Traders, diplomats, and master builders, the Nabataeans once commanded a vast network stretching from the Arabian Peninsula to the Mediterranean. Their legacy lives on in awe-inspiring rock-cut monuments, intricate inscriptions, and cultural exchanges with some of antiquity’s greatest civilisations. Long before it became a global destination, AlUla was a key stop on the ancient Incense Road - a vital trade route that connected Arabia with the great empires of the past. At its peak, this route ferried spices, perfumes, and precious goods across thousands of kilometres. AlUla’s location made it a crossroads of commerce and culture, where Nabataean ingenuity flourished amidst the desert sands.

From AlUla to the world

Renowned historian Bettany Hughes’ new three-part series, Lost Worlds: The Nabataeans, premiered in the UK on Channel 4 on 23 August and is being distributed worldwide. The series vividly pieces together the Nabataean story, beginning in AlUla - where the desert reveals a kingdom’s southern stronghold. While Petra in Jordan remains their best-known city, Hughes shows that the Nabataeans’ influence stretched far wider. Episode one begins in AlUla at Hegra, the second city of the Nabataean Kingdom and today Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. Once a thriving hub on the Incense Road, Hegra still stands as a living testimony to their ingenuity.

Bringing history to life

Visitors can follow this story for themselves. Walk among more than 140 monumental tombs on the Hegra Day Tour, step back in time with the Vintage Land Rover Hegra Tour, or experience the sights, sounds, and scents of the incense trade in the immersive Incense Road Experience. Each journey offers a different window into Nabataean life. Hegra is also brought to life through seasonal events such as Hegra After Dark, returning 26 November 2025 to 14 February 2026. Storytelling, music, and light transform the desert into an open-air theatre, making history vivid beneath the stars. Beyond Hegra, AlUla’s landscapes reveal even older stories. Explore the inscriptions of travellers and kings on the Dadan & Jabal Ikmah Day Tour, or look to the skies with a stargazing experience that connects ancient navigation to today’s desert night. Every experience ties back to AlUla’s role as a cultural crossroads. Many of these carvings and monuments were captured on film for the very first time in Hughes’ series. Just as she was able to unearth fragments of this remarkable civilisation, AlUla offers travellers the rare opportunity to step directly into the Nabataeans’ world. Here, the magic of history is curated, celebrated, and vividly alive - all year round.

Follow in Bettany Hughes’ footsteps - explore Hegra experiences and plan your journey into Nabataean history in AlUla.