Hegra (Madain Saleh)
Madain Saleh was known in ancient times as the city of Hegra. It is an archaeological site in the Hejaz region of the Arabian Peninsula, in north-west Saudi Arabia, specifically in AlUla Governorate in the Madinah region. The site occupies a strategic location on the road linking the south of the Arabian Peninsula with Mesopotamia, the Levant and Egypt, and its historical fame comes from its position on the ancient trade route that linked southern Arabia and the Levant. Hegra is the name of the homeland of Thamud in Wadi Al Qura between Madinah and Tabuk. Hegra is mentioned in the Quran as the home of the people of Thamud, who responded to the call of the Prophet of Allah Saleh, then turned away from their religion and hamstrung the she-camel that Allah had sent them as a sign, and so were destroyed by the Cry. Madain Saleh is one of the most important Nabataean cities after their capital Petra. It contains the largest southern settlement of the Nabataean kingdom after Petra in Jordan, which is 500 km away. Its most notable cultural role dates to the first century BCE and the first century CE, during the flourishing of the Nabataean state and before its fall to the Roman Empire in 106 CE. Hegra is believed to have continued its civilisation until the fourth century CE, and it was the capital of the Kingdom of Lihyan in the north of the Arabian Peninsula. The remains of Madain Saleh include 153 carved rock facades, as well as a number of Islamic remains consisting of a number
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