By Nigel Wright features@algarveresident.com
Nigel Wright and his wife Sue moved to Portugal five years ago and live in the countryside near Paderne with their three dogs. They lived and worked in the Far and Middle East during the 1980s and 90s and although now retired, still continue to travel as much possible and enjoy new cultural experiences. His other interests include tennis, gardening, photography and petanque.
Although popular belief has it that Saudi Arabia is just one gigantic sand pit, nothing could be further from the truth. This huge country, covering an area the size of Western Europe, has wide plains, rugged mountains with wild river valleys, volcanic areas and incredible sand dunes.
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The flat Tihama Plain along the Red Sea, backed by the spectacular Hejaz Mountains, has been an important trade route through the Arabian Peninsula for thousands of years. The port of Jeddah became a key entry point for pilgrims to nearby Mecca and further north lies Islam’s second great holy city, Medina, where the prophet Mohammed was buried.
We lived and worked in Jeddah for almost three years and explored the country whenever possible.
As organised historical tours are rare in Saudi Arabia, we were delighted to find a small group making a weekend visit to two fascinating but very different archaeological treasures of the region.
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Distances are large and after a 400km flight north from Jeddah to Medina, we needed a further 400km coach journey to reach our final destination, the country’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site – Mada’in Saleh.
The Hejaz Railway
After two hours watching the arid landscape slip by, our knowledgeable guide stopped the coach in the middle of nowhere. It was here we discovered the train to nowhere! A large rusty steam locomotive was perched on the sand, appearing as if it were still desperately straining to pull its derelict trucks across an empty desert devoid of any railway lines. It was one of many forlorn remnants of the Hejaz railway that still litter the north of Arabia.
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The line was built between 1900 and 1908 and ran 1,300km from Damascus to Medina through Syria, Jordan and along Saudi Arabia’s western plain.
Its main purpose was to connect Constantinople (then capital of the Ottoman Empire) with the holiest shrines of Islam at Medina and Mecca and to assist the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
In fact, it never reached further south than Medina. Other important reasons for its construction were to improve economic and political integration of the Ottoman Empire’s Arabian provinces, and to facilitate the transportation of military forces.
The Arab tribes always viewed the railway as a threat to their sovereignty and it became the target of many attacks during World War I, aided and abetted by guerrilla forces led by T.E. Lawrence.
Various wrecked engines, lying on their sides, can still be found throughout the region, a testimony to Lawrence’s skill with explosives. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the line never reopened south of the Jordanian-Saudi border, although parts are operable in Jordan and Syria and some steam locomotives remain in working order.
A few hours later, on arrival at Mada’in Saleh we visited the original local railway station, now operating as a museum and workshop. It was full of interest and history with preserved buildings, engines and rolling stock.
Mysterious Mada’in Saleh
Everybody has heard of the rose red city of Petra, the ancient capital of the Nabatean Kingdom in Jordan. Very few have heard of or visited the Nabateans’ southernmost settlement, known as Mada’in Saleh, Arabic for “Cities of Saleh.” Here, some 2,000 years ago, the great Nabatean Kingdom flourished, holding the monopoly on the overland caravan trade route famous for incense, myrrh and spices from southern Arabia.
The local soft sandstone geology provided the perfect medium for carving monuments and tombs and there are over 130 examples that have an uncanny resemblance in style to those at Petra.
However, the sweeping desert landscape here is very different to Jordan, and the numerous carved rocky outcrops looked quite mysterious, some shaped like huge animals, frozen in time. They are separated by wide sandy zones and, shimmering in the relentless heat, appeared as if from another world.
They had elaborately ornamented façades, the largest rising to over 16m. The size and type of ornamentation reflected the social status of the buried person, although inside, they were all plain with the tomb chambers crudely cut within the walls.
To the north east of the site, our knowledgeable Saudi guide took us to the sacrificial area followed by an eerie stroll through a 40m narrow rock corridor very reminiscent of the Siq at Petra, to see rain water collection tanks and the council chamber or meeting place.
The residential area of the city was some distance away, with little remaining except some simple mud brick structures. Most of the water supply for this ancient city came from a series of wells, as the water table here is only 20m deep.
Around 100 A.D., the Romans annexed the area and the trading itinerary shifted to a maritime route through the Red Sea. Mada’in Saleh soon lost its strategic importance in terms of trade and taxation collected from transit caravans, and it was the beginning of the end for the Nabateans.
Our long day was complete only after we had enjoyed a superb BBQ of lamb kebabs under the stars.
We camped in tiny ‘two man’ tents although some in our group chose the slightly cooler open-air option. It was early to bed and early to rise and by 5 a.m. the following morning we were climbing the hill behind the camp to watch a glorious sunrise. Our thoughtful hosts even served us hot coffee at the summit.
Before our return journey, we explored more of Mada’in Saleh’s wind-blown sandstone monuments. We felt privileged to be viewing this amazing site for a second day, in the total absence of any other tourists! Our long return journey began with a drive through the lovely country around nearby Al-Ula with its fertile valley and majestic hills.
As we began to doze on the coach journey south, a very famous movie began to play on the coach’s TV screen. Maybe you have already guessed its title. It was ‘Lawrence of Arabia’!
