Hegra is in Saudi Arabia, a country that has glimpsed the future, and it is not in oil.
That’s a dilemma for a country whose economy is mainly based on the production and sale of oil, but the world is moving in a different path, one that prevents continued reliance on oil as an energy source.
As a result, Saudi officials have turned to other revenue-generating alternatives, one of which being tourism. The government began granting its first travel permits in September 2019 to anyone who desire to visit the desert nation for purposes other than religion or commerce.
People may now visit Saudi Arabia’s various ancient places, including Hegra, a city thousands of years old that has never been seen by outsiders.
Hegra was formerly a lively commerce route in the Saudi Arabian desert, but it is now a significant archaeological site in the region. Archaeologists, historians, and regular old-fashioned visitors are ecstatic about this new access to a desert architectural treasure.
It was erected by the ancient “Nabateans,” a nomadic people that excelled in designing and constructing various constructions in the middle of a dry, hostile environment. After all, a city thriving and prospering in the middle of a desert is hardly the first location that comes to mind.
But Hegra did, owing to the inventiveness of those who built it, and as a result, the people of this tribe became extremely wealthy and successful as they established a trading route to Jordan, Egypt, and other locations. Peppercorn, sugar, cotton, and a variety of other items traveled through Hegra, and for hundreds of years, merchants in the city were wealthy and successful as a result of their business savvy.
According to academics, Hegra existed from the 4th century B.C. until the 1st century A.D., when it and many other territories, including Syria and Israel, were absorbed by the ever-expanding Roman Empire.
Ironically, Petra, Jordan’s sister city, is identical to Hegra and has hosted up to one million people every year; the architectural characteristics of its more than 600 tombs are an amazing sight to see.
However, Hegra has been utterly neglected, examined, and explored mostly by Saudis. Until now, that is; excavation of Hegra is presently proceeding by specialists from Saudi Arabia and France on a collaborative team.
These scholars, and others throughout the world, are hoping that this unprecedented access to Hegra will spark “intellectual curiosity” in individuals of all backgrounds, not only archaeologists and historians.
People should be interested in learning about the society that built these magnificent tombs, according to David Graf, a professor, archaeologist, and Nabatean specialist who recently spoke with Smithsonian Magazine.
Graf expects that excursions of Hegra will inspire discussions regarding “…who built these tombs? These folks were inventive, ambitious, and pioneering…”
Unfortunately, there is little written proof of who the Nabateans were or how they lived, therefore academics have had to learn about them through secondary sources such as Roman and ancient Greek manuscripts.
Only the dates and other facts etched on the graves provide scholars with an idea of who is buried at Hegra’s 100 tombs, which are largely high-ranking military leaders and their families.
Although it is excellent that Saudi Arabia has opted to open Hegra to more “casual” tourists rather than just archaeologists and other professionals who were previously permitted entry, these are difficult times for people to travel.