Al-Ula

Al-Ula during the 9th century

al-Ula (Arabic: ٱلْعُلَا) is an Arabian archaeological city and UNESCO World Heritage Site located in what is now Medina Province, Saudi Arabia. During its heyday, it was a prosperous market town with notable agricultural resources coming from the neighbouring oasis, as well as through the Incense Road. Considered an important place for the merchants to resupply, Al-Ula was also an essential stop in the pilgrimage route to Mecca.

History

It is difficult to date the first occupation of the city, though it may date back to the first millennium BCE, when the valley was under the control of the Kingdom of Dadan and later the Kingdom of Lihyan. The city developed on a naturally raised area on the western side of valley, with a large outcrop that offered good defensive prospects and where later a fort was established. The "Old Town" of Al-Ula is characterized by hundreds of mostly small mud-brick houses in narrow lanes to preserve coolness, emerging during the Islamic era from the 8th century CE onwards. Other landmarks included the tantora, a sundial placed on the east side of town, and the open-air market.

In the 860s, Basim ibn Ishaq visited the town while searching for leads on the location of his father, Ishaq ibn Khalid, and the robbers that had been terrorizing the region. While in town, the sound of crying caught Basim's attention, and a young woman in tears requested that he retrieve her journal from a nearby courtyard, which had been closed off by soldiers. There, Basim located the journal near a dead body, which he learned from reading an excerpt to be the yound lady's father, who had wanted to marry her off without her say. Basim then returned to the woman and pronounced judgement on her situation.

Responding to a contract put forth by an organizer put in charge of designing a contest of speed and skill to celebrate a pact of trade between the merchants of Al-Ula and a neighbouring shaykh, Basim met with the man in the city. There, he was challenged to destroy a number of pots within the alloted time, in order to test the game so that difficulty could be adjusted. Basim completed the task and received the Toxic Shroud Outfit in exchange for it. Basim also recovered a couple of clues to the robbers' hidden caches, as well as two of the stolen items from caches located in different houses. He also recovered a paper containing Ahlamun Wa Amani (Dreams and Wishes), an oud melody.

The town was occupied continuously until the 1980s, when a new AlUla with modern amenities was created.

Landmarks

• AlUla Market
• Masjid Al'Itham
• Musa ibn Nusayr Fort

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Mirage – Valley of Memory