Most people will have heard of Petra, the Jordanian city carved from solid rock by the ancient Nabateans. But few seem to have heard of its sister city, Mada'in Saleh (also known as Hegra, and also made by the Nabateans), near AlUla in Saudi Arabia.

In 2008, UNESCO proclaimed Mada'in Saleh Saudi Arabia's first world heritage site. It was chosen for its well-preserved remains from the 1st century AD, especially the 131 monumental rock-cut tombs, with their elaborately ornamented façades.

As a result of that heritage declaration, Saudi Arabia is taking steps to protect the site from further degradation, while also promoting it as a major tourist destination. As a result of these two actions, access to the tombs is now strictly controlled, and rather than being free to roam around the extensive site at leisure, we were taken by bus to four specific sites only, and allowed only limited time to inspect them.

The accompanying photo is one of the better examples we visited. Some of the tombs were for prominent individuals, while others included multiple individuals, each in a slot carved into the walls.