Desert of Hisma, A Haven of Natural Beauty and Geological Wonder in Tabuk Region

The Hisma Desert covers the northwest part of the Tabuk Region creating a captivating landscape and geologically intriguing location. (SPA)
The Hisma Desert covers the northwest part of the Tabuk Region creating a captivating landscape and geologically intriguing location. (SPA)
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Desert of Hisma, A Haven of Natural Beauty and Geological Wonder in Tabuk Region

The Hisma Desert covers the northwest part of the Tabuk Region creating a captivating landscape and geologically intriguing location. (SPA)
The Hisma Desert covers the northwest part of the Tabuk Region creating a captivating landscape and geologically intriguing location. (SPA)

The Hisma Desert, a desert of crimson sands and vibrant red sand mountains, covers the northwest part of the Tabuk Region, creating a captivating landscape and geologically intriguing location, SPA said on Monday.
Over the course of time, these mountains have been sculpted by nature into captivating forms, preserving a historical narrative that beckons tourists to explore this open-air museum. The erosion of these mountains has crafted a surreal and magnificent landscape found nowhere else in the world.
The Hisma Desert has served as a vital stop along an ancient trade route to and from the Arabian Peninsula, witnessing the passage of caravans and travelers across various civilizations. This historical significance is reflected in the multitude of archaeological inscriptions found on the towering mountains, showcasing the rich diversity of human history etched into the rocks.



UN Puts 4th Century Gaza Monastery on Endangered Site List

The Saint Hilarion complex dates back to the fourth century. Mahmud HAMS / AFP/File
The Saint Hilarion complex dates back to the fourth century. Mahmud HAMS / AFP/File
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UN Puts 4th Century Gaza Monastery on Endangered Site List

The Saint Hilarion complex dates back to the fourth century. Mahmud HAMS / AFP/File
The Saint Hilarion complex dates back to the fourth century. Mahmud HAMS / AFP/File

The Saint Hilarion complex, one of the oldest monasteries in the Middle East, has been put on the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites in danger due to the war in Gaza, the body said Friday.
UNESCO said the site, which dates back to the fourth century, had been put on the endangered list at the demand of Palestinian authorities and cited the "imminent threats" it faced.
"It's the only recourse to protect the site from destruction in the current context," Lazare Eloundou Assomo, director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, told AFP, referring to the war sparked by Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel.
In December, the UNESCO Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict decided to grant "provisional enhanced protection" -- the highest level of immunity established by the 1954 Hague Convention -- to the site.
UNESCO had then said it was "already concerned about the state of conservation of sites, before October 7, due to the lack of adequate policies to protect heritage and culture" in Gaza.
The Hamas attack on October 7 resulted in the deaths of 1,197 people in Israel, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Israel's retaliatory offensive against Hamas has killed at least 39,175 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, which does not give details of civilian and militant deaths.