We flew to a desert town in western Saudi Arabia called Al Ula, from where we drove to the ancient site called Mada'in Saleh. This was a trading post set up by the Nabataeans (ancient Arabs from North Arabia) around 100 B.C.E. to transport frankincense and myrrh from what is now Yemen northward eventually to the Roman Empire. We saw enormous sandstone rock formations standing in the desert like ten-story boulders, and carved into their sides were ancient tombs, temples, carvings, and striations used to channel rainfall from the rock face to a collection system. In this desert they are very well preserved.
David with four of our abaya-clad travelers.
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