What to see in Saudi Arabia: 10 must-sees
Discover what to see in Saudi Arabia: 10 must-see destinations, from Mecca to Medina. Predominantly UNESCO heritage and religious; each entry includes the best time to visit and the link to its official source.
UNESCO Heritage(4)
Descend to the oasis of AlUla, inhabited for 200,000 years, and walk Hegra (Madain Salih), the second Nabataean city after Petra: 111 tombs carved in red sandstone between the 1st century BC and the 1st century AD. Follow its paths among rock formations and the Hellenistic city, observe the desert fauna and flora, and understand why this valley was a bridge between civilisations for millennia.
Walk Al-Balad, Jeddah's old quarter, where more than 1,500 traditional coral houses keep carved doors and Ottoman architecture. This port was the most important in the Middle East for 1,500 years, and in 2014 UNESCO inscribed it as a World Heritage Site. Its alleys testify to a cultural tradition tied to the pilgrim routes toward Mecca and to the trade of the Red Sea.
Admire the citadel of Diriyah, founded in 1446 by the Al Saud family and capital of the First Saudi State between 1744 and 1818. Its palaces, mosques and fortresses of the 18th century narrate the story of the dynasty that unified Saudi Arabia in 1927. Walk the trails of the natural surroundings, where geological formations, fauna and flora invite hiking and nature watching near Riyadh.
Peek before Qasr al-Farid, the most spectacular Nabataean tomb in the world, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A 21-meter-high red sandstone facade stands alone in the middle of the desert, carved between the 1st century BC and the 1st century AD and never finished: the chisel marks can still be made out at its lower part. Walk on foot the surroundings of rock formations and observe the fauna and flora adapted to this corner of the Saudi desert, where silence underscores the solitude of this unfinished monument.
Religious(2)
Witness the most important pilgrimage in Islam, where 2 million worshippers gather every year around the Kaaba — the black stone house Abraham built, according to tradition, and the point toward which 1.8 billion Muslims look five times a day. The Grand Mosque of Mecca, the largest in the world, covers 356,000 square meters with room for 800,000 worshippers, while the 99-meter minaret and the 19th-century clock tower shape a horizon that lights up with millions of lamps every night.
Pilgrimage to the city where the Prophet Muhammad founded the first Muslim community in 622 AD — where the Prophet's Mosque with its green dome holds the tomb of the founder of Islam, and where 60,000 pilgrims a day visit the Quba, the world's first mosque. The Prophet's Mosque, the second most important in Islam, was built by Muhammad himself in 622 and has been enlarged 12 times, covering today 23,500 square meters.
Natural(2)
Discover the Empty Quarter from Riyadh — the largest and driest sand desert on Earth, with 650,000 square kilometers of dunes running to the horizon. Some climb 250 meters in height and change color with the hour of the day. Walk its crests on foot, watch gazelles, desert foxes and plants surviving on minimal moisture, and sleep beneath a sky without light pollution. Bedouin guides explain how to read the dunes and find your way by the stars.
Camp at the desert's edge, where a 300-meter cliff drops into the void as if the ground had been cut off — the Bedouin call this place the Edge of the World. Walk the Tuwaiq, a sandstone wall stretching 800 kilometers and ruling the central plateau, and follow geological formations where sea fossils from an ancient ocean floor can still be seen. At sunset, the reddish light draws cracks and cornices as falcons wheel over the precipice. Bring water, sturdy footwear and plan your route: the dirt tracks call for a 4x4 and there are no services nearby.
City(1)
Ride up Kingdom Center to watch the Saudi capital spread over the desert, glass towers contrasting with the old Masmak Fort. Founded in 1745 as capital of the First Saudi State, Riyadh today holds 8 million people and is the center of the world's biggest oil exporter. Walk Al Zal souk, haggle for carpets and spices, and end the afternoon at Boulevard Riyadh City, where nightlife strikes up as the sun sets. From desert village to metropolis in barely 100 years.
Monument(1)
Walk the 19th-century fortress where Ibn Saud recovered Riyadh in 1902 — the act that marked the start of Saudi Arabia's unification. The mud fortress, with its round towers and inner courtyard, holds a museum narrating the story of the city and of the Al Saud dynasty. Take in the monument that recounts centuries of history and culture. Walk its structures, admire the architectural details and uncover the story hidden in its stones.
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