The Wizard Of The Lost City Of Hegra
Our trip to Hegra had been canceled. “Canceled?!” I was horrified. Until the new year, there were no spots available on the bus that takes tourists to Saudi Arabia’s only UNESCO World Heritage site. The tickets were all sold out! I felt as if my trip to AlUla was now pointless. It didn’t matter that instead, I was getting tickets to Dadan, a biblical city that dates half a millennium prior to Hegra, located right here in AlUla. And that archaeologists have discovered even more ancient rock structures dating back to the Stone Age on some of these mountains. At that moment, I just felt defeated. Moreover, I was confused about why I was feeling this way because, until a couple of days back, I had no idea that the historic city of Hegra existed. And yet, led by some unknown force I had come all the way here, only to be turned away. Was this some kind of cosmic joke?!
Little did I know that it was only a test of my patience. Less than two days after, courtesy of the Royal Commission of AlUla, our Canadian-Indian family of four was to be taken on a private tour of this 2000-year-old city.
Although Petra, in neighbouring Jordan is more well-known among tourists, Hegra is an untouched jewel of the enigmatic Nabatean kingdom. To put the dating into perspective, at the time that Nabateans were constructing Hegra, the Han dynasty was beginning the construction of the Great Wall in China. The first site in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to be designated a UNESCO World Heritage, the parts of Hegra that they have discovered so far have hundreds of tombs carved into sandstone mountains spread across this desert. The rest of the city is under our feet and yet to be excavated.
Upon our arrival in a sky-blue, open-top, classic Land Rover Defender, Atif Al Bolawi, a self-proclaimed “nerd of Hegra” was waiting for us. As we exited our ride, already awe-struck by the terrain, Atif cheerfully exclaimed “Welcome! I’ll be your guide in Hegra”. Filling up our tummies with the welcome drink of Arabic coffee, dates, and candied citrus fruits, our party of five walked over to what looked like a massive sandstone outcrop that could easily overshadow the burning sun. And as we moved out of its shadow and turned to look at its rear face, I could not help but gasp out loud. I clearly remember having a “this is it” feeling. We stood before the iconic tomb of Lihyan, son of Kuza.
Atif immediately took centre stage and broke off into an engaging story about who Lihyan was, what this monument meant to him, and his eventual fate. Very similar in architectural style to Petra’s more famous monuments such as the Treasury, the tombs of Hegra display Nabatean, Greek, and Egyptian symbolism. The desert has unveiled 132 of these, of which the tomb of Lihyan is the largest. Who knows how many more lay hidden biding their right moment to reveal history. Only the dunes will tell!
At some point during our visit, I pointed out that the tomb of Lihyan is visible even from the farthest end of Hegra. To which, Shashank remarked matter-of-factly, “Of course, he wanted the whole city to see his massive tomb”. Atif was stunned. None of the visitors he had brought here so far had noticed that this is the only South-facing tomb in Hegra, visible to the entire city. The tombs were such symbols of power that eminent people in the Nabatean society are likely to have obsessed over the size, design, and cost of constructing these. Unfortunately, though, the son of Kuza was not buried in the massive tomb he commissioned for himself. He is said to have died at war, upon which, the construction of his tomb was halted. As if by some divine decree, nobody is even allowed to step onto the sandstone rock in which it is carved, and yet, I could not help but chuckle at this most grandiose of lost causes.
Our daughters hit it off with Atif immediately. Breaking sandstone with their bare hands to understand how brittle these massive outcrops in which people of Hegra carved tombs are, felt empowering to them. His ‘game’ engaged their minds right away. Not only did he answer our questions related to the iconic tomb but also drew maps in the sand to explain the geographical location of Hegra vis a vis Petra. The girls kept collecting newer and bigger sandstone pieces to divide into two. Eventually, my motherly FOMO (fear of missing out) got the better of me and I advised the girls to listen to the “story” that Atif had to share.
He politely intervened, “Please let them be. They are here to make good memories.” That was a moment of awakening for me. Learning is incidental. All we need to learn is already within us. We all are here to make good memories, collectively, aren’t we? He quickly went on to share how he brings his step-son here on his tours for dad-son bonding time and lets him play by himself on these rocks around. I’m sure my kids and (his son too) are listening to legends and secrets that the rocks of Hegra choose to share directly with them. Only with them.
It became clear that to keep traversing deftly from the historical to the simple and back, is one of Atif’s strengths. Evidently, the “nerd” of Hegra is after all anything but a nerd, he is a babysitter in hiding! He shared with us adults about the architectural features of the Nabatean tombs. Apparently, the eagle on the facade comes from Egyptian mythology, Medusa’s face from Greek, and the moringa flower indicates the continuous circle of life (Nabateans believed in an afterlife) and the stairs at the top of every facade symbolise stairs to heaven.
But then, all of a sudden, he spotted a desert beetle. Sharing stories of how this bug uses her hard shell to her advantage and fights and defeats large scorpions, he drew my daughters into a magical world of desert wildlife. They were thrilled to carry the bug in their palms and “enjoy” the ticklish feeling of her legs on their skin.
Soon we became engrossed in historical timelines of when the tombs were built, and how they were marked for use by specific families only. It is fascinating that each tomb had a “certificate” carved on its facade to indicate which family the tomb belonged to. Depending on the status and size of the family, these intergenerational tombs could hold multiple graves, such as the tomb of Hina where nearly 80 of her descendants were buried through the centuries.
But then, on one of the tombs, we spotted a lizard! Atif says he meets this lizard near a particular tomb whenever he brings visitors to see it as if it is the designated guardian. The kids were again squealing away.
Stories we heard from our new friend in Hegra gave us a peek into the history of a forgotten era but his simple gestures helped us experience what is timeless — the Arabian culture’s genuine affection. In his interactions with our kids, such as gently patting their heads when they gave smart answers to his quizzes, or keeping their interest front-and-centre throughout our history lesson, we saw a glimpse of this country’s natural warmth beyond any social norms, especially towards little humans. I don’t think my younger daughter is going to part with the egg-shaped quartz that Atif found her as an even more special replacement for the “precious sandstone” she dropped. The smile her face lit up with is etched in my memory.
It is uncanny how our trip to this hitherto unknown historic site fell into place at the last minute, and how mesmerised the place and Atif’s stories about it left us. Our family has now returned home to Canada. And yet, in quiet moments, the pristine sand dunes, the red rocks and the clues of a mysterious, lost civilisation still tug at my imagination.
Tips for families visiting AlUla, Saudi Arabia
- Plan your trip in advance to take advantage of the multitudes of events that constantly take place in AlUla. Visit experiencealula.com to book tickets in advance.
- To attend shows in Old Town such as Winter at Tantora Festival, it’s useful to take along kids’ own headphones to plug into the translator. These shows may or may not be engaging for the kids depending on their ages and whether they can follow along with the translation.
- The buses run by the Royal Commission of AlUla are the only way to visit all the monuments. These are very comfortable and the distances are not long, so motion sickness is unlikely. However, do buy tickets before you arrive as these tend to get sold out fast.
- A must-do family activity for families is to walk through citrus and date farms. The farmers we found were exceptionally generous and let our kids pick and eat as much fruit as they would like. Some farms also offer accommodation.
- Depending on the season, it can get chilly in the evenings, so always have a light jacket or sweater handy, especially for the kids and around open monuments such as Maraya and Hegra. Our local solution was to purchase “farwas” in the Old Town. However, most resorts would also provide these for your trip.
- Prior to stargazing, do make sure you grab a bite and carry along with snacks for the kids as dinner is only served after the stargazing activity ends. However, the Arabian culture is very welcoming of children and considers all their antics or crankiness as natural and expected.
- Public washrooms are well maintained, and western-style toilets are usually available. Even though in most places water usage is the norm, toilet paper is provided. You may wish to carry disposable toilet seat covers for the children’s comfort.
Read more about my adventures around the world in my latest book “Worldschoolers” which became a bestseller in 8 categories on Amazon, including both Homeschooling and Family Travel.
