The Lion Tombs
A pair of carved lions above two cliff openings, the site's best-known feature.
Prof. Mortel — CC BY 2.0 · Prof. Mortel — CC BY 2.0 · Prof. Mortel — CC BY 2.0 · Prof. Mortel — CC BY 2.0
The capital of the kingdoms of Dadan and Lihyan, and far older than the Hegra most visitors come for — it flourished between the ninth and first centuries BC. The site matters more than its modest fame suggests: Dadan was a major trading centre on the incense road centuries before the Nabataeans, named in ancient inscriptions and in biblical sources. By the time the Nabataeans arrived and carved Hegra, Dadan had already been a city for a very long time. Its best-known feature is the tombs cut high into the red sandstone cliff, among them the so-called Lion Tombs, named for the pair of carved lions above two of the openings. The tombs are square-mouthed and set in rows across the rock face, entirely unlike the ornamented Nabataean façades at Hegra. The site also holds the remains of the settlement, a temple, fields and water channels, and the cliff itself carries inscriptions and rock art. Visits are by guided tour within the AlUla site system, booked in advance; the site cannot be entered independently. The red cliff against the green palms of the valley is the image that stays, and it is clearest before sunset. It is usually combined with nearby Jabal Ikmah and its open library of ancient inscriptions.
A pair of carved lions above two cliff openings, the site's best-known feature.
Square openings in high rows, quite unlike the Nabataean façades at Hegra.
An open library of ancient inscriptions, usually visited on the same tour.
Wadi AlUla, south of AlUla town
Hegra is Nabataean, roughly first century AD, with carefully carved and ornamented tomb façades; it is the UNESCO-listed and far better-known site. Dadan is centuries older and from an entirely different civilisation, its tombs plain square openings high in the cliff. Both lie in the same valley and are seen over two days, or one long one.
With one day, Hegra comes first without competition. A second day goes to Dadan and Jabal Ikmah, which together explain who was here before the Nabataeans — and that is what makes a visit to AlUla complete rather than partial.
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