From hot air balloons to curated tours and candlelit concerts, the festival in AlUla is extraordinary.
The Incense Road is one of the world’s oldest trade routes. Caravans and camels travelled the 2,000-kilometer journey while carrying resins of frankincense and myrrh to Rome, Mesopotamia, and Egypt. So revered were the resins in these ancient worlds that frankincense and myrrh often cost more than gold.
The remarkable stories of the Incense Road and how it shaped and nurtured civilisations for millennia inspire this year’s Ancient Kingdoms Festival 204 in AlUla, Saudi Arabia. Just as in ancient times, AlUla is a place that provides sanctuary, relaxation, contemplation, and learning to travellers.
“This year’s Ancient Kingdoms Festiva is focused on the Incense Road and the zenith of history of the ancient world sites where Dadan and Hegra – Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site – rose to fame and prominence,” says Eman AlAnkari, Executive Director of Culture Sites Management at the Royal Commission for AlUla. “The Ancient Kingdoms Festival is a further example of the cultural richness of AlUla and how that has continued through the legacies and traditions of its people – and this is now shared by our Rawis.”
For those unaware, Rawis are older even than the Incense Road itself and have a special place in Arab – and specifically Saudi Arabian – culture. They are storytellers, passing down tales of life, ancestors, literature, and poetry from generation to generation. And they are a vital part of the Ancient Kingdoms Festival 2024 experience in AlUla.
“We even have Rawis going up in hot air balloons in order for people to experience AlUla by sky,” adds AlAnkari. “For instance, the tops of the tombs reveal different ways that the Naboteans lived their life. In some ways, Saudi Arabia is still only starting to discover these incredible stories, let alone the wider world. But we want everyone to be inspired by this vast, incredible knowledge that AlUla offers.”
Beyond celebrating the famed Incense Road, the Ancient Kingdoms Festival 2024, which runs from 7 to 30 November, also features specially curated tours, candlelit concerts, and unique artefact exhibitions. A treasure hunt through a Wadi, hot air balloon rides, and a 300-strong parade through AlUla’s Old Town are also on the Festival itinerary.
The hugely popular Hegra After Dark includes a unique history-inspired theatre show with a cast of 40 world-class performers. After journeying through the historical landscape in a horse-drawn carriage, a ‘theatre of life’ is set among Hegra’s spectacular tombs, echoing the era of the Nabataeans.
“Hegra After Dark is being about immersed in the Hegra landscape and being presented with the ‘theatre of life’, where visitors direct their own journeys of exploration and how they interact with this cast of historic-inspired characters whilst engaging in a host of multi-sensory experiences,” says Leila Chapman, Narrative Experience Expert and Project Director of the Ancient Kingdoms Festival.
Beyond all of that, there is also “an incredible array” of ways to see the sites at the Ancient Kingdoms Festival 2024, including horse, camel, hot air balloon, cart, car, off-road vehicle, and safari vehicle.
AlUla, you always impress.
GO: Visit www.experiencealula.com for more information.
