Al-Ula Old Town and Ancient Oasis
Wander through Al-Ula Old Town, a labyrinthine abandoned city of 900 mud-brick and stone houses built over layers of civilization going back 2,000 years in a lush oasis of date palms and citrus groves.
- 1
Old Town Gate
Enter Al-Ula Old Town through its ancient gateway, where the ruins of over 900 mud-brick houses rise in a compact hillside settlement abandoned in the 1980s after its residents relocated to modern Al-Ula.
- 2
Labyrinthine Streets
Navigate the extraordinary labyrinth of narrow covered alleyways where houses lean toward each other overhead, the passages so narrow in places that laden camels could barely pass through in trading days.
- 3
Al-Ula Fort
Climb to the Al-Ula Fort perched on the highest point of the old town, its watchtowers commanding views over the date palm oasis below, the canyon walls rising on both sides and the abandoned city spreading around.
- 4
Merchant Quarter
Find the merchant quarter where the larger houses of wealthy traders are identified by their elaborately carved stone doorways and lintels, the commercial prosperity of this caravan route visible in the architecture.
- 5
Old Town Mosque
Discover the ancient mosque at the heart of the old town, its minaret still standing above the ruined houses, a reminder that this community was a living Islamic city for over a thousand years.
- 6
Date Palm Oasis View
Look out from the old town walls over the extraordinary date palm oasis filling the valley floor, thousands of palms watered by ancient falaj irrigation channels that have sustained this desert settlement for millennia.
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