Visiting AlUla: Inside Saudi Arabia’s mission to revive a dead past

Driving along the long road northward from the holy city of Madinah, the shifting of the scenery surrounding me was fascinating. It went from the distinctive black rocky hills and mountains of the Hijaz to the flourishing greenery – brought on by the increased rains in the region in recent months and years – blessing the plains beyond, and then to the oasis town of Khaybar, where the ruins of the old Jewish fortress lay almost untouched, yet tightly guarded and restricted by Saudi special security forces. It is not until you cross the long path beyond there, though, that your breath is really taken away. Lined by the few odd crumbling Ottoman military outposts and overlooked by the mountains […]