AlUla Heritage Sites Reopen to Public End of October

Visitors take pictures at rock-hewn tombs of Madain Saleh near the city AlUla, Saudi Arabia January 25, 2019. (Reuters)
Visitors take pictures at rock-hewn tombs of Madain Saleh near the city AlUla, Saudi Arabia January 25, 2019. (Reuters)
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AlUla Heritage Sites Reopen to Public End of October

Visitors take pictures at rock-hewn tombs of Madain Saleh near the city AlUla, Saudi Arabia January 25, 2019. (Reuters)
Visitors take pictures at rock-hewn tombs of Madain Saleh near the city AlUla, Saudi Arabia January 25, 2019. (Reuters)

The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) has confirmed that the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hegra, the ancient kingdom of Dadan and the canyons of Jabal Ikmah will be the first sites to re-open to the public, having been largely closed off to visitors in the past period.

The RCU announced that residents of AlUla will have the opportunity to access the sites exclusively on 30 October for free. However, major COVID-19 safety measures have been put in place that adhere to the Ministry of Health protocols, which align which the safe travels guidelines published by the World Travel and Tourism Council.

Measures include mandatory pre-booking of tickets, temperature checks at the airport, distancing and limitations of visitors at heritage and other sites, increased sanitation measures and mandatory mask-wearing.

Phillip Jones, Chief Destination Management and Marketing Officer, highlighted the challenges that the teams faced while exerting their best efforts to deliver this important stage and to move to the next chapter of AlUla’s journey through time.

“We have a full team onsite to get the destination ready to welcome those first visitors and we’re excited to give the local community a chance to revisit their heritage sites before the rest of the world, while we continue to build on the experiences," Jones said.

Activations and immersive experiences at the heritage sites, as well as adventure experiences and events will be announced over the coming weeks and will be phased in over the winter months, with the full suite of experiences planned for the winter season to be expected by first quarter 2021.

AlUla Old Town too will be open as a visitor experience to the public for the first time from December 2020.

Flights are available with Saudia to AlUla from Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. AlUla is just over three hours from Madinah and Tabuk Airport. It’s also only a 2.5 hour drive to the Red Sea which visitors can add on to their trip.



King Charles Returns to Public Duties after Brief Hospital Stay

Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla wave as they arrive by carriage on the first day of the Royal Ascot horse race meeting at Ascot, England, Tuesday, June 18, 2024. (AP)
Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla wave as they arrive by carriage on the first day of the Royal Ascot horse race meeting at Ascot, England, Tuesday, June 18, 2024. (AP)
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King Charles Returns to Public Duties after Brief Hospital Stay

Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla wave as they arrive by carriage on the first day of the Royal Ascot horse race meeting at Ascot, England, Tuesday, June 18, 2024. (AP)
Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla wave as they arrive by carriage on the first day of the Royal Ascot horse race meeting at Ascot, England, Tuesday, June 18, 2024. (AP)

Britain's King Charles is returning to public duties this week after he was briefly taken to hospital last Thursday when he experienced side effects from his cancer treatment, a royal source said on Monday.

The 76-year-old king has been undergoing treatment since he was diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer in February last year following tests after a corrective procedure for an enlarged prostate.

However, he suffered what sources described as a "minor bump in the road" which meant he was taken to hospital for a short period of observation on Thursday, with the result he was forced to cancel some planned events at the end of the week.

Following a restful weekend at his Highgrove home in west England, the king was on Monday heading to Windsor Castle where he would prepare for a usual working week, including investitures and other public appearances, the royal source said.

However, a couple of appointments have been rescheduled ahead of his state visit to Italy which takes place next week.