#hegra

Hegra (also known as Mada'in Salih or al-Hijr) is an ancient rock-hewn city located in the desert north of al-Ula, in what is now Saudi Arabia. This site was built by the Nabataeans -- the same culture that famously constructed the city of Petra, in modern-day Jordan.

Above: some of the ancient structures at Hegra

As this article describes:

The rock-cut constructions at Hegra look similar to its more famous sister site of Petra, a few hundred miles to the north in Jordan. Hegra was the second city of the Nabataean kingdom, but Hegra does much more than simply play second fiddle to Petra: it could hold the key to unlocking the secrets of an almost-forgotten ancient civilization.

The Nabataeans were desert-dwelling nomads turned master merchants, controlling the incense and spice trade routes through Arabia and Jordan to the Mediterranean, Egypt, Syria and Mesopotamia. Camel-drawn caravans laden with piles of fragrant peppercorn, ginger root, sugar and cotton passed through Hegra, a provincial city on the kingdom’s southern frontier. The Nabataeans also became the suppliers of aromatics, such as frankincense and myrrh, that were highly prized in religious ceremonies.

The Nabataeans prospered from the 4th century B.C. until the 1st century A.D., when the expanding Roman Empire annexed and subsumed their huge swath of land. Gradually, the Nabataean identity was lost entirely.

Above: monumental tombs from Jabal al-Ahmar, which is part of the larger archeological site at Hegra

This city was ultimately transformed into a sprawling necropolis:

Like Petra, Hegra is a metropolis turned necropolis: most of the remaining structures that can be seen today are tombs, with much of the architectural remains of the city waiting to be excavated or already lost, quite literally, to the sands of time. One of the only places where the words of the Nabataeans exist is in the inscriptions above the entrances to several of the tombs at Hegra.

Obscure though they might be to us now, the Nabataeans were ancient pioneers in architecture and hydraulics, harnessing the unforgiving desert environment to their benefit. Rainwater that poured down from the craggy mountains was collected for later use in ground-level cisterns. Natural water pipes were built around the tombs to protect their facades from erosion, which have kept them well preserved thousands of years after their construction.

Above: al-Diwan, a rock-hewn structure where religious gatherings were likely held

More than 100 monumental tombs (and roughly 2,000 smaller burials) have been documented at Hegra:

Hegra contains 111 carefully carved tombs, far fewer than the more than 600 at the Nabataean capital of Petra. But the tombs at Hegra are often in much better condition. Sphinxes, eagles and griffins with spread wings—important symbols in the Greek, Roman, Egyptian and Persian worlds—menacingly hover above the tomb entrances to protect them from intruders. Others are guarded by Medusa-like masks, with snakes spiraling out as hair.

Above: tombs from Qasr al-Bint, in Hegra

The largest monumental tomb at this site is a structure known as Qasr al-Farid, meaning "the Lonely Castle."

Above: Qasr al-Farid

The tomb rises to a height of 22 meters (about 72 feet) and it was carved into an isolated rock formation located far away from all of the other structures.

Above: aerial view of Qasr al-Farid

Sources & More Info:

Smithsonian Magazine: Hegra, an Ancient City in Saudi Arabia Untouched for Millennia, Makes its Public Debut

UNESCO: Hegra Archaeological Site

BBC: Uncovering the Secrets of a Mystery Civilization in Saudi Arabia

"Qaṣr Al-Farīd" (the Lonely Castle), Nabatean tomb (1st century AD).

Mada’in Salih, or Hegra, near Al-'Ula, Saudi Arabia.

© Roberto Conte (2022)

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