The Wandering Scot
An occasional travel journal
Saudi Arabia finally started issuing tourist visas in September 2019, so I rushed on in...
Dammam to Riyadh
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| View from Dammam Corniche
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| Train for Riyadh
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| 88 miles SW of Dammam
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| 98 miles East of Riyadh
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| 71 miles East of Riyadh
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Riyadh
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Ministry of the Interior
(Or perhaps a landing craft from a Culture GCU)
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| Kingdom Tower
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| Kingdom Tower
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| Kingdom Tower Sky Bridge
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| View from Kingdom Tower (looking North)
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| View from Kingdom Tower (looking South)
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| Segregated Starbucks
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| "Singles" entrance
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"Family" entrance
Note the frosted glass on this side
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Unexpected sign on a dull office building
"General Presidency of the Promotion of Virtue
and the Prevention of Vices"
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Riyadh: Masmarak Fortress
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| Masmarak Fortress
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| Masmarak Fortress
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| Masmarak Fortress
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| Fortress gate famously forced by Abdulaziz Al Saud
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| Inset Gate
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| Masmarak Fortress: Storming by Abdulaziz Al Saud
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| Masmarak Fortress interior
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| Masmarak Fortress interior
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| View near Masmarak Fortress
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Riyadh: National Museum
The National Museum is well organized and has very tactful signage.
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| "The Glory of His Creation"
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| "Continents Move... by the will of God"
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| "Different Times ... Different Animals and Plants"
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| Extract from Civilization Timeline
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| Extract from Civilization Timeline
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| Replica of Lion Tomb at Dadan
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| Replica of Madain SalehTomb
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| "Treasure of Thaj" 1st c BC to 1st c AD
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| Animal powered millstone
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| Symbol of the Snake god Wed (2nd c AD)
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| Replica of the Al-Muwaylih Fort
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| Model of the Great Mosque at Mecca
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Riyadh to Buraidah
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| 26 miles North of Riyadh
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| 28 miles North of Riyadh
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| 73 miles East of Buraidah
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| 72 miles East of Buraidah
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| 62 miles East of Buraidah
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| "Date City" out of season.
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| "Date City" out of season.
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| Date palms, near Date City
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| View to Buraidah
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| Another segregated Starbucks
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| Segregated Burger King
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| Segregated Texas Chicken
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| Segregated Buffalo Wild Wings
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| Bank "Ladies Branch"
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Ha'il
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| 20 miles NW of Buraidah
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| 73 miles NW of Buraidah
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| Ha'il: Qishlah Fortress
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| Qishlah Fortress
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| Qishlah Fortress: Main Gate
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| Qishlah Fortress: Interior closed for restoration
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| A'arif Fort
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| Ha'il from A'arif Fort
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| Pre-islamic statue, Ha'il Regional Museum
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| Towers from (demolished) Barzan castle
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Ha'il: Local Heritage Museum
The Local Heritage Museum is a rather eccentric but amusing private museum of "old" Ha'il
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| Hail Local Heritage Museum
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| 1918 Egyptian passport
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Ha'il to Al Ula
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| Camel crossing, 68 miles West of Ha'il
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| 93 miles West of Ha'il
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| 117 miles East of Madain Saleh
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| 48 miles East of Madain Saleh
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| Rock spires, 15 miles East of Madain Saleh
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Madain Saleh
This is the most importand archeological site in Saudi Arabia, an ancient Nabatean City.
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| Our tour guide
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| Welcoming coffee and dates!
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Madain Saleh: Jabal Ithlib
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| Jabal Ithlib
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| Jabal Ithlib
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| Jabal Ithlib: Al Diwan, a rock-carved meeting room(?)
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| Jabal Ithlib: Siq
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| Jabal Ithlib: Siq
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| Jabal Ithlib: View down to green farmland
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Madain Saleh: Qasr Al Bint
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| Qasr Al Bint
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| Qasr Al Bint
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| Qasr Al Bint: Common tomb decorations
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| Qasr Al Bint
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| Qasr Al Bint
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| Qasr Al Bint
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| Qasr Al Bint
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| Qasr Al Bint
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| Qasr Al Bint
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Madain Saleh: Jabal Al Ahmar
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| Jabal Al Ahmar
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| Jabal Al Ahmar: Our esteemed guide
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| Jabal Al Ahmar
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| Jabal Al Ahmar
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| Jabal Al Ahmar
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| Jabal Al Ahmar
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Madain Saleh: Qasr Al Farid
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| Qasr Al Farid
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| Qasr Al Farid
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| Scotsman at Qasr Al Farid
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Madain Saleh: Immersive Play
The immersive play was unexpectedly interesting, as traders welcomed us as exotic strangers...
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| The traders welcome exotic strangers!
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| The King's son is dead!
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| Funerary preparations
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| The body is taken into the Tomb
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| The End
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Madain Saleh: Hejaz Railway Station
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| Hejaz Railway Station
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| Hejaz Railway Station
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| Hejaz Railway Station
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Al Ula
I was in Al Ula for the Winter at Tantora festival, as right now that is the only way to visit Madein Saleh.
Al Ula Heritage Village
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| Mosque of the Bones
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| Al Ula Castle
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| Al Ula Castle
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Al Ula: Winter Park
Winter Park holds the HQ for the Winter at tantora Festival
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| Winter at Tantora HQ
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Al Ula: Dadan
Dadan is an ancient Lihyan city.
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| Very distant view to Lion Tombs
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| Zoomed distant view to Lion Tombs
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| View from rocky Dadan to green plam trees
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| Rocky spires near Dadan
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Around Al Ula
A very craggy landscape.
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| Elephant Rock
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| Elephant Rock
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| View from Al Ula Overview point
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| View from Al Ula Overview point
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Yanbu
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| Yanbu Historic District (under development)
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| Yanbu Historic District (under development)
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| Charming "fish in a basket" sculpture
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Jeddah
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| View to sadly non-operating King Fahd Fountain
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| Bab Jadid Gate
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Historic Al Naseef House
The tree was once "the only tree in Jeddah"
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| Historic Al Naseef House
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| Al Shafee mosque minaret
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| "Bedouin Market"
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| "Bedouin Market"
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| Baab Makkah (Mecca Gate)
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| An only nominally segregated coffee shop
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Jeddah Tower
Intended to be 1km high. Construction is frozen, alas.
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| Jeddah Tower
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Bahrain
I transited through Bahrain on my way to Dammam.
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| HM the King
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| Bab al-Bahrain Gate (1949)
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| Exotic twisted tower
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| The Two Towers
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