Al-Ula. The unique and fascinating city that sits in northern western Saudi Arabia about 3 hours north of Madinah has a long and storied history. Many ancient civilizations have passed through this area leaving their mark permanently on the desert landscape. Visiting here is a highlight of travel in Saudi Arabia and we wanted to help those … [Read more...]
Category: Saudi Arabia
Hanging Village of Habala – One of the Unique Places in Arabia
When one thinks about Saudi Arabia, there are many things that come to mind. But among those, very few would state green mountains. But along the Southern Border adjacent to Yemen several areas that fit this description well. Most people (and among them many Saudis) seems to know little about this region of the country. Named Asir it is … [Read more...]
Driving in Saudi Arabia – Abha
Visiting Saudi Arabia is a pretty tough place. Well its not really that different honestly from home. Sure there are restrictions on certain things like the lack of movie theaters and closings of businesses during prayer times, but overall life moves as it does in other parts of the world as well. One of the toughest things in Saudi though is that … [Read more...]
Old City of Jeddah Saudi Arabia (UNESCO WHS)
I have always liked Jeddah, a port city on the Red Sea in present day Saudi Arabia. Jeddah has been a city welcoming pilgrims, travelers, and business people for centuries across various empires that have come through this area. Famously Jeddah is the entry point for most of the pilgrims who come for the Hajj (as well as Umrah) and for it the city … [Read more...]
Photo Essay: The old town of Al-Ula – Saudi Arabia
Al-Ula, the beautiful oasis in North Eastern Saudi Arabia has a long and storied history. People have been living in this region for centuries…well actually millennia. It makes sense as it is the reason we are here, to see the ancient city of Mada’in Saleh and of course the surrounding regions too. What you don’t realize is that there is so much … [Read more...]
Into Madain Saleh (مدائن صالح) – Saudi Arabia
I’ve been wanting to visit Madain Saleh (مدائن صالح) for years. Ever since I heard there was another beautiful Nabataean place outside of Petra. The photos of Mada’in Saleh reminded me a lot of my time in Petra…but without all the tourists and infrastructure. Perhaps Petra before the fame and notoriety of being one of the “New World Wonders”. And … [Read more...]
The Trials of Tourism in Saudi Arabia
It was early in Medina airport as I wandered among the arrivals halls. I barely slept on my 2am flight from Dammam, and slept even less following my 4am layover in Riyadh. But heck, I’m just glad I finally made it out here. Now if I could only figure out whom I was meeting. Travel in Saudi Arabia is a bit well…undeveloped. Solo … [Read more...]
Travels in the Eastern Province: Hofuf – Saudi Arabia
- It was one of my first weekends in Saudi Arabia, finally getting here after a disastrous attempts at getting visas that required me at one point to even replace my passport. The folks had already been here for several months, mostly just traveling to Bahrain and sitting around the hotel pool. They were antsy to go and seemingly since I was … [Read more...]