{"id":54377,"date":"2023-11-22T20:21:41","date_gmt":"2023-11-22T16:21:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/?post_type=articles&#038;p=54377"},"modified":"2024-07-22T20:35:12","modified_gmt":"2024-07-22T16:35:12","slug":"alula-the-ancient-kingdoms-festival","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/articles\/alula-the-ancient-kingdoms-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"A Fortnight In AlUla: Celebrating History &amp; Heritage At The Ancient Kingdoms Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_48371\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-48371\" style=\"width: 1280px\" class=\"wp-caption alignfull -width\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-48371 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2024\/02\/Alula-Grazia-saudi-founding-day-featured.png\" alt=\"Saudi founding day\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2024\/02\/Alula-Grazia-saudi-founding-day-featured.png 1280w, https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2024\/02\/Alula-Grazia-saudi-founding-day-featured-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2024\/02\/Alula-Grazia-saudi-founding-day-featured-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2024\/02\/Alula-Grazia-saudi-founding-day-featured-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2024\/02\/Alula-Grazia-saudi-founding-day-featured-400x225.png 400w, https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2024\/02\/Alula-Grazia-saudi-founding-day-featured-155x87.png 155w, https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2024\/02\/Alula-Grazia-saudi-founding-day-featured-150x84.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-48371\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: GRAZIA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Cradled in the sandy grains of AlUla, Saudi Arabia, lies a treasure trove of culture and history, with iconic landmarks untouched by time.<\/p>\n<p>AlUla Moments showcased transformative ways to experience and celebrate Hegra\u2019s 15-year anniversary as a UNESCO World Heritage site, bringing stories of the past and ancient rites of the people to life.<\/p>\n<p>Honoured as the Kingdom\u2019s first heritage site, the Ancient Kingdoms Festival unpacked the once vibrant city and landscape of the Nabataean civilisation.<\/p>\n<p>From artisanal pieces that forged the culture of yesteryear to the winter sun lighting up open-spaced galleries, this all-in-one destination seamlessly blended AlUla\u2019s rich cultural tapestry with the 21st century.<\/p>\n<p>Infused with 2,000 years of history, Hegra, also known as the Al-Hijr archaeological site, sprawled across a majestic 52 hectares, standing as a testament to Saudi Arabia\u2019s heritage architectural prowess.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_42567\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-42567\" style=\"width: 3100px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-42567\" src=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2023\/10\/ALULA-MOMENTS-4.png\" alt=\"ALULA MOMENTS\" width=\"3100\" height=\"2067\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-42567\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: GRAZIA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>From the rose-hued sandstones of Al-Hijr, forming myriad of rock-cut houses and well-preserved monumental stone facades inscribed with motifs, visitors were invited to explore the gem that is the ancient city.<\/p>\n<p>With a transformative journey through time in one of the Kingdom\u2019s most remarkable locations, the Ancient Kingdoms Festival celebrated the vast history that allowed observers to feel the aura of former incense routes or delve into the story of the spice trade hub connecting old Arabia, Egypt, and India.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_48372\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-48372\" style=\"width: 1280px\" class=\"wp-caption alignfull -width\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-48372 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2024\/02\/Alula-Grazia-saudi-founding-day.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2024\/02\/Alula-Grazia-saudi-founding-day.png 1280w, https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2024\/02\/Alula-Grazia-saudi-founding-day-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2024\/02\/Alula-Grazia-saudi-founding-day-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2024\/02\/Alula-Grazia-saudi-founding-day-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2024\/02\/Alula-Grazia-saudi-founding-day-400x225.png 400w, https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2024\/02\/Alula-Grazia-saudi-founding-day-155x87.png 155w, https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2024\/02\/Alula-Grazia-saudi-founding-day-150x84.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-48372\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: GRAZIA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As visitors frolicked by the historic oases and dunes, they enjoyed vistas and recreations that celebrated the region\u2019s spectacular cultural heritage.<\/p>\n<p>Experiencing starry night excursions and culinary delights transported guests into the heart of history.<\/p>\n<p>Leaving an undeniable elemental legacy, AlUla, the home of extraordinary natural beauty, invited visitors to discover what was, what remains, and what it has come to be.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31739,"featured_media":48371,"template":"","format":"standard","categories":[796,260,225,35,5023,4713,273],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v18.5 (Yoast SEO v20.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>A Fortnight In AlUla: Celebrating History &amp; Heritage at The Ancient Kingdoms Festival<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Stories of the past, voices to the future. 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