Archaeological site al-Hijr in Saudi Arabia - in pictures

Ancient Nabataean tombs are a historically important part of the old city

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  Ancient Nabataean carved tombs at the archaeological site of Al Hijr, near the north-western Saudi city of AlUla. All photos by AFP

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  Al Hijr, or Hegra, includes 111 tombs built about 2,000 years ago, most with decorated facades.

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  An ornately carved entrance at the site, which also has cave drawings and some pre-Nabataean inscriptions.

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  The Unesco World Heritage-listed archaeological site is now open to tourists.

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  Giant boulders guard the entrance to the site, whose tombs are carved from the natural rock.

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  Al Hijr is the largest conserved Nabataean site south of Petra in Jordan.

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  A partial view shows an ancient Nabataean carved tomb at the archaeological site of al-Hijr (Hegra), near the northwestern Saudi city of al-Ula, on January 31, 2022. - Dating back to the first century BC, the archaeological site, which is now open to tourists, includes 111 tombs most of which boast a decorated facade, cave drawings and even some pre-Nabataean inscriptions. (Photo by Thomas SAMSON / AFP)

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  A tour group at the site.

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  The builders of the tombs drew on decorative and architectural influences from the Assyrian, Egyptian, Phoenician and Hellenistic cultures.

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  The local climate has kept the carved facades in a remarkable state of preservation.

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  The site bears testimony to a culture able to master a forbidding environment.

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