Saudi Arabia World Heritage Sites

Saudi Arabia World Heritage Sites

There are seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Saudi Arabia inscribed from 2008 to 2023, they are as follows:

• Al-Ahsa Oasis: The Al-Ahsa Oasis is a serial property comprising gardens, canals, springs, wells and a drainage lake, as well as historical buildings, urban fabric and archaeological sites.
• Mada'in Salih: Is a pre-Islamic archaeological site located in the AlUla sector, within the Al Madinah Region of Saudi Arabia. A majority of the vestiges date from the Nabatean kingdom (1st century AD). The site constitutes the kingdom's southernmost and largest settlement after Petra, its capital. Traces of Lihyanite and Roman occupation before and after the Nabatean rule, respectively, can also be found in situ, while accounts from the Qur’an tell of an earlier settlement of the area by the tribe of Thamud in the 3rd millennium BC.
• At-Turaif District in ad-Dir'iyah: A town in Saudi Arabia located on the northwestern outskirts of Riyadh. Diriyah was the original home of the Saudi royal family and served as the capital of the first Saudi dynasty from 1744 to 1818. Today, the town is the seat of the Diriyah Governorate, which also includes the villages of Uyayna, Jubayla, and Al-Ammariyyah, among others, and is part of Ar Riyad Province.
• Historic Jeddah: Historic Jeddah was as a major port for Indian Ocean trade routes, channelling goods to Mecca. It was also the gateway for Muslim pilgrims to Mecca who arrived by sea.
• Rock Art in the Hail Region: This property shows numerous representations of human and animal figures covering 10,000 years of history.
• Ḥimā Cultural Area: Ḥimā Cultural Area contains a collection of rock art images illustrating hunting, fauna, flora and lifestyles of 7,000 years.
• 'Uruq Bani Ma'arid: The property encompasses the western part of the greatest expanse of windblown sand on Earth, known as Ar Rub' al-KhaIi, and conserves one of the Earth’s most spectacular desert landscapes.