Hijr (“rocky place”), is an ancient city near Al-`Ula in Saudi Arabia. In ancient times the city was inhabited by the Thamud and Nabateans and was known as Hegra. It has 131 tombs spread out over 13.4 kilometers, with inscriptions carved in Aramaic, that date back to the 2nd millennium BC. In 2008, UNESCO proclaimed Mada'in Saleh as a site of patrimony, becoming Saudi Arabia's first World Heritage Site. __
