Saudi Arabia seeks to entice visitors with pre-Islamic sites
Following last year's $20 billion French-Saudi deal to accelerate al-Ula’s development, there are more international archaeologists on the ground than ever before.
Last year marked Saudi Arabia's entrance on the international heritage scene, and the kingdom can now boast of having several groundbreaking projects across the country. Nowhere is their investment in history more apparent than in al-Ula.
In the northwestern town of al-Ula in Saudi Arabia, the three-week Winter at Tantora festival came to an end earlier February.
The guests — some of whom paid thousands of dollars for tickets and were treated to luxury desert accommodations — had gathered to commemorate the start of the winter planting season and be entertained by international singers, hot air balloon rides and horse riding exhibitions.
The festival’s main attractions, though, were the area’s preeminent archaeological sites, arguably the most magnificent in the country.
