Which country is home to the ancient city of Hegra, also called Mada’in Salih?

Saudi Arabia is home to Hegra, the ancient city also called Mada’in Salih.

Hegra lies in the Al-Ula area of northwestern Saudi Arabia. It was the southernmost major settlement of the Nabataean Kingdom, the same ancient civilization associated with Petra in Jordan. Its landscape contains monumental tombs cut into sandstone outcrops, along with inscriptions, wells, and remains of an ancient settlement.

Many of Hegra’s surviving tomb facades date from the first century BCE and the first century CE. The site’s location helped the Nabataeans participate in long-distance trade linking Arabia, the Levant, and the Mediterranean world.

UNESCO inscribed Hegra on the World Heritage List in 2008 under the name “Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madain Salih).” It became Saudi Arabia’s first World Heritage Site. Hegra is often confused with Petra because both sites feature Nabataean rock-cut architecture, but Hegra is in Saudi Arabia and Petra is in Jordan.