Al-Hajar City (Madain Saleh)
Al-Hajar City, also known as Madain Saleh, is an important archaeological site located in the Hejaz region of the Arabian Peninsula, in the northwest of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
This historical site is located in the Al-Ula Governorate of the Medina region and holds great importance due to its strategic position on the road connecting southern Arabia with Mesopotamia, the Levant, and Egypt.
This location holds great historical fame due to its location on the ancient trade route linking southern Arabia and the Levant.
The stone was mentioned in the Qur’an as the home of the people of Thamud, who abandoned their religion and were destroyed by God’s Prophet Saleh for stabbing the she-camel sent by God as a sign.
Mada’in Saleh is considered one of the most important Nabatean cities, second only to their capital, Petra. After Petra, it contains the largest southern settlement of the Nabataean kingdom, separated from Petra by a distance of 500 km.
It fell at the hands of the Roman Empire in 106 AD, and its civilization is believed to have continued until the fourth century AD. It was also the capital of the Lihyan Kingdom in the north of the Arabian Peninsula.
The ruins of Madain Saleh consist of 153 carved rock facades, as well as a number of Islamic monuments, including several castles, the remains of the Hejaz Railway, which extends for 13 km, and the station and locomotives.
In 2008, the site was registered on the list of World Heritage sites, becoming the first site in Saudi Arabia to receive this distinction.
Another archaeological site, known as Madain Shuaib, is located northwest of Madain Saleh and is affiliated with the Tabuk region. The site contains antiquities very similar to those found in Madain Saleh.
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