Local Travel: Explore Shuwaymis

Alongside the massive religious tourism sector, Saudi Arabia also has a lot to offer for leisure travellers. The Red Sea, Sarawat Mountains, Mada’in Saleh, Hail, Northern Region which includes Tabuk and Al-Bahah all provide varying landscape and activities for local explorers. Today, we’ll be discovering the fascinating UNESCO-recognized World Heritage Site of Shuwaymis.

Located 320 km away from Hail city, Shuwaymis provides a treasure-trove of preserved ancient rock art and inscriptions. Many similar sites can be found while travelling throughout the Kingdom’s deserts. The art in Shuwaymis depicts life during the Neolithic Era. Experts with the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage have found the rocks to date back 12,000 to 14,000 years, suggesting they correspond to three different eras of the stone age.

Formed from sedimentary sandstone hills, the site contains drawings of complete human figures, individually and collectively, with animal figures. The accuracy and execution of the drawings are astonishing, and the progressive change in art from the three different eras can be compared in these beautiful murals.

The Horizons Tours is an SCTH-certified tour operator that provides trips to this outstanding location. The trip includes four exciting major stops along the way and ensures guests also get to experience the culture, cuisine and lifestyle of the locals.

The trip starts with a comfortable short journey where The Horizons Tours team is available to help participants through every step. On the way to Shuwaymis, visitors are taken to an ancient village. The houses here are made of mud and lava rocks. The tour guide helps guests become acquainted with the cultural significance of the ancient architectural style present in the village. The next stop is the well-known ancient battlefield of the Dahis and Ghabra war. The guides can enlighten visitors with details of the infamous, 40 years long, Arab tribal war in this region. Finally, participants are taken to the untouched, wondrous Mount Majour and Rata in Shuwaymis. Tour guides are equipped to translate and explain the significance of the beautiful carvings on the limestone rocks. The ancient pre-Islamic art often includes numerous depictions of animals such as ipexis, ostriches, water buffaloes, wolves, camels, and desert cats. Drawings of humans engaged in hunting are also found. Islamic writings seen are often from the first century of Islam, beside numerous depictions of men in the battlefield: riding horses and carrying spears.

The chef is sent to the location to prepare a local, traditional meal before the guests arrive. The trip is meant to give guests a holistic experience of local traditions and culture, and give an essence of the fascinating and rich history of the Arabian Peninsula.

Similar to Shuwaymis, another open-air museum of ancient rock art and inscription can be found just 200 km from Riyadh. The Horizons Tours explorers wish to call it Riyadh Shuwaymis, this quiet area has significant resemblance to the real Shuwaymis. The ancient carvings and inscriptions seen here date back up to 10,000 years. This desert gem was a recent finding and is yet to become a busy tourist destination with fences, scheduled visiting hours and need for coordination with local rangers. It also has a lot to offer for those interested in seeing a paleolake or savanna environment.

The trip can be followed by an overnight desert camping experience in a pure and untouched location of the red sand dunes. This serene area is a feast for the senses and a relaxing getaway from the busy life of the metropolitan Riyadh. The Horizons Tour offers camping gear, on the spot cooked traditional meals by the team’s very own chef and dune bashing. Vegetarian options are also made available for those interested. Dune bashing is a form of off-road driving on sand dunes and the team has well-equipped cars and long-range walkie talkies available for the guests to ensure the passengers have a safe ride.

PHOTOS BY FLORENT EGAL: www.saudiarabiatourismguide.com