al-'Ula
Al-'Ula ( Arabic العلا, DMG al-ʿUlā ) is an oasis about 150 km southwest of Tayma and 400 km northwest of Medina in northwestern Saudi Arabia , located on the Frankincense Route .
al-'Ula corresponds to the biblical Dadan and was the capital of the Lihyan Empire . There are numerous inscriptions from the 6th to 4th centuries BC in the local language, which is one of the early North Arabic languages . Due to its importance for the frankincense trade, the oasis was at least since the 2nd century BC. Until the early 1st century BC. Under the rule of the South Arabian kingdom of Ma'in .
Attractions
- Mada'in Salih , a Nabataean burial complex with over 100 monumental graves
- Station and remnants of the Hejaz Railway
- City museum with an overview of the history of Saudi Arabia and the region
- Lihyani lion graves
literature
- Abdallah Adam Nasif: Al-'Ula. An Historical and Archaeological Survey with Special Reference to its Irrigation System. Riyadh 1988.
Individual evidence
- ^ FV Winnett: A Study of the Lihyanite and Thamudic Inscriptions , University of Toronto Press, Oriental Series No. 3.
Coordinates: 26 ° 37 ' N , 37 ° 55' E