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AlUla: Old Town Tour

Name: AlUla: Old Town Tour
Address: Saudi Arabia

Guided tours Tours Neighborhood tours Activities Architecture Sightseeing

Embark on a guided tour through AlUla's Old Town, where pilgrims, travelers, and permanent settlers have congregated since the 12th century. Discover the beauty and history of this fascinating place.

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Highlights

Get a glimpse into AlUla’s not-so-distant past on the AlUla Old Town Tour.
AlUla Old Town offers researchers unique oral histories and living memory that the area’s other heritage sites cannot.
Guest will learn about Old Town’s settlers and pilgrims, as well as their motives and methods in the city’s construction.

Description

In the 12th century, AlUla Old Town became an essential settlement along the pilgrimage route from Damascus to Makkah. The city gradually replaced Qurh, to the south of AlUla, and is favourably mentioned by travellers from the 12th to the 20th centuries, when modern AlUla was constructed nearby. The houses were designed to be attached to one another, providing fortification, which hints at defence being a priority for the city's early inhabitants. At one point, the city was accessed by 14 gates, which were opened in the morning to welcome travellers, pilgrims and other visitors, and closed each evening. The ancient city’s recent occupation has enabled researchers to begin to gather oral histories, painting a picture of what life was like inside its walls. These stories will one day be available to visitors who can look forward to tapping into AlUla Old Town’s living memory. Get a glimpse into AlUla’s not-so-distant past on the AlUla Old Town Tour. A Rawi (guide) will lead you through AlUla Old Town, where pilgrims, travelers, and permanent settlers congregated through the ages. Inhabited from before the 12th century up until the early 1980s, AlUla Old Town offers researchers unique oral histories and living memory that the area’s other heritage sites cannot. With 900 houses, 500 shops, and 5 town squares, you can explore a maze of remnants of original stone and mudbrick buildings and enjoy views of an AlUla Castle dating back to the 10th century. The guest will learn about Old Town’s settlers and pilgrims, as well as their motives and methods in the city’s construction.