A short stint in Saudi (and QR Doha Stopover)

[Major]

Did you notice any relaxation of alcohol restrictions anywhere ?

 

[SydneySwan]

I guess he thought I was a pilgrim ...

Well you are in a way. I remember being told by an Orthodox priest in Israel many years ago that all visitors are pilgrims whether they are Orthodox or not.

 

[Pushka]

Well you are in a way. I remember being told by an Orthodox priest in Israel many years ago that all visitors are pilgrims whether they are Orthodox or not.

I dare say that instas and influencers might change his mind now.

One thing that struck me in your photos and when we were in Oman in particular was the extreme cleanliness of the floors everywhere. Is that the case here as the marble looks sparkling despite the foot traffic.

 

[RooFlyer]

Did you notice any relaxation of alcohol restrictions anywhere ?

No, I doubt that will ever come for just general travel. I think the most that might be expected is alcohol served in foreigners only (expensive) resorts.

 

[RooFlyer]

Chastened my my faux pas, I retreated back to the hotel. I approached the Duty Manager and asked him about the situation with the courtyard and the mosque. Yes, the courtyard is considered part of the mosque but he assured me it wasn't a big thing. We got chatting - he was probably the most hospitable Saudi I had come across to that point. Impressed that I had come from Australia. Observed that I was Platinum and said he's have some coffee and dates sent to my room.

I went to my room and did some TR and other stuff. A short while later my coffee etc arrived. I'm not sure if it would have been sent as a welcome amenity anyway or only as the manager arranged it, but very nice. Nuts, sweet pastries, macaroons (I think they were stale!), fruit, dates and Arabic coffee.



By now it was early evening and the mosque and courtyard was filling up. Not that the umbrellas had folded up, and others on the way.





A fair sea of devotion:

 

[RooFlyer]

I had booked 'half board' which meant breakfast and dinner included, so I went along to the buffet restaurant. One of the best buffets I've ever come across! Huge spreads of all types. About 10-12 baie marie mains dishes. I could only take a few discreet pics, which don't do it justice - there is more off to the right in the first pic, and 365 degrees around the pillar in the 2nd and 4th pics. And really nice too!









Afterwards, the mosque kept really busy. Fortunately the calls to prayer were barely audible - even the one at 4:45am the next morning!

 

[RooFlyer]

Next morning, out by 7:30 for a Careem out to Madinah airport to pick up an Enterprise rental car to drive to Al Ula. Fairly straightforward - reservation sheet, driver's licence, Int'l DL, eVisa. Fortunately the guy next to him spoke good English so I was able to geta refresher on the basics of driving here. When we drove around in 1994, I recalled 2 main things: The over-the-top freeways, multi lanes going nowhere in particular and the awful behaviour of drivers. Turns out nothing had changed.

Driving (LHD): at any time, someone 2 lanes over on your left might cut across in front of to you to turn right, including (or especially in) a round-about. Trucks or cars backing out into the street back straight out, without looking. If a road is 1 lane each way, there will be a good paved shoulder of about 2/3 lane wide. If someone wants to over-take you, you pull over onto that 2/3 lane so they overtake you without going 'too much' into the oncoming lane. This has 2 benefits. First, you can overtake when there IS on-coming traffic (they simply move across to their shoulder ). Second, as happened to me, if you are over-taking someone, then some-one can over take YOU at the same time - three abreast. I nearly shat myself. Of course you can overtake on blind curves and pay no heed to lanes - that's pretty basic. The way you spot a foreigner driving is that they use an indicator. No one indicates for anything. Ever.

So off I go, led by Google maps and of course early on I miss a turn and end up spending 20 mins more in Madinah traffic than I planned to. Then on the highway to Al Ula - about 4 hours.



Once out onto the highway, it was easy driving, with 4 or 5 lanes to choose from.



But after about 90 mins, that ended and we abruptly changed to 1 lane each way, with the wide shoulder I mentioned. It became a very monotonous drive; not much traffic and scenery much the same. Only a couple of towns and maybe 2 petrol station stops along the way (middle-east type dunnies).

There are ground-level speed cameras at regular intervals and also overhead speed and seat belt cameras. One police check-point, but seemed to be for trucks - they waived me through.







One of the towns along the way.



And as I turned off to Al Ula, we graduated back to ... 5 lanes each way. They have big plans for this place!



Not very helpful.

 

[RooFlyer]

Choosing accommodation at AL Ula for 2 nights proved a bit of a task. There is an Accor place here, but a careful look at the reviews showed a few deficiencies. There are a couple of really flash places, like the Habitas

https://www.ourhabitas.com/alula/

but not for me - too much (about double Cloud7). I eventually landed on Cloud7 Residences, for about SAR3,800 for 2 nights (A$1,500) - yes, that's considered not bad!! Of course many very cheap places but again, not for me.

Luxury Hotel in AlUla | Cloud7 Boutique Desert Stay

Discover Cloud7 AlUla, a luxury boutique hotel in the desert. Book your unforgettable stay today.

cloud7hotels.com

After my first day and night, I can say its ... not quite what they market. To be unkind, it reminds me of a luxury mining camp - self contained dongas with a couple of central eating places. Its very large (300 rooms!), mostly ground level, but some 2 level blocks (I'm in one - the upper stories are the same, but 'deluxe' - that was a mistake). Golf carts for staff to get around with bags etc. My 'luxury bungalow' is reasonably comfortable, but small. The bedroom is tiny. There is a kitchenette and a poorly designed 'living room' - the desk has one chair which you can't sit in unless you pull the desk out. The aircons are way over-sized for the room sizes - they produce an arctic gale which I guess would be useful in summer, but its been about 22 degrees here today - typical for the time of year. No low fan for night; yes, I turned mine off of course but not really appropriate.

Al Ula is ripping ahead - more on this later, but its being heavily developed by the Saudis as a tourist destination. Hopefully other 'mid tier' options will be developed.

So the deluxe bungalow. Blinds open out to the balcony and walkway. Have to keep them closed for any privacy, esp at night.



Check out the desk/'dining'? table



Kitchenette. Has all pots and pans etc



Bedroom. Check the width!





View. This makes it a 'deluxe' bungalow, not just a standard one.

 

[RooFlyer]

Walk around the place.















The above couple taken about 5:30pm as I went for a walk while my room was cleaned - yes, that late - and there were a lot of rooms being cleaned at this time. Not a classy look



During my walk I noticed that the buffet was being set-up outside with a BBQ (this is my second night). Nice! I dropped by the office to ask if it was a private event, or for guests - its for everyone; occasionally they like to put on something 'special'. I got back to the room and it had had a 'basic' service; towels, bed made but some things missed. And I realised that my laundry wasn't back; its now 6:30 and I'm off to dinner, so I WhatsApped them.

 

[RooFlyer]

So, the meals situation. There is a buffet, which also has a la carte available, and another 'a la carte' restaurant nearby, as it was explained to me.

The first night, I was stuffed after the drive and my lower back was giving me hell from it, so I did the buffet.

Several groups in there (you can put this place down as an upmarket group place). But plenty of space.





Again, not too many pics but as a buffet it was disappointing. Had some chicken curry and dessert. Left and went to bed.

Tonight, I approached the open-air buffet and was asked my room number. Not found. "Are you part of the group?" No. "Sorry, this is a private function; you can use either of the a la carte restaurants" No inside buffet? "Sorry, sir, that's here outside.



So I walk over to the other a la carte place that I didn't do last night. Went in; only a group of 5 blokes loudly playing foosball or table soccer. Server appears, walks past me twice without acknowledgment; third time I ask if dinner is being served and he walks off. Did I say something?

Go back to the a la carte, passing the private buffet. Manager chap asks "Not to your liking?". I said No; they seemed too busy to serve me and there are some very noisy people playing a game.

Into the place I was at last night. I'm the only person. The naked buffet.



Now, I eat by myself frequently but I hate eating 'alone'. I never do room service. Yet here I was in a cavern of a 'restaurant' with just me and a very friendly Indian waiter. Miserable. I order a couple of things of the menu. Then, manager chap comes up and apologies for my experience; says he heard the kerfuffle in the other place and saw it wasn't operating as it should be. He comps me my meal tonight, which I'm very happy to accept. Tonight has been a very bad experience for the type of place this makes itself out to be.

Warm beetroot salad, with a 2025 Fanta resting on its lees.



Beef pasta.



Drinks area - room temp bottles are poured into glasses of ice. FFS.



The meal was nice but I couldn't wait to get out of the place. coughpy place.

 

[craven morehead]

I had booked 'half board' which meant breakfast and dinner included, so I went along to the buffet restaurant. One of the best buffets I've ever come across! Huge spreads of all types. About 10-12 baie marie mains dishes. I could only take a few discreet pics, which don't do it justice - there is more off to the right in the first pic, and 365 degrees around the pillar in the 2nd and 4th pics. And really nice too!

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Afterwards, the mosque kept really busy. Fortunately the calls to prayer were barely audible - even the one at 4:45am the next morning!

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That's an impressive buffet

 

[clifford]

I visited Saudi twice for work in the 1990s

Yes, so did I as a DFAT officer, and it turned me off the place forever. I won't even fly Saudia, no matter how cheap.

I'm just not a fan of the endemic issues there and I'm not a fan of China either (for similar reasons and won't fly Chinese airlines (CX excepted).

Come to think of it, that also applies to US airlines (and I'm a UA Mileage Plus Plainum for life). But I don't really feel limited in any way.

 

[jase05]

Yes, so did I as a DFAT officer, and it turned me off the place forever. I won't even fly Saudia, no matter how cheap.

I'm just not a fan of the endemic issues there and I'm not a fan of China either (for similar reasons and won't fly Chinese airlines (CX excepted).

Come to think of it, that also applies to US airlines (and I'm a UA Mileage Plus Plainum for life). But I don't really feel limited in any way.

I can definitely see why some people have the same views as you as on our first visit to Saudi Arabia many I years ago I was a bit put off by the place and Mrs Jase hated the place.
Took me a lot to convince her to go back and that was only die to an amazing Saudia fare and we built in a few days stopover. She enjoyed the flight and the country and we have since gone back another couple of times. It’s a rapidly changing country but I can fully understand that it’s still not everyone’s cup of tea.
Some our friends think we are mad for going there and also can’t believe we would willingly go to China over a dozen times but

 

[RooFlyer]

I too can appreciate not everyone would like to visit. I am seeing a lot of changes in the country which I’m going to discuss at the end of the thread and I believe the continuing opening of the country to tourists will only assist in promoting further changes. But the systemic problems I think you are referring to @clifford I don’t think will change in a hurry.

 

[RooFlyer]

Back to my arrival at Al Ula. I got there about 1:30pm and had a tour booked of Dadan and Jabal Ikmah for 3:30pm. You can't self tour any of the sites here - all must be booked. I booked this group one through Viator and tomorrows through Get Your Guide but I'm pretty sure they all book into the same tours.

But having been on the 2 tours now, I would strongly advise to book private tours if possible. Will cost you, but you won't have to suffer the insufferable botoxed, pouting, selfi-ing, vaping mob that I had - on both!

Hegra and Jabel Ikmah are the 2 main areas to tour.

Booking sites

Hegra Day Tour

Visit Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest preserved site of the Nabataean civilisation south of Petra

www.experiencealula.com

https://www.getyourguide.com/en-gb/hegra-l179389/

Official visit guides:

Dadan and Jabal Ikmah

Uncover Dadan and Jabal Ikmah in AlUla, ancient cities revealing Arabia's rich history through enigmatic tombs and UNESCO inscriptions.

www.visitsaudi.com

Hegra | World-Heritage Historic Site| Visit Saudi

Discover Hegra in AlUla, Saudi’s first UNESCO site. Explore ancient tombs and rock carvings that tell the story of a rich desert civilization.

www.visitsaudi.com

Tours I looked at will pick you up from accommodation at huge mark-up, or you can meet the tours at the Winter Garden, 25 mins drive north of where I was staying at the southern end of Al Ula. Roads are all very good.

The Winter Garden is a big, grassed area, with plenty of parking, a few cafes (and a Burger King van), a small visitors centre and a dedicated meeting point that you can't miss. The visitors centre is staffed by 4 bourka-clad ladies, very knowledgeable and eager to help.

I'll mention the bourka thing now. All the tour guides, tour check-in people and all except the drivers were in bourkas (and sunnies ) and spoke good English. I mention this only because 30 years ago, to see an unaccompanied lady would be shocking. Women can drive now. Staff at the Cloud7 place I stayed at were in western clothes, no scarfs. No woman on the tours wore a headscarf ; many were from the Gulf region from what I could tell. At Cloud7, almost all women guests wore western clothes - I even saw one young woman walk out of the gym in a T-shirt and slacks!

Anyway, that's a diversion. Al Ula and the Winter Park are enclosed in very high cliff escarpments; at the Park its spectacular. Two hour guided tours (on site - plus 30-45 min drive time) will cost about A$25. There are cheaper 'audio guide' versions.





Visitors centre on the left.





Its annoying when they don't think things out.







These duller light ones were taken the second day.





These formations are all over, up and down the valley. Get ready to see some rocks!

 

[RooFlyer]

First stop was Dadan [the city], which served as the capital of the Kingdom of Dadan and later of the Kingdom of Lihyan, from the late ninth century to the early first century B.C (the archaeology of Dadan has really only occurred in the past 20 years, so the timings are being refined). It prospered due to its being on a major trading route.

Wikipedia (which isn't a good summary, I think)

Lihyan also called Dadān or Dedan, was an ancient Arab kingdom that played a vital cultural and economic role in the north-western region of the Arabian Peninsula and used Dadanitic language. The kingdom flourished for at least a century and a half, at some point between the 5th and 1st centuries BC. The Lihyanites ruled over a large domain from Yathrib in the south and parts of the Levant in the north.



This is probably better for anyone with extra interest:

Kingdoms of the Dadanites and Lihyanites

From the small visitor's centre on site:



Artifacts found in the area



The setting is magnificent:







And off we went to see the lions.

 

[RooFlyer]

A number of tombs exist in a cliff face not far from the ancient city (visited next). Several have a lion's face cut above then, probably a mark of nobility. These tombs date from about 500BC.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/lion-tombs-of-dadan

An inscription at the base of these tombs helped to unravel the mystery. The inscription indicates that the two people buried here are Minaeans, people from Yemen. This detail suggests the possibility that a small contingent of Minaean traders lived in Dadan and two of them intended to mark their identity by adorning their tombs according to their traditions. If this was their intention, they succeeded, as more than two thousand years later, they still stand out from the crowd.

 

[RooFlyer]

About a km away is the city of Dadan, emerging only recently - in the past 20 years. Remarkable. Next to the wadi, its been covered by mud and sand for a thousand years or more. We were told that all the walls etc seen are original from ~500BC - no reconstruction.













You can see the circular well structure from above:



Cool setting

 

[RooFlyer]

Next stop was Jabal Ikmah, a renowned site for its petroglyphs and a UNESCO Memory of the World site.

Jabal Ikmah epigraphs and petroglyphs represent the largest concentration of well-preserved Dadanitic inscriptions in the world, dated back to the second half of the first millennium BCE. Inscribed in an impressive sandstone canyon in Saudi Arabia's AlUla County, the collection features nearly 300 valuable inscriptions created by the ancient Dadanite and Lihyanite civilizations, reflecting a variety of themes such as society, religion, rituals, agriculture, and memorials. As writing is a vital milestone in the development of mankind, marking the transition from pre-history to history, the significance of Jabal Ikmah’s inscriptions transcends its national and regional boundaries to the level of global importance. In particular to the evolution of languages and alphabets, Jabal Ikmah inscriptions played a crucial role in the development process of Old Arabic languages and dialects, during first millennium BCE.



Usual breath-taking setting



We walked a short way up a canyon



And suddenly there was a gallery of hundreds of inscriptions and figures. Some bas-relief



Most scraped into the iron oxide outer coating of the rock face. The main languages are Dadanitic and Lihyanite from 100 to 500BC (some much older) but there are also later Roman, Islamic and multiple other languages on places around the mountain.











These are thought to be harp-like instruments