion Tombs of Dadan, pre-Arabic inscriptions on various sites, and much more.

From the moment your tour starts, your tour leader will give you full attention. Once in the car, your tour leader will talk to you about all the things on the way as well as other aspects of your tour that will interest you.

Start your tour by visiting the Hegra, also known as Madain Saleh, or Al-Ḥijr is an archaeological site located in the area of AlUla within the Madinah Region in the Hejaz, Saudi Arabia. A majority of the remains date from the Nabatean kingdom. The site constitutes the kingdom’s southernmost and largest settlement after Petra, its capital. The Archaeological Site of Al-Hijr (Madain Saleh) is the first World Heritage property to be inscribed in Saudi Arabia. Formerly known as Hegra it is the largest conserved site of the civilization of the Nabataeans south of Petra in Jordan. It features well-preserved monumental tombs with decorated facades dating from the 1st century BC to the 1st century AD. The site also features some 50 inscriptions of the pre-Nabataean period and some cave drawings. Al-Hijr bears a unique testimony to Nabataean civilization.

Then enjoy Elephant Rock, This spectacular rock formation resembles an elephant with its trunk touching the ground, is one of AlUla’s geomorphological wonders became one of AlUla’s iconic landmarks. Elephant Rock, also known as Jabal AlFil, is one of AlUla’s many geological marvels.

Then visit Jabal Ikmah, An open-air library across AlUla’s Valley, lie thousands of inscriptions in Aramaic, Dadanitic, Thamudic, Minaic, and Nabataean, features one of the oldest inscriptions of the Islamic era dating back to 24AH (644 CE).

Thousands of pre-Arabic inscriptions across numerous sites make AlUla an important location for studying the Arabic language. A mountain north of the AlUla Valley, AlAqra’a, features more than 450 early Arabic inscriptions. Naqsh Zuhayr, to the east, features one of the oldest inscriptions of the Islamic era — dating back to 24AH (644 CE). But no such site is more significant than Jabal Ikmah, home to the highest concentration of and most varied inscriptions in AlUla.

Dadan was a caravan way station for many peoples, and one of the clues that AlUla was truly a crossroads of civilizations was Jabal Ikmah, which was visited by those wishing to leave their inscriptions and offerings en route through AlUla. Records kept here — in the form of hundreds of inscriptions and carvings lining the cliff faces and rocks — ensured that Jabal Ikmah would be remembered throughout the ages.

Note: sightseeing tours on Herga and Dadan & ikmah will be shared with a local tour guide and a small local group. Travel in comfort back to your hotel, AlUla has so much to see, feel, eat, and buy so if you have time and want to add more to your itinerary – just let us know what you are interested in and we will arrange it for you.

• Duration: 6-9h
• Multiple pickup locations are offered.
• This activity ends back at the meeting point.

The trip includes:

1. Flexibility to customize your itinerary to your preferences
2. All transfers by modern air-conditioned van from your hotel in AlUla
3. Tour leader/driver
4. Entrance fees
5. All Service charges and taxes
6. Entry/Admission – Hegra
7. Entry/Admission – Jabal AlFil (Elephant Rock)
8. Entry/Admission – Dadan & Jabal Ikmah
9. Entry/Admission – Lion Tombs of Dadan