|
 Backed by billions of dollars in state-led investment and a
French cultural partnership, the authorities expect al-Ula and
its majestic rock-hewn tombs of Madain Saleh could eventually
attract millions of visitors, local and foreign alike.
That is generating excitement in the kingdom, while upending a
superstition among many Saudis - and long-backed by religious
edicts - that the area is haunted by jinn, the malevolent
spirits of the Koran and Arabian mythology, and must be avoided.
Al-Ula's development is part of a push to preserve pre-Islamic
heritage sites in order to attract non-Muslim tourists,
strengthen national identity and temper the austere strain of
Sunni Islam that has dominated Saudi Arabia for decades.
Madain Saleh, a UNESCO World Heritage site located there, is a
2,000-year-old city carved into desert rocks by the Nabateans,
the pre-Islamic Arab people that also built Petra in neighboring
Jordan.
Elaborately carved multi-storey facades with epigraphs inscribed
into the red sandstone give way to internal chambers where
bodies were once laid to rest. At night, stars twinkle in the
vast desert sky.
Superstition about the site can be traced back to a hadith, or
saying attributed to the Prophet Mohammad, warning Muslims not
to enter "unless you are crying ... lest you suffer the
affliction" of its people, said to have perished for their sins.
While interpretation of that passage is nowadays contested,
Saudi state-backed clerics had referenced it for years. In 2012,
one of them ruled that al-Ula should be opened to the public,
but even years later a school in the area was temporarily closed
after students sighted jinn, local media reported.
"JUST GETTING STARTED"
During a media tour, residents refused to speak about the area's
reputation for being jinxed, instead focusing on opportunities
to make money and welcome visitors.
Locals are planning to open restaurants and shops, and a few
hundred young people have been sent abroad to study hospitality.
As conservative Saudi Arabia loosens social restrictions, some
of the tour guides in al-Ula will be women.
[to top of second column] |
"The local community is peaceful, educated and hospitable," said
resident Talal al-Faqir. "The crown prince ... has paved the way
for the entire world to visit us and see the huge civilizations
in our region. We are just getting started."
In Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's headlong push to transform
Saudi Arabia's economy and society, al-Ula has gained
prominence.
He has ridden dune buggies through its sands and invited Western
investors and celebrities for helicopter tours of the area,
which abuts NEOM, the $500-billion mega-city he wants to build
along the Red Sea.
Plans to admit tourists to Saudi Arabia have been discussed for
years but have not come to fruition due to sluggish bureaucracy
and concern over conservative sentiment.
International outcry over the murder of journalist Jamal
Khashoggi by Saudi agents last October may give some potential
tourists pause, but calls for Western performers to boycott the
kingdom have not caught on.
Many of the visitors to al-Ula during an ongoing winter music
festival are VIPs or well-heeled guests, with ticket prices
reaching several thousand dollars. Visas were arranged on an ad
hoc basis.
Riyadh native Dana Daham visited last month with friends, taking
a train from Jeddah to Medina and then a 300-km (180-mile) car
ride.
"We didn't expect it to be this magnificent. We keep hearing
stories from people but this is way more than we thought it
would be," she said. "It's amazing, it's beautiful. So much
history, so much going on."
The weekend she visited featured a concert by the hologram of
the late Egyptian diva Umm Kulthum. Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli
performed a few days later and Greek singer Yanni is also
expected, alongside Arab stars such as Kadim al-Saher and
Mohamed Abdo.
(Writing by Stephen Kalin; Editing by Alison Williams)
[© 2019 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2019 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
