Madain Saleh’s rock-hewn tombs were ‘lost’ to the world until Charles Doughty’s ‘rediscovery’ in 1876 and are now Saudi Arabia’s premier tourist attraction. Built by the Nabataean Arabs as their southern capital, Madain Saleh is set in a spectacular desert landscape studded with sandstone monoliths a short drive from modern Al Ula. Anciently known as Hegra or Al-Hijr, the city was built around the 1st century AD to protect the Nabataean’s lucrative long distance camel caravans bringing precious trade goods from south Arabia to their principal settlement of Petra (in Jordan). Madain Saleh is frequently compared to its older and larger sister city, but the comparison only goes so far, as the settings are very different (desert vs mountain) and the younger settlement’s tombs are in a better state of preservation. This magical UNESCO World Heritage site has a total of 111 monumental tombs (94 of which are decorated) carved into its perpendicular cliffs. A day, or at least a full afternoon, are required to explore the site fully, however, the highlights can be seen in a couple of hours. On arrival at Madain Saleh, you’ll stop at the Visitors’ Centre, once a Railway Station on the Ottoman built Hijaz Railway. Like Doughty, your first sight of ancient Hegra’s tombs will be a breath-taking panoramic view of the rock outcrop called Qasr Al-Bint where two of the site’s finest tombs are located. Further on, you’ll reach Jebel Ithlib where the cave-like Diwan (a cult centre) is situated next to a narrow gorge (Siq) leading to a magnificent amphitheatre of rock. The tombs at Al-Mahajar, Al Khuraymat and Qasr Al-Sani are omitted on shorter visits to Madain Saleh, but it is impossible to forego driving on to Qasr al-Farid. The largest and most dramatic of all the ancient Hegra’s tombs, the elaborate four-story-high Qasr al-Farid stands gloriously alone in the desert and has become the iconic image of Saudi Arabian tourism.