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AlUla's Dream Comes True as Top Global Tourist Destination

AlUla includes the ancient Nabataean city of Hegra or Al-Hijr, registered as the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Kingdom, and the Dadan archaeological site, which contributed to developing and enriching the Arabic language.(SPA)
AlUla includes the ancient Nabataean city of Hegra or Al-Hijr, registered as the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Kingdom, and the Dadan archaeological site, which contributed to developing and enriching the Arabic language.(SPA)
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AlUla's Dream Comes True as Top Global Tourist Destination

AlUla includes the ancient Nabataean city of Hegra or Al-Hijr, registered as the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Kingdom, and the Dadan archaeological site, which contributed to developing and enriching the Arabic language.(SPA)
AlUla includes the ancient Nabataean city of Hegra or Al-Hijr, registered as the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Kingdom, and the Dadan archaeological site, which contributed to developing and enriching the Arabic language.(SPA)

The people of AlUla Governorate, located in the northwest of the Kingdom, have long dreamt of seeing the region as a global tourist hub for worldwide visitors. This dream came true thanks to the support provided by the wise leadership, transforming AlUla into one of the most prominent and important global tourism destinations, as it has witnessed a remarkable tourism boom, according to recent statistics.
The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) aims to raise the number of tourists to 2 million visitors by 2035, SPA said.
Hundreds of young men and women work in various fields to promote tourism in this governorate, which still preserves its antiquities and history dating back thousands of years.
It offers outstanding archaeological sites and unique tourist attractions, being one of the largest living museums in the world due to its antiquities, cemeteries, sculptures, and rock formations. It also includes the ancient Nabataean city of Hegra or Al-Hijr, registered as the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Kingdom, and the Dadan archaeological site, which contributed to developing and enriching the Arabic language.
The new identity of the 93rd National Day this year, under the slogan "We Dream, and We Achieve," was inspired by Saudi projects that were accomplished and turned from a dream into a reality, including AlUla projects empowered by the efforts of the RCU that aim to strengthen its position as one of the global archaeological, cultural, and natural tourist destinations.
The "AlUla Vision," launched by the Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman earlier, reflects AlUla's historical status embodied through the essential stages of achieving AlUla's vision, including the "Journey Through Time" plan.
This plan also aims to preserve AlUla as a unique natural and cultural environment that can develop cultural heritage for the world and achieve the goals of the Kingdom's Vision 2030. Upon its completion, it will realize an economic return by attracting more tourists and providing multiple job opportunities for local community members, in addition to contributing to the Kingdom's GDP.

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Viking Ship Navigating Seafarers’ Ancient Routes Berths in Adriatic 

A full-size archaeological reconstruction of a 10th-century Viking knarr "Saga Farmann" on its years-long expedition through European rivers, channels and seas, is berthed in Port of Bar, Montenegro, July 20, 2024. (Reuters)
A full-size archaeological reconstruction of a 10th-century Viking knarr "Saga Farmann" on its years-long expedition through European rivers, channels and seas, is berthed in Port of Bar, Montenegro, July 20, 2024. (Reuters)
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Viking Ship Navigating Seafarers’ Ancient Routes Berths in Adriatic 

A full-size archaeological reconstruction of a 10th-century Viking knarr "Saga Farmann" on its years-long expedition through European rivers, channels and seas, is berthed in Port of Bar, Montenegro, July 20, 2024. (Reuters)
A full-size archaeological reconstruction of a 10th-century Viking knarr "Saga Farmann" on its years-long expedition through European rivers, channels and seas, is berthed in Port of Bar, Montenegro, July 20, 2024. (Reuters)

A replica Viking ship has berthed in Montenegro's Adriatic port of Bar on a years-long trip through European waters inspired by the Norse seafarers who set out from Scandinavia to explore, trade and conquer a millennium ago.

The ship, Saga Farmann, is a full-size archaeological reconstruction of a 10th-century Viking cargo vessel, or knarr, made from oak and pine, which was found in Norway as early as 1893 but only excavated in the 1970s.

"This is the type of ship that would travel to Iceland, or Greenland, even North America," said Linda Sten Vagnes, one of the journey's leaders.

The trip, set to end in 2026, was originally planned to follow the Norwegian coast into the White Sea off northern Russia and the Volga River, but it was rerouted to follow the rivers of Europe from West to East.

"We had to the change the route because of the war (in Ukraine)," Sten Vagnes said.

The Viking age, spanning the 8th to 11th centuries AD, saw Norsemen journey from Scandinavia aboard timber longships to stage raids, trade and settle across a wide region, including North America, using their mastery of maritime technology.

The Saga Farman's journey, which started in 2023, was inspired by the sagas about Vikings who travelled to Constantinople, capital of the-then Byzantine empire.

It took years of hard work by enthusiasts, with the support of the governments of Denmark and Norway, to make an exact copy of a knarr. The vessel was launched in 2018, said Axel Hubert Persvik, a ship builder.

"It takes a long time because most of craft we do is by hand, ... it takes many hours to build it."

At the latest leg of the trip, the 21 meters (69 ft)-long and five meters (16 ft)-wide ship sailed from the Aegean Sea into the Adriatic, said Zander Simpson, the ship's captain.

"The next stage of the trip is around Italy, Sicily ... to stay in Rome this winter, before next year's stage which will take her up the Italian coast, the French Riviera ... to Paris."

In addition to sails and oars, the Saga Farmann has four electric motors to propel it upwind and upstream. More than three tons of batteries are stored onboard where they serve for propulsion and as ballast.