Al-Ula is an area with a long, and sometimes unfortunate, history. According to Islamic tradition, the ancient city of Mada’in Saleh was inhabited millennia ago by the Thamudi people, a polytheistic tribe subjected to divine punishment for their idolatrous beliefs. This has contributed to local perception of the area as cursed, which explains the vandalism local archaeological sites have been subjected to in the past.

And these are not merely your average historical remains. Mada’in Saleh was designated in 2008 as Saudi Arabia’s first World Heritage Site, and was the second largest city of the Nabatean kingdom - right after Petra, which is today the most visited tourist attraction in nearby Jordan.

Visiting in person, it is not difficult to see why. Over a hundred splendid rock-cut tombs invite a number of questions, which our knowledgeable local guides were keen to answer. We explored a variety of burial sites, diverse in their structures, decoration and purposes - the most impressive being Qasr al-Farid. Although it is unfinished, the monumental scale of this construction cannot help but awe, and suggests immense influence of its intended occupant on Nabatean society.

The region’s appeal is by no means limited to a single site, though, no matter how impressive this may be. The Heritage Village of Al-Ula, a now-abandoned traditional Arabian settlement, is also a wonderfully immersive example of local history and architecture, and other perfectly-preserved pieces of the past abound. From ancient baths to inscriptions in a wide variety of long-extinct scripts and languages, there is something to please everyone.

This potential has definitely not been lost on Saudi leadership, and a program is underway to change local perceptions; reversing the past neglect of this area and its sites of interest. The Royal Commission of Al-Ula was established in 2017, with the goal of encouraging tourism and heritage conservation. This is in line with the country’s 2030 Vision, an ambitious plan meant to dismantle national economic dependence on the oil sector.

The last few years have therefore seen an unprecedented development of tourist infrastructure, involving initiatives such as multi-billion dollar deals with French cultural institutions and the construction of numerous luxury resorts - for space is no issue in a mostly-deserted area the size of Belgium.

But this plan does present a number of potential challenges. Will locals be offered a role to play in the development of their homeland? How can a sudden influx in tourism be managed in such a way as to maintain the historic character of these sites? And, perhaps most fundamentally, how can visitors be persuaded to flock to a country which suffers from an extremely poor image elsewhere in the world?

These obstacles are numerous, and to some seem insurmountable - but the first tourist visas, projected to be issued in 2020, provide this fledgling industry with the opportunity to test its mettle. What the results of this effort will be, however, only time will tell.

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I’m Sam and I’m an undergraduate studying History at Oxford. I’ve always had an interest in the Middle East, and the Gulf region more specifically - so Gateway was the perfect opportunity for me! It’s been a great experience meeting Saudis from different backgrounds and generations, hearing them explain the country in their own words. I would definitely recommend the program to other students!