Hegra

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title: "Hegra" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["nabataea", "nabataean-architecture", "archaeological-sites-in-saudi-arabia", "railway-museums-in-saudi-arabia", "world-heritage-sites-in-saudi-arabia", "former-populated-places-in-west-asia", "medina-province-(saudi-arabia)", "tourist-attractions-in-saudi-arabia", "castles-in-saudi-arabia", "rock-cut-architecture", "rock-cut-tombs", "ancient-greek-geography-of-arabia", "jinn-related-places"] description: "Archaeological site in northwest Saudi Arabia" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hegra" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Archaeological site in northwest Saudi Arabia ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox ancient site"]

Field	Value
name	Hegra
{{script	Arab
alternate_name	Al-Hijr
Madaʾin Salih
{{script	Arab
image	Hegra, Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia.png
alt	Madaʾin Salih
caption	Qaṣr al-Farīd, the largest tomb in Hegra
map_type	Saudi Arabia
map_alt	Madaʾin Salih location
coordinates
location	Medina province, Hejaz, Saudi Arabia
type	Settlement
website
designation1	WHS
designation1_offname	Hegra Archaeological Site (Al-Hijr / Madâʾin Sâlih)
designation1_date	2008 (32nd session)
designation1_number	1293
designation1_criteria	ii, iii
designation1_type	Cultural
designation1_free1name	Region
designation1_free1value	Arab states
image_size	250px
::

|name = Hegra {{script|Arab|ٱلْحِجْر}} |alternate_name= Al-Hijr Madaʾin Salih {{script|Arab|مَدَائِن صَالِح}} |image = Hegra, Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia.png |alt = Madaʾin Salih |caption = Qaṣr al-Farīd, the largest tomb in Hegra |map_type = Saudi Arabia |map_alt = Madaʾin Salih location |map_size= |coordinates= |location = Medina province, Hejaz, Saudi Arabia |region= |type = Settlement |part_of= |length= |width= |area= |height= |builder= |material= |built= |abandoned= |epochs= |cultures= |dependency_of= |occupants= |event= |excavations= |archaeologists= |condition= |ownership= |management= |public_access= |website= |notes= | designation1 = WHS | designation1_offname = Hegra Archaeological Site (Al-Hijr / Madâʾin Sâlih) | designation1_date = 2008 (32nd session) | designation1_number = 1293 | designation1_criteria = ii, iii | designation1_type = Cultural | designation1_free1name = Region | designation1_free1value= Arab states |image_size=250px}}

Hegra (, Latin: Hegrenorum, ), also known as Madaʾin Salih (), is an archaeological site located in the area of Al-'Ula within Medina Province in the Hejaz region, Saudi Arabia.

A majority of the remains date from the Nabataean Kingdom (1st century AD). The site constituted the kingdom's southernmost and second largest city after Petra (modern-day Jordan), its capital city. Traces of Lihyanite and Roman occupation before and after the Nabataean rule, respectively, can also be found. The site features more than 110 well-preserved Nabataean tombs carved into sandstone outcrops.

The archaeological site lies in an arid environment. The dry climate, the lack of resettlement after the site was abandoned, and the prevailing local beliefs about the locality have all led to the extraordinary state of preservation of Al-Hijr, Al-Hijr's oasis agriculture and extant wells exhibit the necessary adaptations made by the Nabataeans in the given environment—its markedly distinct settlement is the second largest among the Nabataean kingdom, complementing that of the more famous Petra archaeological site in Jordan. The location of the site at the crossroads of trade, and the various languages, scripts and artistic styles reflected in the façades of its monumental tombs further set it apart from other archaeological sites. It has duly earned the nickname "The Capital of Monuments" among Saudi Arabia's 4,000 archaeological sites.

The Quran places the settlement of the area by the Thamudi people during the days of the prophet Salih, between those of Nuh (Noah) and Hud on one hand, and those of Ibrahim (Abraham) and Musa (Moses) on the other. However, a definitive historical chronology can not be obtained through the order of verses because the Quranic chapters (see surah) deal with different subjects in non-chronologic order. According to the Quran, the Thamudis were punished by God for their idolatry, struck by an earthquake and lightning blasts. Thus, the site has earned a reputation as a cursed place—an image which the national government is attempting to overcome as it seeks to develop Mada'in Salih for its potential for tourism.

In 2008, UNESCO proclaimed Mada'in Salih as a site of patrimony, becoming Saudi Arabia's first World Heritage Site. It was chosen for its well-preserved remains from late antiquity, especially the 131 monumental rock-cut tombs, with their elaborately ornamented façades, of the Nabataean Kingdom.

Location

The archaeological site of Hegra is situated 20 km north of the town of Al-'Ula, 400 km northwest of Medina, and 500 km southeast of Petra, Jordan. Istakhri wrote in his Routes of the Realms ({{script|Arab|مسالك الممالك}}):

The site is on a plain at the foot of a basalt plateau that forms a portion of the Hijaz Mountains. Beneath the western and northwestern parts of the site, the water table can be reached at a depth of 20 m. The setting is notable for its desert landscape, marked by sandstone outcroppings of various sizes and heights.

History

Name

Its long history and the multitude of cultures occupying the site have produced several names. References by Strabo and other Mediterranean writers use the name Hegra () for the Nabataean site. The use of Mada'in Salih refers to the (Prophet) Salih, sent to ancient Arabs, a name and identity which may be derived from the biblical figure Methuselah (, in pausa {{script|Hebrew|מְתוּשָׁלַח}} he "Man of the javelin" or "Death of Sword"; ). ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Susa_darius_statue_subject_l07_arab_(1).jpg" caption="𓉔𓎼𓃭𓈉}}}}}}, Hegra) on an Egyptian-style statue of the Persian king Darius"] ::

Although Hegra was for a long time not as important as Dedan, foreigners appear to have called the oasis Hegra. For example, the famous statue of the Achaemenid king Darius the Great made in Egypt and erected in Susa calls the Arabs egy-x-late ({{script|Egyp|{{huge|𓉔𓎼𓃭𓈉}}}}).

Rock writings

Recent archaeological work has revealed numerous rock writings and pictures not only on Mount Athleb, but also throughout central Arabia. They date between the sixth century BC and the fourth century AD and are labelled as being Thamudic, a name invented by nineteenth-century scholars for these large numbers of inscriptions which had not yet been properly studied.

Lihyan/Dedanite era

Archaeological traces of cave art on the sandstones and epigraphs (inscriptions), considered by experts to be Lihyanite script, on top of the Athleb Mountain, near Hegra (Madaʾin Salih), have been dated to the 3rd–2nd century BC, The settlement of the Lihyans became a centre of commerce, with goods from the east, north and south converging in the locality.

Nabataean era

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Myrrh.JPG" caption="luxury items]] that had to pass through the Nabataean territory to be traded elsewhere"] ::

The extensive settlement of the site took place during the 1st century AD, The place enjoyed a huge urbanization movement, turning it into a city. Characteristic of Nabateaan rock-cut architecture, the geology of Hegra (Madaʾin Salih) provided the perfect medium for the carving of monumental structures, with Nabataean scripts inscribed on their façades.

The Nabataeans also developed oasis agriculture—digging wells and rainwater tanks in the rock and carving places of worship in the sandstone outcroppings. Similar structures were featured in other Nabataean settlements, ranging from southern Syria (region) to the north, going south to the Negev, and down to the immediate area of the Hejaz. The most prominent and the largest of these is Petra.

At the crossroad of commerce, the Nabataean kingdom flourished, holding a monopoly for the trade of incense, myrrh and spices. Situated on the overland caravan route and connected to the Red Sea port of Egra Kome, Hegra, as it was known among the Nabataeans, reached its peak as the major staging post on the main north–south trade route.

Roman era

In 106 AD, the Nabataean kingdom was annexed by the contemporary Roman Empire. The Hejaz, which encompasses Hegra, became part of the Roman province of Arabia.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Hegra_Inscription_Marcus_Aurelius.jpg" caption="pages=304-305}}"] ::

The trading itinerary shifted from the overland north–south axis on the Arabian Peninsula to the maritime route through the Red Sea. Thus, Hegra as a centre of trade began to decline, leading to its abandonment. Supported by the lack of later developments based on archaeological studies, experts have hypothesized that the site had lost all of its urban functions beginning in late antiquity (mainly due to the process of desertification). In the 1960s and 1970s, evidence was discovered that the Roman legions of Trajan occupied Mada'in Salih in northeastern Arabia, increasing the extension of the Arabia Petraea province of the Romans in Arabia.

The history of Hegra during the period from the decline of the Roman Empire until the emergence of Islam remains unknown. It was only sporadically mentioned by travellers and pilgrims making their way to Mecca in the succeeding centuries. Hegra served as a station along the Hajj route, providing supplies and water for pilgrims. Among the accounts is a description made by 14th-century traveller Ibn Battuta, noting the red stone-cut tombs of Hegra, by then known as "al-Hijr". However, he made no mention of human activities there.

Ottoman era

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Mada'in_Salih_Ottoman_fort.jpg" caption="The Ottoman Hajj Fort at Mada'in Salih, 1907"] ::

The Ottoman Empire annexed western Arabia from the Mamluks by 1517. It is again mentioned by the traveller Murtada ibn 'Alawan as a rest stop on the route called "al-Mada'in". Between 1744 and 1757, a fort was built at al-Hijr on the orders of the Ottoman governor of Damascus, As'ad Pasha al-Azm. A cistern supplied by a large well within the fort was also built, and the site served as a one-day stop for Hajj pilgrims where they could purchase goods such as dates, lemons and oranges. It was part of a series of fortifications built to protect the pilgrimage route to Mecca.

According to the researches of Al-Ansari, the Ottoman castle was found near the settlement dating to the year 1600 AD in 1984.

19th century

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Ferrocarril_del_hiyaz_EN.PNG" caption="Spanish map of the [[Hejaz Railway]] that passed through Mada'in Salih"] ::

In 1812, Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt rediscovered Petra for the Western world. In the aftermath of the news making the rounds, Charles Montagu Doughty, an English traveller, heard of a similar site near Hegra (Madaʾin Salih), a fortified Ottoman town on the Hajj road from Damascus. To access the site, Doughty joined the Hajj caravan, and reached the site of the ruins in 1876, recording the visit in his journal which was published as Travels in Arabia Deserta. Doughty described the Ottoman fort, where he resided for two months, and noted that Bedouin tribesmen had a permanent encampment just outside of the building.

In the 19th century, there were accounts that the extant wells and oasis agriculture of al-Hijr were being periodically used by settlers from the nearby village of Tayma.

By the end of the 1960s, the Saudi Arabian government devised a program to introduce a sedentary lifestyle to the nomadic Bedouin tribes inhabiting the area. It was proposed that they settle down in al-Hijr, re-using the already existent wells and agricultural features of the site. However, the official identification of al-Hijr as an archaeological site in 1972 led to the resettlement of the Bedouins towards the north, beyond the site boundary. This also included the development of new agricultural land and freshly dug wells, thereby preserving the state of al-Hijr.

Recent developments

In 1962, examples of many inscriptions were discovered and renewed the archaeological assessment of Hijr (Madaʾin Salih) by Winnett and Reed. Although the Al-Hijr site was proclaimed as an archaeological treasure in the early 1970s, few investigations had been conducted since. Mirdad had lived here for a short time and wrote notices about the region since 1977. Healey studied here in 1985 and wrote a book about the inscriptions of Hijr (Madaʾin Salih) in 1993.

The prohibition on the veneration of objects/artifacts has resulted in minimal archaeological activities. These conservative measures started to ease up beginning in 2000, when Saudi Arabia invited expeditions to carry out archaeological explorations as part of the government's push to promote cultural heritage protection and tourism.

Architecture

| align = right | direction = vertical | width = 200px | image1 = The Monastery, Petra, Jordan8.jpg | caption1 = The archaeological vestiges of Mada'in Salih are often compared with those of Petra (above), the Nabataean capital situated 500 km north-west of Mada'in Salih. | image2 = Qasr al Farid.JPG | caption2 = Qaṣr al-Farīd () is the largest tomb at the archaeological site. | image3 = Tomb of Darius I.jpg | caption3 = Tomb of Darius I (King of Achaemenid Empire), Naqsh-e Rustam, Iran The Nabataean site of Hegra was built around a residential zone and its oasis during the 1st century CE. many with inscribed Nabataean epigraphs on their façades: ::data[format=table]

Necropolis	Location	Period of construction	Notable features
Jabal al-Mahjar	North	no information	Tombs were cut on the eastern and western sides of four parallel rock outcrops. Façade decorations are small in size.
Qasr al walad	no information	0–58 AD	Includes 31 tombs decorated with fine inscriptions and artistic elements like birds, human faces and imaginary beings. Contains the most monumental of rock-cut tombs, including the largest façade measuring 16 m high.
Area C	South-east	16–61 AD	Consists of a single isolated outcrop containing 19 cut tombs.{{cite web
Jabal al-Khuraymat	South-west	7–73 AD	The largest of the four, consisting of numerous outcrops separated by sandy zones, although only eight of the outcrops have cut tombs, totaling 48 in quantity. The poor quality of sandstone and exposure to prevailing winds resulted to the poor state of conservation of most façades.
::

Non-monumental burial sites, totaling 2,000, are also part of the place. A closer observation of the façades indicates the social status of the buried person—the size and ornamentation of the structure reflect the wealth of the person. Some façades had plates on top of the entrances providing information about the grave owners, the religious system, and the masons who carved them. Many graves indicate military ranks, leading archaeologists to speculate that the site might once have been a Nabataean military base, meant to protect the settlement's trading activities.

The Nabataean kingdom was not just situated at the crossroad of trade but also of culture. This is reflected in the varying motifs of the façade decorations, borrowing stylistic elements from Assyria, Phoenicia, Egypt and Hellenistic Alexandria, combined with the native artistic style. Roman decorations and Latin scripts also figured on the troglodytic tombs when the territory was annexed by the Roman Empire. In contrast to the elaborate exteriors, the interiors of the rock-cut structures are severe and plain.

A religious area, known as "Jabal Ithlib," is located to the north-east of the site. It is believed to have been originally dedicated to the Nabataean deity Dushara. A narrow corridor, 40 m long between the high rocks and reminiscent of the Siq in Petra, leads to the hall of the Diwan, a Muslim's council-chamber or law-court. Small religious sanctuaries bearing inscriptions were also cut into the rock in the vicinity.

The residential area is located in the middle of the plain, far from the outcrops. The primary material of construction for the houses and the enclosing wall was sun-dried mudbrick. Few vestiges of the residential area remain.

Water is supplied by 130 wells, situated in the western and north-western part of the site, where the water table was at a depth of only 20 m. The wells, with diameters ranging 4 –, were cut into the rock, although some, dug in loose ground, had to be reinforced with sandstone.

In the Qur'an

According to the Quran, the site of al-Hijr was settled by the tribe of Thamud, The prophet Salih, to whom the site's name of Mada'in Salih is often attributed, called on the Thamudis to repent. The Thamudis disregarded the warning and instead commanded Salih to summon a pregnant she-camel of God from the back of a mountain, and a pregnant she-camel was sent to the people from the back of the mountain as proof of Salih's divine mission.

However, only a minority heeded his words. The non-believers killed the sacred camel instead of caring for it, and its calf ran back to the mountain from whence it came. The Thamudis were given three days before their punishment was to take place, since they disbelieved and did not heed the warning. Salih and his monotheistic followers left the city, but the others were punished by God—their souls leaving their lifeless bodies in the midst of an earthquake and lightning blasts.

Robert G. Hoyland suggested that their name was subsequently adopted by other new groups that inhabited the region of Mada'in Salih after the disappearance of the original people of Thamud. This suggestion is also supported by the narration of Abd Allah ibn Umar ibn al-Khattab and the analysis of ibn Kathir, which report that people called the region of Thamud al-Hijr, while they called the province of Mada'in Salih as Arḍ Thamūd 'Land of Thamud' and Bayt Thamud 'House of Thamud'. The term "Thamud" was thus not applied to the groups that lived in Mada'in Salih, such as Lihyanites and Nabataeans, but rather to the region itself, and according to classical sources, it was agreed upon that the only remaining Thamudites were the Banu Thaqif, who inhabited the city of Taif south of Mecca.

Gallery

File:T E Lawrence and the Arab Revolt 1916 - 1918 Q59686.jpg|In 1908 File:T E Lawrence and the Arab Revolt 1916 - 1918 Q59685.jpg|A train carriage of the Hejaz Railway in 1908. File:T E Lawrence and the Arab Revolt 1916 - 1918 Q58767.jpg|Drawing of Madain Saleh station in 1913 File:Wahbi-al-hariri-rifai-madain-saleh-cc-by-sa.JPG|Drawing of Al-Farid Palace by Wahbi Al-Hariri in 1979 File:Madain Saleh (6720185645).jpg|Sandstones at Madain Saleh File:Madain Saleh (6725166749).jpg|Inscriptions File:Madain Saleh (6720062703).jpg|alt= File:Madain Saleh (6730299351).jpg|Tombs in "Area C” File:Madain Saleh (6725466381).jpg|Train carriage outside Madain Saleh station File:Madain Saleh (6726358431).jpg|alt= File:Madain Saleh (6725360369).jpg|alt= File:Madain Saleh (6731626357).jpg|alt= File:Madain Saleh (6725037957).jpg|alt= File:Madain Saleh (6729446623).jpg|One of the regions of Jabal Athlab File:Madain Saleh (6726016633).jpg|alt= File:Madain Saleh (6735810223).jpg|alt= File:Fantastic Walls 3 (4264825921).jpg|alt= File:Old bunglow of Madain Salleh. (4255753532).jpg|alt= File:Madain Saleh (6736340113).jpg|alt= File:MDAEN SALEH.jpg|alt= File:Qasr al-Farid, Hegra (Madain Salih), 1st cent. CE, Saudi Arabia (10).jpg|alt=

Footnotes

References

1. [https://topostext.org/work/241#E260.11 Stephanus of Byzantium, Ethnica, §E260.11]
2. [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0099.tlg001.perseus-grc1:16.4.24 Strabo, Geography, § 16.4.24]
3. Louvre, Musée du. (2010). "Roads of Arabia: Archaeology and History of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia". Somogy Art Publishers.
4. (December 2021). "Hijr UNESCO World Heritage Site, Mada'in Salih {{!}} ExperienceAlUla.com".
5. "Mada'in Saleh – Arabian Rock Art Heritage".
6. Woodfield, Marjory. (24 February 2022). "Saudi Arabia's silent desert city".
7. "Hegra Archaeological Site (al-Hijr / Madā ͐ in Ṣāliḥ)".
8. (April 2024). "History: Expansion of the Nabataeans". Historical Madain Salih.
9. {{cite quran. 7. 73
10. {{cite quran. 11. 61
11. {{cite quran. 15. 80
12. {{cite quran. 26. 141
13. {{cite quran. 54. 23
14. {{cite quran. 89. 6
15. {{cite quran. 91. 11
16. Asad, M.. "The Message of the Quran, 1982. [Note] Surah 17:2 briefly discusses Moses, followed by 17:3 dealing with Noah. Then Surah 17:59 deals with the Thamud, 17:61 deals with Adam's creation.".
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32. In early Ottoman accounts of the Hajj road between [[Damascus]] and Mecca, Hegra (Madaʾin Salih) is not mentioned, until 1672, when the Turkish traveller, [[Evliya Celebi]] noted that the caravan passed through a place called "Abyar Salih" where there were the remains of seven cities.Petersen 2012, p. 146.
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