Madain Saleh Guide
Madain Saleh is the best known and most spectacular archaeological site in Saudi Arabia. Believed to have been occupied as long ago as 3000 years, it was the Nabateans that carved the tombs out of the rock, a mere 2000 years ago, for which it is now famous. Their empire stretched from Damascus to the borders of Yemen – Madain Saleh prospered by levying huge taxes on traders plying the spice route from Yemen to Europe. Eighty monumental tombs in an area of 9 km2 suggest a sizeable population, especially in comparison with the seaport of Jeddah, at the time a mere 1km2. Today the abandoned windswept site is eerily compelling.
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