Old Al Ula is one of the most picturesque old towns on the Arabian Peninsula. The mud-brick town of about 800 structures stands on the reputed site of the biblical city of Dedan, mentioned in Isaiah (21:13) as home base of Arab caravans, and in Ezekiel (27:20-21) as trading partner of the Phoenician city of Tyre. The buildings you’ll see have repeatedly been rebuilt over the centuries, although the foundations are believed to date to the 13th century.
Some foundation stones still bear Lihyanite inscriptions. The village was walled, with two gates protecting about 800 families, and was occupied until the late 1970s. Throughout the atmospheric ruins there are superb house doors made from tamarisk. Rising up from the centre of the old town are the remnants of the fortress Umm Nasir. The palm trees and maze of low mud-brick walls, directly across the road from the old town, were once farms whose owners lived in the town. Look out for Dedan pottery, hastily produced for everyday purposes in the 2nd century BC.
