Mada'in Saleh is an ancient city carved into red cliffs, 22km from the Saudi town of Al-Ula. As a sister city of Petra in Jordan, the city offers spectacular architecture dating from between 100 BC and 200 BC - most famously 80 rock-cut tombs which held prominent members of the Nabateans; a wealthy people situated along the trading roads between Mesopotamia, Greece and Egypt. They maintained their wealth along the frankincense route by issuing large caravan tolls in their region, where water was abundant. Unlike its Jordanian sister, Mada'in Saleh was never colonised by the Roman. In ancient times the city was known as Hegra.
Today the tombs remain in very good shape, and are one of Saudi's few well-known tourist sites. Interestingly, the way the tombs have been carved indicates they were built from top to bottom.
Petra is an archaeological site in Jordan that is renowned for its rock-cut architecture. It is also one of the New Wonders of the World. The Rose City of Petra has been described by Unesco as "one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage".
The impressive eastern entrance leads steeply down through a dark, narrow gorge called the Siq, a natural geological feature formed from a deep split in the sandstone rocks and serving as a waterway flowing into Wadi Musa. At the end of the narrow gorge stands Petra's most elaborate ruin, The Treasury or 'Al Khazneh', hewn into the sandstone cliff.
