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Embark on an Arabian adventure: Saudi Arabia opens to tourism – and offers a host of historical wonders

I’m sitting in a black Bedouin tent in the middle of the Arabian desert, munching on warm, freshly made flatbread soaked in lamb fat.

“It was the staple food of the Bedouins, along with dates,” says our host, handsome in flowing white robes.

“On special occasions they slaughtered a goat. Desert hospitality requires that if a stranger enters your camp, you feed and water him for three days.”

Touches of dyspeptic camel blow in; Outside, I see a peregrine falcon flying gracefully to its owner’s arm.

This is Gharameel in AlUla County, Saudi Arabia and who can imagine Andy Warhol in this timeless landscape, his work displayed in a futuristic gallery in the desert?

Exciting: Teresa Levonian Cole explores Saudi Arabia’s AlUla district, stopping at the Hegra historical site (above) along the way — a spot “popular with hot air balloon enthusiasts,” she reveals

In the desert landscape of AlUla, Teresa sees riders

In the desert landscape of AlUla, Teresa sees riders “gallop past in a cloud of dust” (archive photo)

But as part of a quest for westernization, such a surprise is in store.

This mysterious country has opened up to tourism, with easy online visas and the lifting of the requirement for women (both local and foreign) to wear the black abaya.

Such measures, along with driving licenses and better job opportunities for women, are part of the Saudi Vision 2030, a 30-year reform plan aimed at diversifying the economy and providing a softer, more secular country.

AlUla, 12,500 square miles of desert in the country’s northwest, is the first of several planned tourist areas. Within seconds of my plane taking off from Riyadh, the modern city dissolves into a sea of ​​sand.

This wilderness has a rich history of 7,000 years, much of which was first excavated by international archaeologists. Located at the crossroads of ancient spice and incense routes, and later a stopover on the pilgrimage route between Damascus and Medina, AlUla benefited from diverse cultural influences.

Hegra is a key stop on the historic Hejaz railway which was built by the Ottomans and bombed by TE Lawrence during the First World War.

It has now been restored as an open air museum and is popular with hot air balloon enthusiasts. Guided by Ahmed, a young local rawi (storyteller), I wander around 100 house-sized tombs carved out of the mountains.

“Within seconds of my plane taking off from Riyadh (photo), the modern city dissolves into a sea of ​​sand,” writes Teresa

Hegra is a key stop on the historic Hejaz Railway (pictured) built by the Ottomans and bombed during the First World War by TE Lawrence

Hegra is a key stop on the historic Hejaz Railway (pictured) built by the Ottomans and bombed during the First World War by TE Lawrence

Over the course of the week, I’ll hike, climb and chop (a treat worth the extra riyals) to marvel at sacred mountains covered in pre-Islamic writings, petroglyphs recording religious sacrifices and an ancient Dadanite one City currently being excavated.

But the wealth of archaeological treasures is only part of AlUla’s attractions. The desert culture, as evidenced by a 2.8 km cultural route from Dadan to the ancient city of AlUla, exerts its own charm.

Along this sandy oasis trail, between adobe walls and boxwood gates, four horsemen on harnessed horses appear out of nowhere and gallop past in a cloud of dust. Abundant fruits and vegetables are harvested in these oases and we arrive at an orchard tended by a talkative former police chief who has gone back to his roots.

Here, in the scorching heat, freshly picked mint tea, poured from a copper kettle, is the perfect refreshment for our final push for lunch: a feast served in the shadow of AlUla’s 2,600-year-old castle.

Abandoned since 1982, the old town’s maze of adobe houses is still being carefully restored around a street lined with restaurants and shops selling local produce.

Teresa wanders around about 100 house-sized tombs carved into the mountains at AlUla (above).

Teresa wanders around about 100 house-sized tombs carved into the mountains at AlUla (above).

Pictured is the abandoned old town of AlUla, complete with a 'mud house hodgepodge'.

Pictured is the abandoned old town of AlUla, complete with a ‘mud house hodgepodge’.

Although there are critics of Saudi Arabia, my hosts could not have been kinder, gracious, or more welcoming.

And while traditional culture remains key to AlUla, the future beckons with spectacular new buildings looming like mirages in the sand. Chief among them and Warhol’s temporary home is the Maraya Art Center – encased in glass that reflects and disappears into the surrounding desert.

But I am happy to sit under a diamond-studded night sky in Gharamael, eating roast goat, inhaling the essence of the camel and listening to an astronomer explain how the Bedouins navigate the stars.

The experience is magical. In the words of the great 14th century traveler Ibn Battuta, “It leaves you speechless and then turns you into a storyteller.”

TRAVEL FACTS

Windows On The Wild offers five nights Bed and Breakfast at The Shaden in AlUla from £3,310 per person, including return flights, accommodation and transport. windowsonthewild.com/alula.

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