Dadan, Ikmah and Hegra After Dark

Visiting Dadan

Today we have excursions booked for Dadan and Ikmah.  We left the accommodation at 0845 for Winter Park in plenty of time to catch the tour bus leaving there at 0945.

First up was Dadan.  After being treated with light snacks and drinks, we our guide took us behind the visitor centre to look up at the tombs on the cliff face behind.  Binoculars on stands were available for us to peer up to the small rectangular openings of the tomb and the two lion reliefs that are now used as the icon for the site.

Branding is very strong in marketing Saudi tourism.  Each site in the Al Ula (including Tayma) area has its own iconic logo.

What we saw at Dadan comes from the Lihyan (8^th to 9^th BC) and Dadan (2^nd to 5^th BC) kingdoms which are both older than the Nabatean kingdom (1^st to 2^nd BC).  Perhaps this is one reason the tombs are simpler and smaller.

Text continues after this gallery.

 

 

We were then given a hands-on archaeological experience with looking for artefacts in a sandbox with a trowel, brushing the sand off and then documenting our find by drawing it.

I thought that in the modern day, one would just photograph the find.  E explained that by drawing it, one makes more careful observations about the artefact.

Next, we took a very short drive within the fenced area to Dadan North, described as Mahlib al Naaqa on Google Maps.  This is an ancient Lihyanite temple from the 6^th to 7^th BC.  It was the discovery of the well (as described as the guide, referred to by other sources as a cistern or purificiation basin carved from stone) that led to the discovery of the complex through thorough excavation.

Text continues after this gallery.

 

 

The first part of the Dadan tour can easily be done free-of-charge by standing outside the visitor centre’s fence.  One can easily spot the tomb openings for free.  However, the tour includes Dadan North and Ikmah, both of which are inaccessible to independent sightseers.

Visiting Ikmah

We continued by bus to Ikmah which is described as an open or outdoor library.  After more refreshments, we walked to the cliff face and adjacent outcrops where about 500 inscriptions were found in multiple languages, many of which shaped the Arabic language today.

These were left by people on trade or pilgrimage routes.  Reliable estimates date the oldest inscriptions at Jabal Ikmah to 644 B.C.

Once again, we were given some hands-on experience, this time carving something, eg. name, in an old script onto a piece of rock.  E gave it a shot and found it harder than expected.

The Ikmah site is enclosed and not visible from the roadside.  Hence a tour is necessary.

Text continues after this gallery.

 

 

Looking for Umm Daraj and lunch

Back in our car at Winter Park around 1230, E wanted to look for the site called Umm Daraj which was located on the nearby cliffs, apparently with a staircase going up.  After trying quite hard, we gave up and went in search of lunch instead.

It seemed like a nice idea to eat the Oasis area.  Parking was difficult so E found a spot from which we would walk.  Some of the places nearby weren’t open for lunch, perhaps only dinner.

Things got worse as we searched further. We got terribly lost through the oasis as some areas are fenced off and inaccessible.

Making it through the oasis to the other main road, we realised it would be quite a hike in the hot afternoon sun.  We backtracked and drove through the path in the oasis and managed to find a park near the Pink Camel around 1400.

It was a scenic spot, except for the flies.  The meals and drinks were nice but pricey.  This was when we realised that eating at place like this costs perhaps 4x what we’ve been paying at the labourer joints patronised by South Indians or 8x a simple local falafel sandwich meal.

Text continues after this gallery.

 

 

Speeding fine

We got notification of a speeding fine today, snapped on the day we left Dumat Al Jandal.  It came to SAR150 which E would pay.  However, it was my interest that it was settled ASAP as the car was rented in my name and the fine was lodged against my name.

This is when the frustrations started:

• The violation notice asked for payments to be made at https://efaa.sa but I could never retrieve the violation as it required some kind of identification number. My passport or visa number wouldn’t work.
• Then by chance I found that every foreigner has a Border Number that can be searched on https://www.absher.sa
• Once having found my Border Number I returned to the first site to attempt payment only to have it failed repeatedly trying different cards.
• Then by chance, I found that foreigners have to pay at a different site https://pay.mof.gov.sa/GTVWeb/co/init.go It took a couple of attempts before the payment was successful.
• I later found out that the failed payment from the very last site was also deducted from my account and I would have to try dispute that charge.

Hegra after dark

What was meant to be rest time, turned out to be stressful.  We then rushed out at 1700 to get to Winter Park for the 1800 shuttle to Hegra.

At Hegra’s visitor centre, once again, we began with hospitality.  We were then given rugs (in case we got cold) and invited to board horse carriages which took us to their “secret garden”.

This appeared to be an area which we had wanted to see yesterday but were driven straight past.  On Google Maps it shows as Al Kuraimat and Al Khuraybat areas.

We were given time to admire the tombs’ exterior before being told briefly about the sites.  This was followed by a few sketches depicting life (trade, romance etc) in the Nabatean era.

Next, we were invited to low seats and tables in the adjacent area where hospitality had been set up.  One of the drinks offered was white wine but it didn’t taste like wine and surely it would have had no alcohol.

The actor/story-tellers came to sit with us to tell us more.  We recognised some of them as the models from yesterday morning.

Lastly, we were taken brought to another adjacent area where a souq had been set up.  I expected it to be a real souq where they would try sell us things.  On the contrary, it was a souq scene where they put on more sketches including mock fights and escapes (with real risk tripping over the numerous props).

A lot of the narration and sketches were in Arabic with short versions in English.

Finally, it was time for us to return to the visitor centre in complete darkness except for the stars in the sky (last night was a moonless night and tonight the new moon).  We hopped on our horse carriage around 2000 for what seemed like a fairytale ride back to the visitor centre.

Back in the car, we headed to “our” sandwich shop for the third night to have their falafel and moussaka sandwich.  We reached our accommodation around 2100, marking the end of our awesome time at Al Ula.