The road to Al Ula
In the very early morning on 30th September an intrepid group of 32 Baden Powell Honours Programme Members boarded a coach for a nine hour journey into the unknown. True, by that time of the Event, many were already seasoned travellers having endured a sightseeing trip through the stifling heat across a horizon to horizon, flat, endless, sandy desert, occasionally peppered by flocks of camels to visit a Scout camp "near" the border with Yemen. The thought of another long, similar trip, to a little know place called “Al Ula” somewhere near the Egyptian border and just as far away in the opposite direction held little appeal.
However trepidation soon gave way to awe when the monotonous landscape, after only a few miles, erupted into an impressive array of ancient volcanoes, scattered oases, sandstone bluffs and buttes. More than a million years of upheaval and erosion presented an enthralling, captivating skyline which seemed to compress a long journey into a few short minutes.
A refuelling stop at a wayward complex revealed a supermarket, much as any other around the world, except this one in addition to the normal lines, yielded an impressive array of Bedouin necessities including everything need to accoutre a successful camel caravan!
While the journey itself was riveting, arriving in Al Ula proved to be the jewel in the crown. This ancient city known in the Old Testament and Assyrian and Arabic writings as “Dedan” is steeped in history. A late appearance meant an afternoon crammed with visits to four museums. Two were no more than a collection of artefacts that seemed to have been collected from a jumble sale but they were nevertheless interesting and nostalgic! The highlight was an evening trip to a rare example of an Islamic city, crowned with an impressive, fabled castle and with a lineage that can be traced back to prehistory!
The denizens, some 30 years ago, had been relocated and their abandoned metropolis left to decay. Recently, far sighted officials have recognised the unique heritage value of this former borough and a restoration and renovation project is underway. It was exciting to be able to walk through the twisting, narrow, alleyways imagining how it was and how it will be as the decay is swept away and renewed. A tiring 45 metre climb up to the castle was rewarded by unimpeded views to distant, ragged, outcrops while beneath a subfusc patchwork quilt of flat roof tops spread out from the ramparts. And, as if by magic as night fell, a perfect crescent moon rose and glowed silver overhead.
Thrilling as this was, an even greater experience was to come. Early in the coolness of the following morning the bus, with its load of weary and semi-comatose passengers, trundled along a ribbon of uninteresting tar but when it suddenly veered off into the desert so began another extraordinary adventure. Suddenly, as if by magic, galloping into view through a fine curtain of sand, came a posse mounted astride magnificent Arab stallions, and which in turn was flanked by nuzzling camels. Royally escorted the bus eventually ground to a halt and before it towering upwards to the sky stood a huge, sandstone monolith carved and weathered by some unseen hand to resemble a giant elephant! And, in the shadow of this captivating “Elephant Rock”, in a specially erected tent, in the now shimmering desert, replete with carpets, coffee, music and singing was a warm Arab welcome in a “home away from home” and an opportunity for those bold enough to practice their equestrian and camel driver skills!
But even this was soon outdone when by the greatest thrill of all when, cresting a sand dune the breathtaking remains of Mada'in Saleh, a pre-Islamic archaeological treasure, proclaimed by UNESCO in 2008 as Saudi Arabia’s first World Heritage Site, loomed into view. And, the middle of this stood an oddity; the Hejaz Railway, complete with restored station, workshop, rolling stock and steam engine. The line was ordered by the Ottomans to facilitate the journey of pilgrims to Medinah, built to a narrow gauge from Damascus with German precision and blown up by local tribes, as well as Lawrence of Arabia finishing its life in 1919.
But it was Mada’in Saleh whose noble past captured the imagination. It is difficult to say which is the more impressive, the wind-sculptured panorama or the manmade tombs, but together they combine to make a unique, haunting and stunningly beautiful landscape. What a paradox! The tombs were carved by people and are finely etched with Greek, Egyptian, Assyrian and Roman styles and carried information about their owners and their religious system - while the rocks are rough and bent into every conceivable shape were carved by nature.
Time was against seeing all 131 tombs and it was too soon before the bus began another epic journey back to Jeddah yet this punitive raid of over 1400 kilometres into the unknown, in temperatures reaching 41 degrees Celsius, was magnetic, spell binding, enthralling and richly rewarding. And despite what would otherwise have been a tiring bus trip - left an unforgettable impression!
