Al-Ula
العلا | |
|---|---|
City | |
  Location of al-Ula within Saudi Arabia  Al-Ula (Asia) .svg) Al-Ula (Earth) | |
| Coordinates: 26°29′6.36″N 37°33′54.36″E / 26.4851000°N 37.5651000°E | |
| Country |  Saudi Arabia |
| Province | Medina Province |
| Government | |
| • Body | Medina Municipality |
| • Governor of al-Ula | Badr bin Abdullah |
| Area | |
| • Total | 22,561 km2 (8,711 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 692 m (2,270 ft) |
| Population (2022)[3] | |
| • Total | 60,103 |
| • Density | 2.7/km2 (6.9/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+03:00 (AST) |
| Postal Code | (5 digits) |
| Area code | +966 014 |
| HDI (2021) | 0.875[4] – very high |
| Website | www |
| Official name | Hegra Archaeological Site (al-Hijr / Madā ͐ in Ṣāliḥ) |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | ii, iii |
| Designated | 2008 (32th session) |
| Reference no. | 1293 |
| Region | the Arab States |
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Al-Ula (Arabic: ٱلْعُلَا, romanized: al-ʿUlā) is an ancient Arabian oasis city located in Medina Province, Saudi Arabia. Situated in the Hejaz, a region that features prominently in the history of Islam as well as several pre-Islamic Semitic civilizations, al-Ula was a market city on the historic incense route that linked India and the Persian Gulf to the Levant and Europe.[5]
The immediate vicinity contains a unique concentration of precious artifacts, including well-preserved ancient stone inscriptions that illustrate the development of the Arabic language, and a concentration of rock dwellings and tombs that date from the Nabatean and Dedanite periods that coincided with Greco-Roman influence during classical antiquity. Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hegra (also known as Al-Hijr, or Mada'in Salih), is located 22 km (14 mi) north of the city, in al-Ula governorate. Built more than 2,000 years ago by the Nabataeans, Hegra is often compared with its sister city of Petra, in Jordan. Meanwhile, the ancient walled city of al-Ula (meaning 'Old Town'), situated near the oasis that allowed for its settlement, contains a dense cluster of mud-brick and stone houses.[6] al-Ula was also the capital of the ancient Lihyanites (Dedanites).
Today, the city of al-Ula is within the Governorate of al-Ula (Arabic: مُحَافَظَة ٱلْعُلَا, romanized: Muḥāfathat Al-ʿUlā), one of seven constituent counties of Medina province. The city is located 110 km (68 mi) southwest of Tayma and 300 km (190 mi) north of Medina.[7] The city (municipality) covers 2,391 square kilometres (923 sq mi),[8] and has a population of 60,103 as of 2022[update].[9][8] In addition to the ancient old town, a more recent historical city, displaying the settlement patterns of Arabic-Islamic urbanism, remains occupied and is currently experiencing a renaissance. The area is also known for its striking landscape of rocks, canyons, and wadis, and the contrast between these dry surroundings and the lush, palm-filled oases near the city's centre.
al-Ula was once a key stop on the Hejaz Railway, linking Damascus to Medina.
- ^ محافظة اللا [Governate of Al-Ula]. Madinah Investments (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-05-06.
- ^ "Elevation Finder". www.freemaptools.com. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
- ^ بوابة الهيئة - الصفحة الرئيسية. portal.saudicensus.sa (in Arabic).
- ^ "Sub-national HDI – Subnational HDI – Global Data Lab".
- ^ "Heritage Sites in Al-'Ula, Saudi Arabia | ExperienceAlUla.com". experiencealula.com. Retrieved 2020-06-03.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Chowdhury, Arka Roy (16 April 2018). "Saudi Arabia is planning to open the region of Al-'Ula for tourists". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 15 January 2019.
- ^ محافظة العلا في السعودية [Al-Ola Governorate in Saudi Arabia]. موسوعة المحيط [The Encyclopedia of the Ocean]. 11 August 2018. Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
- ^ a b العلا.. عروس الجبال.. عاصمة الآثار.. مدينة الأربعين عينًا [Al-ʿUla .. Bride of the mountains .. The capital of monuments .. The city of forty Ain]. Al Madina. 1 December 2013. Archived from the original on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
- ^ "Places in Al-'Ulā (Medina Region, Saudi Arabia) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map, Location, Weather and Web Information". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 2024-03-03.