Ruins of the Old town of Al-Ula (Dedan), Saudi Arabia.
Wikipedia: The walled city of Al-'Ula was founded in the 6th century BC, an oasis in the desert valley, with fertile soil and plenty of water. It was located along "Incense Road", the network of routes that facilitated the trading of spices, silk and other luxury items through Arabia, Egypt and India. Al-'Ula stands on the site of the Biblical city of Dedan but was founded with the ancient North Arabian Kingdom of Lihyan, which ruled from the 5th to 2nd century BC. The older history of the oasis has been divided into several phases. The Dedanite kingdom spans the seventh and sixth centuries BC. Dedan is mentioned in the 'Harran Inscriptions'. In these it is told how Nabonidus the king of Babylonia made a military campaign to northern Arabia in 552 BC or somewhat later, conquering Tayma Dedan and Yathrib (Medina). It is thought that around the turn of the fifth century BC the kingdom became hereditary. The next four hundred years, until around 100 BC, were the time of the Kingdom of Lihyan. The Nabataeans were the lords of the region at least until 106 AD when the Romans conquered their capital Petra. The Nabataeans made Hegra, the modern Mada'in Saleh, their second capital. The power centre of the region thus shifted to Hegra some 22 km (14 mi) to the north of Al-`Ula. The Islamic Nabi (Prophet) Muhammad passed through Al-`Ula in 630 on his campaign to Tabuk. Al-Mabiyat some 20 km (12 mi) away near Mughaira became the next commercial centre of the region. It thrived from around 650 until it declined at some time before 1230. In the 13th century the old city of Al-`Ula was built and many stones of the old Dedanite and Lihyanite ruins were reused. Al-`Ula now became the major settlement of the region again until modern times. Between 1901 and 1908 the Ottomans built the Hejaz railway in order to link Damascus to Madinah. The railway had main stations in both Mada'in Saleh and Al-'Ula, where a line was built through the western part of Al-Khuraybah, some 12 km
Size: 7360px × 4912px
Location: Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia
Photo credit: © Bert de Ruiter / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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