AL ULA - Transcending Traditions

As the sky was waking up to the beauty of hollyhocks and the grandeur of red stone rocks, she got up after an overnight journey from Jeddah to the once-forbidden land of Al Ula. Her eyes gleamed with a tinge of fuchsia and copper as she stepped down from her bus.

Rays of sun beamed on the rocks and acquainted her with these geological marvels, who welcomed her with open thumbs. Slowly, she started falling for the mystical charms of the old bazaar, an earthy canvas painted by the vibrance of orange trees, flower carts, and Bedouin craft. An ornate sun shade caught her attention as she strolled through the ochre sand. She perched under its husk canopy and played with the dangling trinkets chiming desert hymns into her ears.

Suddenly, she spotted a sizzle in the sand and crusaded towards a maze of vermilion and indigo majlis engulfing the dazzling brass topped Mamluk tables. The cobalt cloak reposed on an indigo couch, and she loosened up to the warmth of the bazaar as she basked under the sun. In no time, she camouflaged into the radiant Majlis adorned Al-Sadu weaves glistening amongst the coffee tables. Hopping onto a rouge recamier placed next to a mosaic table, she admired a cozy crimson lounge. Her eyes drifted towards a tangerine runner woven into a geometry of yellow-green triangles and black–white rhombi. Standing next was a triad of copper bronze and gold rugs testifying to beauty and resilience in ruggedness. Bits and pieces of her mirrored from the wall as she approached her befogged self-reflection.

Beyond the mirror was a vintage land rover waiting to transport her into an unexplored universe of huge canyons gated with mushroom rocks, canyons crushed into a creek of crinkled sandstone.

A golden aura emerged from the crack and sucked her into an illuminated cave. She saw beaming alcoves carved into a cliff graced with spectacular wall art depicting animal figures and engraved Arabic calligraphy.

Sutlleswing cooled her as she sat on the steps protruding from the rock behind her. She thanked the cave guardian for the hospitality and the mushroom cave shut. She hopped out and headed towards Madain Saleh, an archeological site housing more than 100 tombs carved out into sandstone rock by the Nabataean civilization, officially conferred as Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO world heritage site.

These tombs built to honor the gods and the departed elites had become liaisons to ancient history. Suttleswing posed and peeped through these tombs on her way to the poster child of Madain Saleh. In a few minutes, she froze at the sight of a colossal cliff carved out into a beautiful amalgamation of Roman and Hellenistic architecture, standing tall in the Saudi desert. The day went by as she gazed at the tomb from a distance.

Gradually, the wind speed increased, and sand stormed into her face and hair, blowing her towards the Jabal Al-Feel.

The day was an hour short of sunset, and her trip was on the last leg. The setting sun illuminated every inch of the elephant-shaped monolith rock.

Her eyes glistened at finding a café in the middle of nowhere. She went over for a cold coffee and enjoyed some swing time before grabbing her order. The sky started changing colors as she benched herself in a burrow, sipping her coffee under the golden hour.

The sand scintillated under the fiery torch as the sun melted into the cobalt sky, and it was time for her to say goodbye.