Madáin Szálih - Qasr al-Farid

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MÂDAIN SÂLIH) NOMINATION DOCUMENT FOR THE INSCRIPTION ON THE UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE LIST

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

Executive Summary

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

State Party Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

State, Province or Region Al-Medina al-Munawarah province, al-‘Ulâ region

Name of Property/Site Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih)

Geographical coordinates to the nearest second Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) is situated in the region of al-‘Ulâ.

The centre of the nominated World Heritage Site is at: Latitude: 26° 47’ 01” N Longitude: 37° 57’ 18” E The limits of the Buffer Zone are identified by the following three points: North: 26° 49’ 00” N – 37° 55’ 31” E East: 26° 45’ 52” N – 38° 00’ 01” E South: 26° 45’ 59” – 37° 57’ 43” E

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Executive Summary

Textual Description of the boundaries of the Nominated Site The boundaries of the proposed World Heritage Site are defined precisely on the ground by the metal fence surrounding the nominated site. Within the protected perimetre a second fence isolates the central area of the Nabataean city.

The World Heritage Site is surrounded by a buffer zone that mostly follows the limits set by the road surrounding the site. It extends beyond the road in proximity of the northern entrance and excludes farming areas East and South. To the West, the buffer zone follows the limits of a small wâdî to include part of the mountains west of the fence.

Map of the Nominated Site See page V.

Statement of Outstanding Universal Value Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) is of outstanding universal value because of its unique architectural features carved in the sandstone rock. The monumental ensemble of al-Hijr stone carved façades, typical of the Nabataean civilization, is an outstanding example of this type of architecture. Their architectural value is enhanced by their unique setting in a preserved landscape that has not suffered any major change since antiquity.

Located in a valley settled from remote antiquity, where developed the reigns of Dedan and Lihyan, ancient Hegra/al-Hijr was at the crossroad of international trade and of different cultures and civilizations, and played a key role in the exchange of goods and cultural traditions between Arabia and the Mediterranean world, becoming a wealthy and important halt for the caravans crossing the Arabian Peninsula carrying incense and spices from Yemen and India.

Rich in underground water easily accessible through wells, al-Qura valley and al-Hijr area allowed the development of a flourishing agriculture that still characterizes the area.

Contemporary farms have moved slightly north of the area occupied in the Nabataean period, yet they still profit of the same underground waters and often reuse ancient wells.

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Executive Summary

The significance and importance of al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) is reflected also in the amount of inscriptions from different civilizations visible on the site. Many façades of the monumental tombs bear beautiful inscriptions in Nabataean, while Thamudic, Lihyanite, Nabataean, Latin, Greek and early Arabic inscriptions are engraved all over its hills and rocky outcrops. Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) has therefore an extraordinary value not only for architects and archaeologists, but also for linguists studying the origins and development of Arabian languages and scripts.

Al-Hijr is unique because the evidence of these past cultures has been preserved by the dry climate and by their relative remoteness. Their extraordinary state of preservation and integrity, and the absence of later re-use, make the site particularly valuable for researchers while its outstanding aesthetical quality, coupled with the enchanting scenery of Saudi Arabian desert, qualifies it as outstanding universal cultural site.

Criteria for Nomination The nomination of al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) for inscription on the World Heritage List is based upon criteria (ii) and (iii).

Criterion (ii) requires that al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) should exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on development in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design.

Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) lies at the crossroad of several civilizations and trade routes linking the Arabian Peninsula with the Mediterranean World and Asia. Its importance as international interchange site appears clearly in both the architectural style - showing a synthesis of different cultural traditions - and in the variety of languages and scripts found in the many inscriptions and graffiti visible on the site. Al-Hijr (Madâin Sâlih) was the meeting point of trade, caravan and pilgrimage routes both in pre-Islamic and in early Islamic period, a focal point of different social, cultural and religious entities of international importance.

The occupation of the site covers a period of time ranging from the first millennium B.C. up to the early twentieth century A.D. when the Hijâz railway, linking Damascus to Medina and passing by al-Hijr, was built to facilitate the pilgrimage to Mecca.

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Executive Summary

Al-Hijr has been mentioned in the Holy Qur’ân and in various Nabataean inscriptions located on the site, in classical Greek and Roman sources, as well as in several books by Arab and European historians and travellers. Its most outstanding architectural remains are a unique testimony of ancient rock-cut technology.

Criterion (iv) requires that it should bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or a civilization which is living or has disappeared.

The site of al-Hijr is a major Nabataean site presenting a unique combination of urban settlement (including necropoles, living quarters, city walls and cultic areas) as well as the remains of ancient water collecting system (wells). It hosts 94 monumental rock-carved tombs with decorated façades, with a height ranging from 23 to 2.50 meters, dating from the first century BC to the second century AD. Besides, al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) meets the conditions of integrity and authenticity and has and adequate protection and management system ensuring its safeguarding.

The physical characteristic of the local sandstone and the climatic condition at the site have guaranteed an extraordinary preservation of the decorative elements of the rock-carved tombs.

While the protection granted by the Saudi Arabian Authorities - who have fenced a large zone surrounding the major monuments - has allowed not only the preservation of the tombs but also of their extraordinary natural setting.

Name and Contact Information of Official Institution Supreme Commission for Tourism Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Riyadh, Diplomatic Quarter - 11586 P.O. Box 66680 Tel: + 966 1 4808855 Fax : + 9661 4804693 Email: info@sct.gov.sa

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Executive Summary

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

26° 49’ 00” N 37° 55’ 32” E

26° 48’ 52” N 37° 55’ 51” E

26° 47’ 01” N 37° 57’ 18” E

26° 47’ 23” N 37° 58’ 17” E

26° 46’ 52” N 38° 00’ 01” E

26° 46’ 09” N 37° 56’ 12” E

26° 45’ 59” N 37° 57’ 43” E

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AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MÂDAIN SÂLIH) NOMINATION DOCUMENT FOR THE INSCRIPTION ON THE UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE LIST

KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MÂDAIN SÂLIH)

NOMINATION DOCUMENT FOR THE INSCRIPTION ON THE UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE LIST

JANUARY 2007

Table of Contents

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

CONTENTS PRESENTATION

p. 8

1.

IDENTIFICATION OF THE PROPERTY

p. 9 p. p. p. p.

1. f

Country (and State Party of Different) State, Province or Region Name of Property Geographical Coordinates to the Nearest Second Maps and Plans, Showing the Boundaries of the Nominated Property and BufFer Zone Area of the Nominated Property (ha) and Proposed Buffer Zone (ha)

p. 12 p. 17

2.

DESCRIPTION

p. 18

2. a 2. b

Description of Property History and Development

p. 19 p. 33

3.

JUSTIFICATION FOR INSCRIPTION

p. 38

3. a

Criteria under which Inscription is Proposed (and justification for inscription under these criteria) Proposed Statement of Outstanding Universal Value Comparative Analysis (including state of conservation of similar properties) Integrity and/or Authenticity

p. p. p. p.

1.

1.

1.

1.

1.

a b c d e

3. b 3. c 3. d

10 11 12 12

39 40 42 47

Cover page: Madâin Sâlih, Qasr al-Farîd and the site landscape, G. Ferrandis for MSAP, 2003;

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4.

STATE OF CONSERVATION AND FACTORS AFFECTING THE PROPERTY

4. a 4. b

Present State of Conservation p. 51 Factors Affecting the Property p. 54 (i) Development Pressures (e.g. encroachment, adaptation, agriculture, mining) (ii) Environmental Pressures (e.g. pollution, climate change, desertification) (iii) Natural Disasters and Risk Preparedness (earthquakes, floods, fires, etc.) (iv) Visitor/Tourism Pressures (v) Number of Inhabitants within the Property and the Buffer Zone

5.

PROTECTION AND MANAGEMENT OF THE PROPERTY

p. 63 p. 64 p. 65 p. 66

5. j

Ownership Protective Designation Means of Implementing Protective Measures Existing Plans Related to Municipality and Region in which the Proposed Property is Located (e.g. regional or local plan, conservation plan, tourism development plan) Property Management Plan or other Management System Sources and Levels of Finance Sources of Expertise and Training in Conservation and Management Techniques Visitor Facilities and Statistics Policies and Programmes Related to the Presentation and Promotion of the Property Staffing Levels (professional, technical, maintenance)

6.

MONITORING

p. 90

6. a

Key Indicators for Measuring State of Conservation

p. 91

5.

5.

5.

5.

a b c d

5. e 5. f 5. g 5. h 5. i

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p. 50

p. 69 p. 71 p. 77 p. 78 p. 81 p. 85 p. 89

Ph.2: Tomb B7, detail of the door, original drawing from Jaussen & Savignac, 1914, vol.I, Fig.165.

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6. b 6. c

Administrative Arrangements for Monitoring Property Results of Previous Reporting Exercises

p. 94 p. 94

7.

DOCUMENTATION

p. 96

7. a

7. c 7. d 7. e

Photographs, Slides, Image Inventory and Authorization Table and other Audiovisual Materials Texts Relating to Protective Designation, Copies of Property Management Plans or Documented Management Systems and Extracts of other Plans Relevant to the Property Form and Date of Most Recent Records or Inventory of Property Address where Inventory, Records and Archives are held Bibliography

p. p. p. p.

8.

CONTACT INFORMATION OF RESPONSIBLE AUTHORITIES

p. 105

Preparer Official Local Institution/Agency Other Local Institutions Official Web address

p. p. p. p.

SIGNATURE ON BEHALF OF THE STATE PARTY

p. 107

7. b

8.

8.

8.

8.

a b c d

9.

p. 96 99 99 100 101

105 105 106 106

LIST OF IMAGES

p. 108

Photos Plates

p. 108 p. 112

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Ph.3: Camels in Madâin Sâlih, Madâin Sâlih Archaelogical Project, 2005.

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AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

Nomination File prepared by: Supreme Commission for Tourism His Highness Prince Sultan Ibn Salman Ibn Abdul Aziz al-Saud Secretary General Supreme Commission for Tourism Prof. Dr. Ali al-Ghabban, Supreme Commission for Tourism Secretary-General Consultant for Culture & Heritage

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Presentation

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

Research Team Directed by

Prof. Dr. Ali al-Ghabban, Supreme Commission for Tourism Secretary-General Consultant for Culture & Heritage

Team

Dr. Hussein Abu al-Hassan, SCT, Riyadh Dr. Abdallah al-Saud, Director of the National Museum, Riyadh Dr. Majid Khan, Department of Antiquities and Museums, Riyadh Dr. Laila Nehmé, CNRS, Paris Mr. Naif al-Anazi, Director of al-`Ulâ Museum Eng. Bandar al-Malaq, SCT, Riyadh Mr. Hommoud al-Anasi, SCT, Riyadh Mr. Abdallah al-Zeidan, SCT, Riyadh Mr. Naif al-Qannour, SCT/Antiquities, Riyadh

Coordination and text

Dr. Simone Ricca, consultant SCT

Photographic Credits

Mohammed Babelli Guy Ferrandis IGN (Paris) Mâdain Sâlih Archaeological Mission Simone Ricca Supreme Commission for Tourism

Graphic Design

François Cristofoli

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| CHAPTER ONE |

IDENTIFICATION OF THE PROPERTY

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AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

Identification of the Property Previous page - Ph.4: A view of Qasr al-Bint from the south, from Babelli, 2006, p.74.

1.a Country KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA

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Pl.1: Map of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, SCT, 2006.

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Identification of the Property

1.b State, Province or Region MEDINA AL-MUNAWARAH PROVINCE Medina Province lies in the northwest region of Saudi Arabia, between approximately 22.50 degrees and 27.30 degrees North latitude and 37.00 degrees and 42.00 degrees West longitude. Occupying about 7% of the area of the Kingdom, Medina province has a coastline of approximately 200 km on the Red Sea and is bordered by Tabuk Province on the north, Hail, Qassim and Riyadh provinces on the east and Mecca province on the south. Medina City lies in the approximate centre of the province.

Medina province is administratively divided into seven areas comprised of six districts and the Imara and includes 84 administrative centres.

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Pl. 2: Administrative division of Saudi Arabia, SCT, 2006

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Identification of the Property

1.c Name of Property The property nominated for inscription on the List of World Heritage Sites will be known as: Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih)

1.d Geographical Coordinates to the Nearest Second 26° 47’ 01” North - 37° 57’ 18” East (Center of al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih), at IGN 132) Ph.5: Flying over Madâin Sâlih, SCT, 2006.

1.e Maps and Plans Showing the Boundaries of the National Property and Buffer Zone In the following pages are presented five maps presenting and precisely locating al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih).

Two original maps, scale 1/250.000 and 1/50.000, are joined to the file. (i) Pl. 3: Topographic Plan of al-’Ulâ Region, scale 1: 250.000, Series 1501NM, Sheet NG37-6 al’Ulâ, General Directorate of Military Survey, Ministry of Defence and Aviation, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 2002 (aerial pictures of 1988). (map in the following page)

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Identification of the Property

Pl. 4: Topographic Plan of Madâin Sâlih, scale 1:50.000, Sheet 3726-11, Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Aerial Survey Department, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 1977 (aerial pictures of 1970).

Pl. 5: Geo-Referenced Satellite Picture of the Area Showing the Limits of the Core Zone and of the Buffer Zone, satellite colour image, elaboration SCT, 2006. (map in the following page)

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Identification of the Property

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Identification of the Property

(ii) and (iii) Pl. 6: Location of al-Hijr within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, SCT, 2006. (right)

Pl. 7: Al-Hijr Archaeological Site and its Major Necropoles, elaboration SCT, 2006.

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Identification of the Property

1.f Area of Nominated Property (ha.) and Proposed Buffer Zone (ha.)

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH) The area of the nominated property is of 1621.2 hectares.

The limits of the Core Zone are identified by the following 3 points: North limit: 26° 48’ 52” N – 37° 55’ 51” E East limit: 26° 47’ 23” N – 37° 58’ 17” E South limit: 26° 46’ 09” N – 37° 56’ 12” E

The area of the proposed buffer zone for the site is of 1659.34 hectares.

The limits of the Buffer Zone are identified by the following 3 points: North limit: 26° 49’ 00” N – 37° 55’ 31” E East limit: 26° 46’ 52” N – 38° 00’ 01” E South limit: 26° 45’ 59” N – 37° 57’ 43” E

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Ph.6: Qasr al-Bint necropolis, aerial view, SCT, 2006.

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| CHAPTER TWO |

DESCRIPTION

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Description

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

2.a Description of Property GEOLOGY, CLIMATE AND FLORA Madâin Sâlih lies in a large plain, on the piedmont of the Jabal al-‘Uwayrid, a large basaltic plateau which stands southeast of the Hijâz mountains.

The region of which it is part presents ancient Palaeozoic sandstones dating from the end of Cambrian, beginning of Ordovician periods (510 to 475 million years ago). These sandstones have suffered from the tectonic constraints affecting the region since the Palaezoic and particularly from the rifting (the opening the Red Sea), which started 30 million years ago. The result of these constraints is a dense network of breaks which combine both very long and smaller joints, a phenomenon well known in the sandstones.

The strong erosion dating from the end of the Miocene period (13-5 million years) further affected this network of breaks, resulting in the dissection of the sandstone plateau and in the shaping of the hills which can be observed today.

The sandstones which border the Madâin Sâlih plain are either red-brown (the older ones) or whitish (the more recent ones). They generally have a fine texture, though layers of cobbles are often observed in the red-brown sandstones, and veins of harder rock are relatively common in the whitish sandstones. These characteristics make them less suitable for rock cutting than very fine and more homogeneous sandstones.

From the lithological point of view, it should be noticed that the sandstones are not uniformly resistant and some layers are more subject to erosion than others.

The region in which lies Madâin Sâlih is arid with average rainfall below 50 mm per year (40 to 50 % of the rain falls in winter and 30 % in spring). The average annual temperature is 22°C, 12°C in winter and 30°C in summer.

Wind is one of the main agents of erosion in the area. Winds are stronger in spring and at the beginning of the summer and blow mainly from the northwest.

These climatic specificities make the region a very arid environment in which human installation was and is possible only because underground water is available. Indeed, the rain which falls both on the Jabal ‘Uwayrid, west of Madâin Sâlih, and on the hills east of it, runs down to the central plain feeding the water table which can then be reached by a number of wells. The level of the water table has Previous Page - Ph.7: Area C necropolis, from Babelli, 2006, p.84.

Ph.8: satellite view of Jabal Ithlib, Satellite Quickbird, Eurimage, 2004.

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Description

considerably lowered during the last century: water was less than 10 m deep at the beginning of the 20th century while it can be reached presently at a depth of about 20 m.

Madâin Sâlih region belongs to the Saharo-Arabic area, in which the dominant tree species is the tamarix, to which should be added Mediterranean influences.

The particularity of Madâin Sâlih is that it bears the vegetation which is normally found in wadis. This “wadi vegetation” forms a distinct category in Arabia. It often presents non-indigenous species, in this case of Mediterranean origin, surviving in very dry contexts thanks to the presence of underground water. The result of this combination is that the arboreal vegetation is well represented in the Madâin Sâlih plain, not only with the tamarix (which has been used for hedges) but also and mainly with acacia trees. There are also a few green species and shrubs, as well as halophilic plants such as Zygophyllum simplex and Hammada elegance.

Ph.9: Desert landscape, from Babelli, 2006, p.215.

The Madâin Sâlih area forms a subhorizontal surface surrounded by sandstone hills which are either isolated or grouped to form small massifs. It is crossed from north to south by a wâdî. The thickness of the sediment above the sandstone might reaches 11 m.

Ph.10: Tombs in Jabal Ahmar, G. Ferrandisfor MSAP, 2003.

THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE Madâin Sâlih is the largest Nabataean site south of Petra.

It is situated roughly 500 km south-east of Petra, 400 km northwest of Medina and 20 km north of al-‘Ulâ.

It is well known among scholars and travellers for its rock-cut monumental tombs similar to those in Petra.

The site lies in a large plain across which the Wâdî al-‘Ulâ runs from north-east to south-west. It is marked by a number of sandstone outcrops of various sizes and heights. The most impressive among them is Jabal Ithlib, north-east of the site, rising to almost 100 m above the surrounding plain.

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Description

Pre-Nabataean period The elements which can be securely dated to the period before the great Nabataean monumental building activity took place at al-Hijr are very scarce, and no archaeological remains of this period are known (although it is possible that some may appear during the excavations scheduled for 2008-2011).

The most visible pre-Nabataean remains are the Lihyanite inscriptions (a language belonging to the family of northarabian dialects) found in Jabal al-Khuraymât and Jabal Ithlib areas. Fifty texts written in this script have been recorded so far. Few Minaean (southarabian) texts, written on stones reused in more recent monuments, are also found on the site.

Apart from the epigraphic material, some rock drawings associated with Lihyanite inscriptions certainly date from before the Nabataean period. The most interesting amonfg them, found in alKhuraymât area, represents two life-size lions following one and other, drawn in a naïve but expressive style.

Up - Ph.11: Lihyanite inscription from Jabal Ithlib, SCT, 2003.

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Ph.12: Lihyanite rock drawings, Jabal alKhuraymât, Madâin Sâlih Archaeological Project, 2005.

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Description

The main features of al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) are: 1/ Necropoles. They surround the residential area and contain 111 monumental tombs, ninetyfour of which with decorated façades varying considerably in size. Thirty tombs bear, incised in a special frame above the door of the funerary vault, a dated Nabataean inscription. These documents (the earliest dated BC 1/AD 1 and the latest AD 75) are property rights, a copy of which was kept in the temple of the city. They define who was allowedt to be buried in the tombs and indicate the fine to be paid by those who did not obey the rules listed in the text.

Finally, more than 2000 non-monumental burial-places (simple cist-graves or tumuli) should be added to the monumental tombs.

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Ph.13: Area C, geological detail, S. Ricca, 2006.

Ph.14: Southern part of Qasr al-Bint necropolis, Madâin Sâlih Archaeological Project, 2004.

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Description

2/ Religious area. It develops in and around Jabal Ithlib, in the north-eastern part of the archaeological park. Jabal Ithlib is the highest sandstone outcrop of the site and can be seen from as far as al-‘Ulâ.

The internal part of the Jabal may be reached through a narrow passage between high rocks, some 40 m long which can be compared, although much smaller, with the Sîq of Petra. At the entrance of this pass, to the right, is carved, the so-called Dîwân room, in fact a triclinium where groups of people used to have meals together in Antiquity. Around Jabal Ithlib, on the outside, are carved several small Nabataean sanctuaries. Most of the niches, altars, betyls and other religious monuments are associated with Nabataean inscriptions, sometimes dedications but most often signatures of the worshippers who came to worship their deity there during the Nabataean period.

Up - Ph.15: Nabataean niche with Betyl, Madâin Sâlih Archaeological Project, 2004 Left - Ph.16: Entrance of the Sîq with niches, G. Ferrandis for MSAP, 2002.

Down - Ph.17: Entrance of the Sîq and the Dîwân, SCT/DMAM, 2003.

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Description

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

3/ Residential area. This term designates in fact the city proper, which lies in the middle of the plain. Its buildings were partly built in mudbrick and are therefore less preserved than the rock-carved monuments. The urban area was surrounded by a city wall, also built in mudbrick, which can still be easily recognized and followed on the ground on two-thirds of its length.

A large number of remains belonging to ancient buildings have been recorded in this area and three seasons of geophysical detection have been undertaken, between 2002 and 2005, by members of the Madâin Sâlih Archaeological Project. The survey has revealed an extremely densely city at periods which will have to be determined through archaeological excavations.

Up - Ph.18: Nabataean well (well 27), Madâin Sâlih Archaeological Project, 2005.

Right - Ph.19: Excavations in the “residential area”, Madâin Sâlih Archaeological Project, 2004. down - Ph.20: Modern farm at al-Hijr, Madâin Sâlih Archaeological Project, 2005.

4/ Ancient oasis. The water of the oasis was provided by 130 wells, most of which dug in the west and northwest part of the site, where the water table was most easily accessible. The diameter of these wells can reach 7 m and their depth 20 m, although most of them are smaller (average diameter 4 m). The wells were dug in the rock, while their upper part, usually dug into the softer soil, was lined whith large boulders of sandstone extracted from the ancient quarries of the site. These wells were fed naturally by contact with the watertable which was still, in 2005, about 20 m below ground level. All these wells were probably associated with farms and cultivated areas which made the ancient site of Hegra an agriculture production centre.

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Description

DESCRIPTION OF MADÂIN SÂLIH NECROPOLES There are four main necropoles in Madâin Sâlih: Jabal al-Mahjar (‘Area A’), Qasr al-Bint, Area C and the Jabal al-Khuraymât, with an uneven number of tombs in each of them.

Jabal al-Mahjar is composed of four independent outcrops disposed parallel to each other. The tombs of this necropolis are scattered along the east or west flanks of these four outcrops: IGN 12-14 on the eastern outcrop, IGN 7-11 on each side of the middle outcrop and IGN 1-6 on the west outcrop. Their decorated façades are relatively small, with the highest measuring 12 meters. Tomb IGN 14 is particularly interesting since it is the only one in Madâin Sâlih whose burial niches still bear the traces of the grooves used to place the burials on top of each other.

Ph.21 : Jabal al-Ahmar necropolis, Madâin Archaeological Project, 2004. down - Ph.22: Qasr al-Bint necropolis, S. Ricca, 2006.

Sâlih

Qasr al-Bint is the most famous of al-Hijr necropolis and the most visited. Its 31 tombs are neither the largest nor the most decorated ones but they form, as a whole, the most conspicuous and most representative group at Madâin Sâlih. They date from year 0 up to AD 58. The largest among them is IGN 20 (16m high), situated in a very prominent position in the middle of the western flank.

Qasr al-Bint contains also an unfinished tomb, best visible from afar, which, had it been finished, would have been the largest tomb at the site probably reaching more than 30 m (each degree of the halfstep is more than 1.7 m high). A beautiful Nabataean inscription, written just below the tomb, says that the owner was one of the local Nabataean governors. Some of Qasr al-Bint tombs show remarkable decorative elements such as masks of frightening monsters, eagles, human faces, and other small sculpted animals.

As late as the third century AD, a man still had a tomb built for his mother at the southern end of the Qasr al-Bint with an inscription written in Nabataean script but in Arabic language.

Area C necropolis consists of a single isolated outcrop situated southeast of the residential area. It contains nineteen tombs of average size, dated from 16 to 61 AD, though it seems that a few tombs on the northwest flank of the outcrop are older. These earlier tombs, without decorated façades, are all carved high on the cliff and are occupied by cist-tombs. They were presumably inaccessible in Antiquity.

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Description

Jabal al-Khuraymât necropolis is the largest and lies in the south-western part of the site. The necropolis is composed of many different outcrops separated by sandy zones. Only eight of the outcrops, on the southeast limit of the Jabal, contain monumental tombs, with a concentration of monuments in the two middle outcrops. All the tombs face east, looking towards the city of the living.

There are 48 tombs in al-Khuraymât area dating from 7 to 73 AD. Their façades have suffered from erosion more than those of any other necropolis of al-Hijr, and some of them (like IGN 56, 64, 73) have completely lost their lower part.

Their poor state of conservation is probably due both to the orientation of the tombs, facing the dominant winds, and to the poor quality of the sandstone in which they were carved. Despite the relative modesty of most of the tombs in this area (height average is 6,70 m), tomb IGN 100, extremely well preserved, is one of the largest and most decorated tomb of al-Hijr. Its façade shows dwarf pilasters in the attica, and its acroteria, on each side of the pediment carved above the door, support beautifully preserved sphinxes.

Up - Ph.23: Qasr al-Bint outcrop from the sky, SCT, 2006.

Left - Ph.24: Jabal al-Khuraymât necropolis, tomb IGN 100, Madâin Sâlih Archaeological Project, 2003.

Down - Ph.25: Area C necropolis, S. Ricca, 2006.

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Besides the four major necropoles, there are a few isolated tombs carved in smaller outcrops.

Qasr al-Farîd (IGN 110) is the most famous and the highest finished tomb on the site (21,50 m). Its façade is the only one with four pilasters instead of the standard two. Qasr as-Sâni isolated tomb, dated 8 AD, is situated near the south gate. It is 15 m high and belongs to the ordinary Hegra type.

ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES AND STYLES The façades of the Nabataean tombs can be divided into five types which do not seem to follow a precise chronological order. The definition of these types helps understanding the structure of each façade. Moreover, as the largest and most complicated façades were made for the wealthiest people, the type of façade, and the choice of the decorative elements to be included in it, had an evident social significance.

The simplest type is represented by a façade crowned by one or two rows of small crenellations. These façades are usually poorly decorated and their doors generally have a very simple frame and an ordinary lintel.

Type 2 is represented by a façade crowned by two large half steps running in opposite directions. The façades belonging to this type were more open to stylistic influences than the crenellated tombs and show a greater variety of forms, ranging from simple to more elaborated shapes. Their lower part is often decorated at each end with pilasters supporting Nabataean capitals. In this case, the tombs are said to belong to the so-called “proto-Hegra” type.

Type 3 is known as “Hegra type”, after the ancient name of Madâin Sâlih. This is the most accomplished architectural style, with a non-decorative attic inserted between the cavetto cornice – which is systematically carved below the halfsteps – and the entablature above the pilasters. In its most elaborate forms, dwarf pilasters with Nabatean capitals are carved in this attic, as is the case in IGN 100.

The doors leading to the funerary chamber of the tombs belonging to either the “proto-Hegra” or the “Hegra” types bear either a simple entablature or more elaborated patterns (aediculae adorned with a single or double frame of pilasters, with doric frieze, triangular pediment, etc.).

There are two more types of façades in the Nabataean tomb repertoire. The first is represented by the so-called “arch tombs”, usually small tombs whose façade is crowned by an arch resting on pilasters.

The other is represented by all the tombs which can be labelled “Hellenized”, either because their façade does not contain crenellations or halfsteps but is crowned by a triangular pediment, or because

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Ph.26: Qasr al-Farîd, from Babelli, 2006, p.82.

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they contain features which are normally found in Greek monuments (pediments, tholos, etc.), such as the Khazna and the Dayr in Petra. There are no tombs belonging to this type in Hegra/al-Hijr.

It is generally assumed that the origin of the crenellation motive – found in most of the Nabataean tomb façades – is Assyrian (8th-7th century BC). This motive became widespread in Arabia and is used, in particular, on the site of Mleiha, in the United Arab Emirates, from the end of the third century onwards and in Qaryat al-Faw, one of the other major sites of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in the 1st century AD. However, this very motive is also used in the sanctuary of ‘Amrît, on the Syrian coast, in the Phoenician period. This distribution shows that, by the time the Nabataeans adopted it, this motive was already widespread throughout the Middle East. Other elements of the Nabataean façades are typical of Egyptian architecture, like the torus and cavetto cornice which was the upper termination of Egyptian architectural structures. Finally, Hellenistic Alexandria provided other motives, such as the double door frames and the use of half or quarter columns, or pilasters.

All in all, the architectural style of the Nabataean tomb façades can be described as a mixture of elements borrowed from the neighbouring civilizations (Assyria, Phoenicia, Egypt, and Hellenistic Alexandria) combined with elements which are typically Nabataean like the horned capital (a sort of draft Corinthian capital whose volutes of would be replaced by horns) and arranged in a way which transforms them into an original contribution to Hellenistic and Roman imperial art.

Left - Ph.27: Arched door tomb, SCT, 2003.

Up - Ph.28: Crenellated tomb, Jabal al-Khuraymât necropolis, SCT, 2003. right - Ph.29: Half step type tomb, Area C necropolis, S. Ricca, 2006. down - Ph.30: Nabataean “horn” capital, SCT, 2003.

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THE OTTOMAN FORT The fortress of al-Hijr, dating from 1744-1757, was one of the many forts built to protect the pilgrims’ route to Mecca. It has a square plan (18x17,8 m) and is organized on two levels with rooms and a praying hall on each floor. An ancient well opens in the courtyard. The thick walls of the castle have arch slits and defensive brétèches above the front door and on the four corners.

The fort was restored in late Ottoman period, probably when the railway station was built (1906) and has been restored again by the DMAM in 1985.

In front of the fort lies a large water basin fed by the well through a small channel.

Up - Ph.31 : Ottoman Archaeological Project, Right - Ph.32: Ottoman Archaeological Project, Left - Ph.33: Ottoman 2006, p.154.

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Fort, courtyard, Madâin Sâlih 2003.

Fort, general view, Madâin Sâlih 2003.

Fort, main façade, from Babelli,

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Description

THE HIJAZ RAILWAY The Hijâz Railway was built under Ottoman patronage at the beginning of the 20th century to connect Damascus with the holy cities of Medina and Mecca, thus extending the already established railway link between the capital Istanbul, Baghdad and Damascus.

Construction on the railway commenced in 1901, much of it funded by public subscription. The Hijâz Railway was officially opened for operation in 1908. The railway enabled pilgrims to reach the holy lands from the Middle East in 2-3 days and had a significant impact on the Muslim world.

The Hijâz Railway was billed as a religious project, since it would link the three holy cities of Jerusalem, Medina and Mecca and ensure the safe passage of pilgrims during the annual Haj pilgrimage. Nonetheless the railway had also political and military implications coming at a critical time for the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East. Military personnel supported the construction works and the railway played an important role in the movement of troupes to the Hijâz.

The Hijâz Railway involved matters of national security, hegemony and prestige that greatly outweighed its cost at a time when the Ottoman Empire was struggling for survival.

The construction of the railway was problematic as it was built over difficult terrain under taxing conditions, including Bedouin raids and guerrilla warfare. The provision of water was vital for the operation of the railway and wells had to be dug at most stations to provide the necessary supplies to the stations. Where routes coincided, the Hijâz Railway stations were placed in close proximity to existing pilgrim route castles and forts with their established infrastructure. Much of the operation was overseen by German engineers and many of the stations along the route are clearly influenced

by German railway buildings of the time. Turkish and Egyptian engineers took over on the last section of the line after Madâin Salih as the line gained proximity to the holy city of Medina.

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Ph.34: Passengers using the Hijaz Railway before its official opening in 1908, photo Maunsell 1907, in Facey 1996, p.41.

Ph.35: Building the Hijaz Railway station at Mu’azzam, one of the stops between Tabuk and Mada’in Salih, photo Hallajan, c. 1908, in Facey, 1996, p.40.

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The length of the railway line from Damascus to Madina is 1303 km.

It enters the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through Tabuk province in the north and continues through Madâin Sâlih and al-‘Ulâ before reaching Medina. The final segment of the line to Mecca was never built.

Not long after it was completed, the railway was seriously damaged during World War I and the line was abandoned south of Amman through Tabuk province to Medina. This part of the line is also strongly associated with T.E. Laurence (Laurence of Arabia) as he led the Arab revolt during World War I. In Saudi Arabia, virtually all the railway track and ties have been removed. Nevertheless sections of the track bed and the many stations, placed about 20 km apart, remain. The railway has acquired a landscape value as abandoned stations and even carriages still dot the landscape.

The Hijaz Railway is historically important for both Arab and Turkish history as it marked the beginning of Arab autonomy and the end of the Ottoman Empire.

Up - Ph.36: A locomotive and train on their side possibly due to an explotion, from Babelli, 2006, p.142.

Up-right - Ph.37: Carriage and wheels along the tracks, from Babelli, 2006, p.149.

Right - Ph.38: A blown up locomotive between Medina and Madâin Sâlih, from Babelli, 2006, p.150.

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Pl.8: Hijâz railway in Saudi Arabia, SCT, 2006.

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MADÂIN SÂLIH STATION The architecture of the Hijâz railway was innovative in construction methods and technology and its forms were dramatically distinctive from the local vernacular. Gable roofs, built in sandstone or basalt were, and still are, completely alien to the architecture of heartland Arabia.

The standard of architecture of the Hijaz Railroad Company was generally good and the ancillary facilities and the civil engineering works were innovative. The structures were practical, economic and easy to maintain. They are the earliest models of industrial architecture in Saudi Arabia.

The railway station complex of al-Hijr lies in the north of the archaeological area. It is composed of 16 independent buildings built along the railway in sandstone blocks covered by red-tiled pitched roofs.

The structures, all preserved, include the station building, houses for the travelers and the personnel, lavatories, a shed for carriage repairs and an engine-shed housing several carriages and one locomotive.

The entire complex has been restored by the DMAM in 1994 in view of future use for cultural activities and public services.

Up - Ph.39: A view of Madâin Sâlih station complex from the Islamic fort, from Babelli, 2006, p.157.

Left - Ph.40: Madâin Sâlih Station, S. Ricca, 2006.

Down - Ph.41: Madâin Sâlih carriage shed, interior, Madâin Sâlih Archaeological Project, 2003.

The carriage-shed, currently hosting an original locomotive, is meant to become a permanent exhibition hall devoted to the history of the Hijâz railway

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Description

2.b History and Development HISTORY Most of the monuments and inscriptions visible at Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) date from the 1st centuries BC and 75 AD. The site was certainly inhabited since earlier periods. Objects and shards recently found at the site are evidence for some form of human settlement possibly in the 3rd or 2nd century BC. At the other end, the site was occupied as late as the middle of the 4th century AD.

The Origin of the Nabataeans and the Earliest Occupation of the Site The origin of the Nabataeans is disputed. Several hypotheses have been put forward during the last decades, however, none of them seems entirely convincing.

Do they originally come from South Arabia, as some scholars thought because of their skills in water management and irrigation, reminiscent of the works of the Sabaeans in Yemen? Do they come from northwest Arabia, where they would have wandered, as nomads, with other tribes before migrating in direction of the Petra region, after the 552 campaigns of the Babylonian king Nabonidus in Arabia?

Or do they come from eastern Arabia as the parallels drawn between their pottery and a possible original model in this region might suggest?

Nobody really knows. What is sure is that an important proportion of the Nabataean personal names have either Arabic etymologies or Arabic forms, and these, added to the fact that they are called Arabs in ancient sources, have been considered as proofs of the fact that the Nabataeans were an Arab people. Their exact origin, however, is not determined.

Evidence for occupation earlier than the first century AD is scarce in Madâin Sâlih. An Egyptian amulet dated to between the 23rd dynasty and the Ptolemaic period (8th to 4th century) and a seal, the closest parallels of which appear in the Neo-Babylonian glyptic, were found on the site but these objects may have circulated for a certain time before arriving to Madâin Sâlih. Apart from the Lihyanite inscriptions and the objects mentioned above, the earliest finds in Madâin Sâlih are the following: a black-glazed shard which, if found in Petra would be dated between the 3rd and the end

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Description

of the 2nd century BC, and an amphora handle bearing an inscription written in Latin characters dated to the first century BC. This shows that ancient Hegra witnessed, at that time, an activity which made it possible to import such objects. Nabataean fine pottery is attested in Madâin Sâlih from the 1st century BC onwards. Finally, traces of an occupation earlier than the monumental tombs with decorated façades are visible in some of the outcrops but they cannot be precisely dated since they only offer indications for relative chronology. These earlier tombs were cut high into the cliffs and were partly destroyed by the carving of the first century AD tombs.

Most monuments and inscriptions are dated to the first centuries BC/AD. This is the case of the monumental tombs, one third of which is clearly dated to the interval AD 1-75. These monuments have not suffered from later reuse and most of them are still in an excellent state of preservation.

They were only, though dramatically, altered by the clearing of the inner vaults carried out in the early 1980s. This almost systematic clearing makes it now very difficult to find funerary structures with dead bodies in their original burial state. Fortunately, some of these structures still exist and are due to be properly excavated in the near future.

Pl.9: Pre-Islamic trade routes in the Arabian peninsula, Supreme Commission for Tourim, 2006.

Major pre-Islamic routes and sea trade The Nabataeans are well known for their important role in the incense and aromatics trade. Indeed, they controlled, thanks to camel caravans, the inland trade routes which linked the Indian Ocean to both the south part of the Red Sea and the Mediterranean, at a time when sailing in the northern part of the Red Sea was not very much practiced due to sailing difficulties.

Madâin Sâlih was not located, unlike Petra, at a crossroad of these inland trade routes, but lied instead along the main north-south track of the caravan route that continued down to Najrân and further to Tamna, in Yemen.

It is possible however, that Madâin Sâlih was located at the bifurcation of a secondary trade route connecting the inland route to a Nabataean port on the Red Sea known as Egra Kôme in the ancient sources written in Greek. This site was recently identified by Saudi Arabian scholars in a site locally known as Karamûmi, some 30 km south of the modern city of al-Wajh, where a Nabataean temple was found. Traces of this ancient route have not been found at Madâin Sâlih proper, yet

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recently, they were identified on the ground a little further north, and up to the Saudi-Jordan border, by a team of Saudi archaeologists who named this route the Darb al-Bakra.

The Hijâz region was integrated into the Roman province of Arabia, whose capital was Bosra, in 106 AD and there is no reason to suppose that it stopped being part of the various Roman and Byzantine districts which succeeded each other in this area before the 7th century. However, the written sources and available evidence indicate that Roman/ Byzantine rule never crossed the northern border of Hijâz and that their influence reached only the peripheries of Hijâz. Little is known, in fact, of Madâin Sâlih after the mid-fourth century: a few shards, only three or four of which could date from the Umayyad period and only one coin, are evidence for human occupation during the 5th century and later.

In the fourth century, in AD 356 to be exact, ancient Hegra was still run by a local mayor. A little earlier, in AD 267, we know from an inscription carved at the southern end of the most famous necropolis at the site – Qasr al-Bint necropolis – that the Nabataean monumental tombs of this area were probably not yet systematically robbed since a man had a tomb built for his mother.

In the 10th century AD, the area was still famous for its wells and its cultivated fields and it is probable that there has always been some sort of sporadic occupation of the site and of the plain around it.

However, there is no evidence that the site was densely occupied at any time between the 4th and the 19th century.

In the 19th century, as Charles Doughty reported (in 1876-1877), some pheasants were brought to Madâin Sâlih from Taymâ in order to cultivate the land. They were so successful that within a few years, they earned enough money to buy wells and palm trees in Taymâ, allowing them to return to their homes. The reuse of the ancient Nabataean wells, through the traditional technique known as the nasba, still visible in many places, may date to this period, like the traces of plantations re-used in the 20th century.

It should be mentioned that seasonal occupation by herdsmen, pilgrims and traders has not left significant marks in the landscape, and it seems that the tombs have never been systematically used as shelters, as happened with the tombs in Petra. They are therefore, usually, better preserved than those of the Nabataean capital.

At the beginning of the 20th century, was launched the construction of the Hijâz railway and of the stations along the line, but the railway did not thoroughly modify the landscape. Yet, construction works damaged some of the archaeological structures (particularly on the western edge of the Pl.10: Madâin Sâlih aerial view (1970) showing the 19th c. cultivated areas, elaboration SCT, 2006.

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residential area) and the need for building material led to the exploitation of large quarries that altered the shape of some rocky outcrops, notably in the Jabal al-Mahjar area, north of the site, and around Qasr as-Sâni‘, in the south.

Hijâz railway buildings have now become an important part of national Saudi heritage.

In the late 1960s-early 1970s, the Saudi government launched a programme aiming at settling in alHijr area Bedouins from the surrounding bâdiya to turn them into farmers. Each family received a piece of land with a well in it, and seeds for the plantations. The wells, most of which were ancient, were emptied manually and the sediments they contained, including vast quantities of pottery shards, left beside them. To draw water from the wells were used mechanical pumps. In order to install the pump as close as possible to the bottom of the well, their ancient masonry was severely damaged.

The new farms were built on the same areas previously settled and cultivated in the 19th century, whose traces are visible on the 1970 aerial view reproduced in the previous page.

Since the creation of the Madâin Sâlih archaeological site, in 1972, the development of agricultural exploitation moved north of the ancient site (mostly north of the modern road). There, intensive agriculture exploitation is taking place in a number of farms watered by new modern wells.

Ph.42 : Cover page of 1914 book by Jaussen & Savignac.

EARLY DESCRIPTIONS OF THE SITE Several Arab travellers and historians visited al-Hijr and wrote brief accounts on it.

In the 10th century AD al-Maqdasi mentioned that al-Hijr (Madâin Sâlih) was a small village with several farms and a number of active wells.

The famous Arab traveller Ibn Battûta (14th century) describes with admiration the so-called ‘houses of the Thamûd people’, in fact the Nabataean tombs, said to be carved in the red rocks and to bear steps.

He noticed that these “houses” were so well preserved that it seemed they were just built. He could still see many bones inside the tombs.

In the 19th century AD, the British traveller Charles Doughty visited the site and wrote an account of his journey in Arabia in his Travels in Arabia Deserta.

He was followed few years later by Charles Huber and Julius Euting, two western travellers. However, the largest and most impressive exploration of the site was undertaken in 1907, 1909 and 1910 by two Dominican Fathers, A. Jaussen and R. Savignac, who published their discoveries in a book called

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Mission archéologique en Arabie (Jaussen & Savignac 1909-1922). This monumental work is still the principal source for those interested in the archaeology and epigraphy of north-west Arabia in general and of Madâin Sâlih in particular.

After the First World War, the site was visited by St. John Philby, who gave an account of his journeys in The Land of Midian (Philby 1957). He was followed by two Canadian scholars, F. V. Winnett and W. L. Reed, who visited the site in 1962 and published their discoveries, with contributions from other specialists, in Ancient Records from North Arabia (Winnett & Reed 1970).

Finally, in 1968, a team from the University of London, under the direction of P.J. Parr, spent a few hours at the site, collecting surface pottery and recording inscriptions, and published a report in 1972 (Parr, Harding & Dayton 1971 [1972]: 23-26, 50-51).

Since the 1960s, exploration, excavation and preservation have been undertaken by the Saudi Arabian Department of Antiquities. The latest excavations took place in the autumn of 2003 under the direction of Dr. Daifallah al-Talhi. They revealed a monumental Latin inscription dated to the years AD 175-177 which has recently been published (Al-Talhi & Al-Daire 2005).

Between 2001 and 2005, a new collaborative project between the French Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Deputy Ministry for Antiquities and Museums in Riyadh was undertaken at Madâin Sâlih. The aim of this project was to study the site by all the methods which could be categorized as "survey" (i.e. non destructive), such as interpretation of aerial photographs and satellite images, ordinary ground and geophysical survey, topographic survey, architectural analysis, etc. The project included a thorough re-examination of all the rock-cut monuments, from betyls to tombs; a study of the natural potential of the site in terms of water and agriculture; a survey of the residential area, using differential magnetometry; and a re-examination of the epigraphic evidence. The ultimate aim is the publication of an archaeological and epigraphic annotated atlas of the site, the first volume of which, devoted to the tombs, is currently in preparation.

Finally, an excavation project is in under process to be carried out by the Deputy Ministry of Antiquities and Museums in collaboration with King Saud University in Riyadh and a French Team from CNRS. Planned for the period 2007-2011, the project has been approved by the Supreme Commission for Tourism in December 2006. Proper excavations are therefore, expected to take place starting from February/March 2008.

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Up - Ph.43: Front elevation of Tomb IGN 100, original drawing from Jaussen & Savignac, 1914, vol.I, Pl.XL. Ph.44: Tomb A3, plan & sections, original drawing from Jaussen & Savignac, 1914, vol.I, Fig.174.

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| CHAPTER THREE |

JUSTIFICATION FOR INSCRIPTION

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Justification for Inscription

3.a Criteria under which the Property is Proposed (and Justification for Inscription under these Criteria) The nomination of al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) for inscription on the World Heritage List is based upon criteria (ii) and (iii).

Indeed, criterion (ii) requires that al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) should exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on development in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design.

While criterion (iv) requires that it should bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or a civilization which is living or has disappeared.

Besides, al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) meets the conditions of integrity and authenticity and has and adequate protection and management system ensuring its safeguarding.

Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) lies at the crossroad of several civilizations and trade routes linking the Arabian Peninsula with the Mediterranean World and Asia.

Its importance as international interchange site appears clearly in both the architectural style showing a synthesis of different cultural traditions - and in the variety of languages and scripts found in the many inscriptions and graffiti visible on the site.

Al-Hijr was the meeting point of trade, caravan and pilgrimage routes both in pre-Islamic and in early Islamic period, a focal point of different social, cultural and religious entities of international importance.

The occupation of the site covers a period of time ranging from the first millennium B.C. up to the early twentieth century A.D. when the Hijâz railway, linking Damascus to Medina and passing by alHijr, was built to facilitate the pilgrimage to Mecca.

Al-Hijr has been mentioned in the Holy Qur’ân and in various Nabataean inscriptions located on the site, in classical Greek and Roman sources, as well as in several books by Arab and European historians and travellers. Its most outstanding architectural remains date form the fifth century BC to the third century AD, and are a unique testimony of ancient rock-cut technology.

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Previous page - Ph.45: A tomb façade from the west side of Qasr al-Bint, from Babelli, 2006, p.60.

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The site of Al Hijr is a major Nabataean site presenting a unique combination of urban settlement (including necropoleis, living quarters, city walls and cultic areas) as well as the remains of ancient water collecting system (wells). It hosts 94 monumental rock-carved tombs with decorated façades, with a height ranging from 23 to 2.50 meters, dating from the first century BC to the 2nd century AD. The physical characteristic of the local sandstone and the climatic condition at the site have guaranteed an extraordinary preservation of the decorative elements of the rock-carved tombs.

While the protection granted by the Saudi Arabian Authorities - who have fenced a large zone surrounding the major monuments - has allowed not only the preservation of the tombs but also of their extraordinary natural setting.

Justification for Inscription

Ph.46: Madâin Sâlih, tombs IGN 112-113 and Jabal Ithlib, G. Ferrandis for MSAP, 2005.

3b. Proposed Statement of Outstanding Universal Value Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) is of outstanding universal value because of its unique architectural features carved in the sandstone rock.

The monumental ensemble of al-Hijr stone carved façades, typical of the Nabataean civilization, is an outstanding example of this type of architecture.

Their architectural value is enhanced by their unique setting in a preserved landscape that has not suffered any major change since antiquity.

Ancient Hegra/al-Hijr was located at the crossroad not only of international trade but also of different cultures and civilizations, playing a key role in the exchange of goods and cultural traditions between Arabia and the Mediterranean world.

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Justification for Inscription

Located in a valley settled from remote antiquity, where developed the reigns of Dedan and Lihyan, the Nabataean city became a wealthy and important halt for the caravans crossing the Arabian peninsula carrying incense and spices from Yemen and India. Rich in underground water easily accessible through wells, al-Qura valley and al-Hijr area allowed the development of a flourishing agriculture that still characterizes the area. Contemporary farms have moved slightly north of the area occupied in the Nabataean period, yet they still profit of the same underground waters and often reuse ancient wells.

The extraordinary state of preservation of al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Salih) highlights the skills of their builders and offers a complete overview of Nabataean stone cutting technology in Antiquity.

The significance and importance of al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) is reflected also in the amount of inscriptions from different civilizations visible on the site. Many façades of the monumental tombs bear beautiful inscriptions in Nabataean, while Thamudic, Lihyanite, Nabataean, Latin, Greek and early Arabic inscriptions are engraved all over its hills and rocky outcrops.

Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) has therefore an extraordinary value not only for architects and archaeologists, but also for linguists studying the origins and development of Arabian languages and scripts.

Al-Hijr is unique because the evidence of these past cultures has been preserved by the dry climate and by their relative remoteness. Their extraordinary state of preservation and integrity, and the absence of later re-use, make the site particularly valuable for researchers while its outstanding aesthetical quality, coupled with the enchanting scenery of Saudi Arabian deserts, qualifies it as outstanding universal cultural site.

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3.c Comparative Analysis (Including State of Conservation of Similar Properties) SAUDI ARABIAN SITES AND AL-HIJR Al Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih), ancient Hegra, is one of the major archaeological sites in the Saudi Arabian Kingdom, along with Qaryat al-Faw, 600 km south of Riyad, and Najrân, 300 km south of Abha, the regional capital of ‘Asîr.

The site has unique importance in Saudi context both regarding the nature and importance of the remains it contains and because of the landscape in which these remains are displayed.

Most of the remains presently visible are rock-carved monuments (mainly tombs, ninety-four of which bear decorated façades) whose importance might be compared only with the site of Petra, although with distinctive features.

In Saudi Arabia, there are two other sites presenting rock-carved monuments dating from the Nabataean period.

One, near the city of al-Bid, in the Tabuk Province, some 110 km south of Aqaba, contains twenty tombs which bear much simpler, smaller and less well preserved façades than those visible in Madâin Sâlih and Petra. They are carved in the local sandstone, much coarser than the sandstone of the two latter sites. The other site, ad-Dîsah, 85 km south of the city of Tabûk, contains only one, unfinished, Nabataean tomb.

NABATAEAN KINGDOM AND NABATAEAN SITES IN THE REGION At the turn of 1st century AD, the Nabataean-controlled area extended between southern Syria in the north (Damascus was under Nabataean control from 85 to 72 BC), to the Hijâz to the south, and from the Negev and the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the wadi Sirhân in the east. Sinai was under Nabataean influence but it is not sure whether it was ever under direct control of the Nabataean kings.

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Up - Ph.47: Nabataean tomb of al-Bad, photo SCT/ DMAM, 2003.

Pl.11: Plan of the Nabataean Empire, from NehmeVilleneuve, 1999, p.164.

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In this area, nearly 700 km long north-south and 350 km wide east-west, several archaeological sites have been identified, and some of them have already been the object of historical and archaeological research.

Notably, three major sites, connected with the Nabataean heritage and culture, have already been inscribed on the World Heritage List.

In 1980, were inscribed the ruins of Bosra, in southern Syria, mainly renowned for its Roman period monuments and its world famous theatre, then in 1985, the site of Petra, in Southern Jordan, capital of the Nabataean Kingdom and undoubtedly the most important Nabataean archaeological site, finally, in 2005, the four Nabataean towns of Elusa/Haluza, Mampsis/Kurnub, /ObodaAvdat and Sobata/Shivta, as well as some minor fortresses and preserved ancient agricultural landscapes in the Negev Desert, all sites related to the ancient incense and spice trade routes.

Justification for Inscription

Ph.48: Bosra, the Nabataean arch, photo S. Ricca, 2004.

Bosra The Nabataean remains at Bosra are not immediately visible. It is usually assumed that during the first century AD the city became a second capital of the Nabataean Kingdom, even though Petra had not lost, at that time, its pre-eminent position. The reason for the importance given to this city is traditionally associated with the desire of the Nabataeans to develop agriculture as a source for economic growth, in order to make up for the possible decline of revenue proceeding from the caravan trade, progressively diverted by Rome to Alexandria via the maritime route.

The agricultural wealth of the Hawrân region is the reason of the urban development of Bosra. Recent excavations have shown that the Nabataeans had undertaken a great urbanization programme in the city. However, the traces of this programme on the ground are scarce. The most visible Nabataean remains in the city are the monumental arch with its flanking columns bearing distinctive Nabataean capitals, and a monumental building east of it. The complex is dated to the second half of the first century AD. The other important Nabataean remains at Bosra were revealed under one the Byzantine churches, the so-called great cathedral church. They form a vast portico court, interpreted as a temenos, a sacred enclosure. Apart from these structures, there are scattered traces of Nabataean inscriptions and isolated fragments of architectural details. Indeed, though Bosra was a major Nabataean site from the first century onwards, the most conspicuous remains at the site do not date to this period.

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The Nabataean Cities of the Negev The four towns of the Negev which have been inscribed in 2005 on the World Heritage list have all witnessed Nabataean occupation. They are located on the caravan routes which linked Petra to the Mediterranean. However, very much as in Bosra, their most visible remains are not Nabataean but Roman or Byzantine. Little is left, for example, of the Nabataean temple at Avdat since most of the stones were reused in the construction of two Byzantines churches. Mampsis is probably the site which has yielded the greatest number of Nabataean remains still visible today: towers of the city wall, houses with wall frescos, caravanserai, bathhouse, market, tombs, etc. Shivta, on the contrary, contains almost no Nabataean remains. As for Khalasa, it hosts the ruins of a Nabataean theatre, tombs and a water drainage system.

In this case again, the Nabataean remains are relatively limited and do not form representative examples of Nabataean architecture.

Ph.49: Nabatean Inscription from Madâin Sâlih (Jaussen & Savignac inscription 7), J. Simson, 1985.

Ph.50: Petra, deterioration of the sandstone, G. Ferrandis, 2003.

PETRA AND MADÂIN SÂLIH: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS Petra and Madâin Sâlih offer a much better state of conservation and a greater variety of architectural typologies than all the previously quoted examples.

Within the context of this comparative analysis it is important to highlight the specificities of the site of al-Hijr in comparison with the more widely known site of Petra. Hereafter are listed, in a nonexhaustive manner, the main differentiating elements of al-Hijr archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih).

- Madâin Sâlih contains thirty-one tombs which are precisely dated by the inscription written on their façades. These inscriptions give the name of the owner of the tombs as well as the name of those who had the right to be buried in them according to the Nabataean law. This is unique in the Nabataean realm and contrasts with Petra where almost all tombs are undated and anonymous. The inscriptions of al-Hijr form the largest and best preserved group of Nabataean writing on stone.

- The vast majority of Madâin Sâlih tombs are better preserved Petra ones, which have suffered more from wind erosion and humidity-related deteriorations. Thanks to their excellent state of preservation, several tombs at Madâin Sâlih show the traces left by the tools used by the stone cutters. The traces are sometimes so clear that they allow the reconstruction of the way the work on the façade was

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distributed among the workmen offering an extraordinary testimony of the ancient techniques used by the Nabataean stone carvers - The architectural decoration which appears on the façades of the tombs in Madâin Sâlih (and the same is true of the small rock cut religious monuments) is much richer and varied than the architectural decoration visible in Petra, despite the fact that there are roughly six times more tombs with a decorated façade in Petra than in Madâin Sâlih. In Petra, apart from the normal elements such as half-steps, capitals, pediments, etc., we find the typical urns standing on the acroteria; however very rare very are masks, shields and sculpted human figures. In Madâin Sâlih, by contrast, these decorative elements include eagles, rosettes, human figures and masks, snakes, urns, lions, sphinxes, etc., all appearing in a rather large number of tombs and with some variants in their representation.

- Since most of the tombs have been cleared from the sediments they contain —whereas this is very seldom the case in Petra — they offer a unique sequence of Nabataean tomb interiors and represent a complete set of the Nabataean funerary structures.

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Up - Ph.51: Petra, stone decay, from Kühlenthal - Fischer, 2000.

Left - Ph.52: Madâin Sâlih, detail of Tomb IGN 100, SCT, 2003.

Right - Ph.53: Madâin Sâlih, detail of the stone-cutting work, from Pesce, 1975, p.74.

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Justification for Inscription

- In Nabataean period, water supply system in Petra was based both on the drainage of at least five natural springs located either inside or outside the site, and on the drainage of the rainfall over vast areas, thanks to a dense network of channels cut in the rock and feeding some 200 cisterns of various shape and size. In Madâin Sâlih, the water supply system is completely different: it relies on the existence of a rich and easily accessible underground water table made accessible through 130 wells dug partly in the earth and partly in the natural rock. These 130 wells form a worthy and original group of remains with no parallels elsewhere.

Madâin Sâlih appears therefore not only as one of the most conspicuous site in Saudi Arabia, with no rivals in terms of architecture and importance of the remains, but also as a site marked by specificities deserving special attention, beyond its superficial resemblance with Petra.

Pl.12 : Location of the Nabataean wells, Madâin Sâlih Archaeological Project, 2005.

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Justification for Inscription

3.d Integrity and/or Authenticity Al Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih), ancient Hegra, is one of the major archaeological and heritage sites in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The site has been protected by the deputy Ministry for Antiquities and Museums since 1972, and has been completely surrounded by a high metal fence between 1982 and 2000. Within this external protected perimeter of some 20 kilometres, a second metal fence isolates the ‘residential area’ (i.e. the Nabataean city under excavation), from the rest of the site. This inner zone is not accessible to the public. Saudi Antiquity Law regulations are applied to the site.

Overall, the site is well preserved form external threats. The archaeological remains have apparently never been re-used in the past (like it happened in Petra) and have never been the object of restoration campaigns. They present therefore an extraordinary degree of integrity and authenticity.

The landscape surrounding the major necropoles has been preserved by its inclusion within the fenced in area, but also the zone laying outside this area is still preserved from urban and industrial developments. Only the agricultural settlements established in the vicinity of the site in the 1970s have slightly altered the natural environment of the site.

Ph. 54: The internal fence, photo S. Ricca, 2006.

THE SITE Al-Hijr counts among the major Nabataean sites and among the best preserved archaeological areas in the region.

Apart form sporadic and seasonal occupation by herdsmen, the site has been almost completely abandoned between late antiquity and the 19th century. In the early 20th century it was ‘rediscovered’ by Western researchers, but no restoration campaign, that could have altered the original features, was ever carried out.

The comparison with the data and the pictures collected by the Dominican Fathers, A. Jaussen and R. Savignac in 1907, 1909 and 1910, offers an evident

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proof of the extraordinary preservation of the site, of its slow rate of decay and of the absence of major deteriorations during the last century.

The works carried out by the DMAM since the 1980s have made the site more accessible to the visitors with the creation of metal stairs leading to the tomb chambers, external pathways and explanatory panels. These minor interventions, though having a negative impact on the overall image of the site, did not cause damages and are fully reversible. Furthermore, panels of Plexiglas were placed on the façades in the attempt to preserve the carved Nabataean inscriptions from wind erosion.

Unfortunately, not only this protective solution has not proven satisfactory, but also their fixation on the façade has been done without fully respecting the monuments. The panels are in the process of being removed.

A “cleaning” campaign was launched at the beginning of 1980s to collect the buried bodies and remove painted graffiti from the tombs. Though this campaign removed important archaeological and scientific data, it did not affect the major architectural elements of al-Hijr.

The maintenance interventions carried out by the DMAM on the rock carved façades (mostly relating to the removal of graffiti form the stone surface) were not always executed according to the highest standards, yet they have not jeopardized the overall aspect of the monuments and their impact and visibility might be reduced by adequate technical interventions.

Indeed, the tombs and all the decorative elements are all directly carved into the sandstone rock outcrops and are not masonry structures; a technique that favours the longevity of the structures and the preservation of their details.

The careful monitoring and protection of the site from the Antiquities authorities and the religious tradition considering al-Hijr (Madâin Sâlih) a ‘cursed’ site, have contributed preserving the remains form the threat of illegal excavations, guaranteeing an extraordinary level of integrity not only of the monumental structures but also of the underground archaeological vestiges. Indeed, the archaeological remains of the Nabataean city are well protected by layers of earth and sand. The internal fence built by the Antiquities Department has greatly contributed to the protection of the underground remains from illegal excavations and treasure-hunters, though some isolated cases of illegal digging have been recorded.

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THE BUFFER ZONE AND THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT The site includes a number of rocky outcrops separated by sandy valleys. Few trees and seasonal bushes constitute the only trace of life within the fenced area that encloses a fully preserved natural desert environment.

The remains of the mudbrick buildings of the evacuated farms and of their agricultural landscape in the north of the site are slowly vanishing under the effect of rain, wind and the passage of time. This landscape, dating from the 1960s policy for the settlement of Bedouin tribes, has no major heritage signification, and did not alter significantly an area which was probably already exploited for cultivation in the Nabataean period.

The metal fence circling the core zone subdivides the landscape separating it into two zones an ‘internal’ one and ‘external’ one. The actual impact of the long fence on the landscape is relevant, yet the protection it offers fully justifies its existence.

The Buffer Zone landscape, including mountain areas and flat sandy zones, is very similar to the landscape of the core zone, though no archaeological remains subsist in this area.

The discussions and brain storming sessions related to the preparation of this nomination file have permitted to define a Buffer Zone surrounding the fenced site. The 1392/1971 Antiquity Laws mentioned the establishment of a buffer zone around archaeological sites but it did not outline or specify limits of a buffer zone, while the new Draft Antiquities and Museum Law imposes a 200-meter wide strip around the core zone as protective measure.

The proposed Buffer Zone for al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) extends much further than 200 meters to include vast mountain and desert areas and to reach the road circling the site. The decree fixing the new boundaries has not been signed yet and will be transmitted to the World Heritage Centre at a later stage.

The extension of this protective perimeter is necessary to control the growth of the agricultural settlements in the north and south of the site, and to maintain this distance in the future. The issue is currently under review by al-’Ulâ municipality.

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Ph.55: The preserved landscape of Madâin Sâlih, from Babelli, 2006, p.192.

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| CHAPTER FOUR |

STATE OF CONSERVATION AND FACTORS AFFECTING THE PROPERTY

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State of Conservation

4.a Present State of Conservation The monumental façades of al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) share the physical properties of the surrounding natural rock into which they were carved. The rock façades are therefore subjected to different stresses and conditions than constructed monuments.

The present state of conservation of the site is overall very good. The rock-cut façades and the interior rooms of the tombs have not suffered form major damages caused by wind erosion, capillarity, earthquakes or rains. Indeed, no earthquake has been registered in the area in the last century and no major one is known from historic sources to have happen in this zone.

Traces of man-caused deteriorations of the façades, especially in their lower parts (graffiti paintings, voluntary desecration, rifle bullets etc.) are relatively frequent, though their effect is not such to alter the overall image of the site. Traces of bullets on the façades of the tombs, probably dating form the beginning of the 20th century, are visible, particularly on the façades of Qasr al-Bint necropolis.

The smaller and more fragile religious altars, reliefs and carved niches (betyls), especially those located in Mount Ithlib area, and some of the inscriptions and graffiti, have suffered more of mancaused deteriorations. Voluntary desecration and vandalism are relatively frequent on site and the increase of visitors’ pressure on the site in the recent years has unfortunately brought about also an increase in vandalism acts.

Previous page - Ph.56: Madâin Sâlih from the sky, SSCT, 2006;

Ph.57: Bullet holes on a tomb façade, Qasr alBint necropolis, S. Ricca, 2006.

The dry climate and the absence of major devastating rains and floods (unlike Petra) have allowed the local sandstone to preserve most of its original carved features and details; upper cornices are in most cases still protruding from the façades, underlining their architecture while, in the meantime, protecting them from occasional rain washes.

The comprehensive scientific survey carried out in the last five years by the Deputy Ministry of Antiquities and Museums in coordination with the French archaeological mission of Madâin Sâlih has collected a large amount of data that are currently being processed in view of the preparation of scientific publications. Indeed, the extraordinarily well preserved rock façades offer unique insights for the researchers about the building technology and the organization of the working site in Nabataean times.

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In-depth observation has shown that part of the façades, notably the zones above the cornices, were actually plastered and colored and small traces of these plasters are still visible. These plasters, already noticed by Jaussen and Savignac, are gypsum-based and therefore fragile. Indeed, gypsum is soluble in water and dissolves when dehydrates in condition of high temperature and low humidity. At the time being no plan for their restoration (conservation and fixing where necessary) has been conceived, though these delicate elements will need to be carefully recorded and protected. At least one of the tombs interior vaults also shows traces of plaster.

No scientific study has been carried out yet on the site to analyze the mechanism of deterioration of the sandstone rock, and no data concerning its physical characteristics exist.

The most important deterioration factor in al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) is undoubtedly eolic erosion. This is typically affecting the bases of the rocks eroded by the projected sand carried by the wind. This phenomenon was already noticeable in Nabataean times and some tombs are carved just above the limits of the decayed area. In al-Khuraymât area, more exposed to the dominant winds, some tomb façades have been partially erased by the effect wind-related erosion.

Ph.58: Eolic erosion on a al-Khuraymât façade (detail), S. Ricca, 2006.

Ph.59: Eolic erosion on a rocky outcrop, SCT, 2003.

The presence of salts deposits on the surface of the sandstone threatens locally the integrity of the rock outcrops. Efflorescences do appear in specific spots where the land surrounding the outcrops collects the rare rainwater and more impervious layers of soil create small seasonal ponds that evaporate through the rock surface.

Other forms of decay affecting al-Hijr sandstone with deep cracks and fractures are visible in some zones where localized collapses of pieces of rock in precarious equilibrium are noticeable (notably in the Ithlib Mount area). This kind of decay, resulting from the inevitable action of the physical agents on the sandstone, might be accelerated by unsuitable acts form the visitors and ill-conceived deeds, like it appears to be the case in recent vandalism acts in the Ithlib Mount area.

The metal stairs leading to the high perched tomb rooms are generally built in such a way to minimize their contact with the tomb cut façades.

Localized minor damages might have occurred in some doors from the mechanical action of the metal stairs on the rock. Within the framework of

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the preparation of the new site management plan of al-Hijr, it has been suggested to remove most of them removing in the meantime this source of minor damages of the tombs (it is likely that the removal of these structures and of the other facilities for visitors made by the DMAM in the early 1980S will take place during the year 2007).

The “residential area” the zone where stood the Nabataean city, is still mostly unexplored. The only excavated parts were dug, between 1986 and 2005, by a Saudi team of the Deputy Ministry of Antiquity and Museums under the direction of M. Mohammed al-Ibrahim and Dr. Faidallah al-Talhi.

Unfortunately the excavation site has not been protected since and the unearthed walls, floors and soils are rapidly deteriorating.

Finally, all the buildings of the Hijâz Railways and the Ottoman Fort were restored in the 1980s.

Though not up to internationally accepted standards of conservation, these works have protected these structures form too rapid a deterioration in the last years. Their current state of conservation is therefore acceptable.

Ph.60: Metal staircase leading to Qasr al-Bint central tomb, S. Ricca, 2006.

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4.b Factors Affecting the Property (I) DEVELOPMENT PRESSURES (E.G. ENCROACHMENT, ADAPTATION, AGRICULTURE, MINING) The Government of Saudi Arabia spent over 50 millions US dollars to acquire the parcels near and around the site in the 1970s, and on restoration projects through its relevant government agencies, to guarantee the protection of the archaeological area. The site is situated in a desert environment. It is entirely fenced and no external action directly affects the core area.

The largest town in the immediate vicinity of the site is al-‘Ulâ, some 20 Km southwest of al-Hijr (Madâin Sâlih). The population of the city in 1999 was 25.452, while including the nearby villages and rural areas it reached 58.640. Al-‘Ulâ is connected to al-Hijr by a good paved road leading to the southern gate

Pl.13: Population in Medina Province 1419H/1999 AD (Source: 7th Development Plan, Ministry of Planning, KSA).

The small rural settlements closer to the site do not threaten the integrity of the archaeological zone. Nevertheless, the planned extension of the nearby farms and of the small settlement of village al-Udib, some five Km south of the site, might affect its natural environment and should be monitored and controlled by the Site Management Authority to be created. The actual development plan proposed by the municipality concerns areas outside the propose Buffer Zone.

The plan foresees new residential areas to be built, and new streets are currently being laid in view of the site development. This new settlement will be some kilometres afar from the site and almost not

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visible from within the fenced area. Its successive growth, however, will need to be carefully monitored and the Site Management Authority will need to be involved in any new planning decision.

Indeed, the development plan in its present form is meant to direct the development of this sector till the year 2030. It foresees the creation of an important urban settlement over a large part of the valley and plans major agricultural and farms developments. It includes also an agro-industrial plant in the middle of the new urban centre. At the time being, only a minimal part of the planned road network has been laid down and no building has been built yet.

The development lines foreseen by this plan will need to be partially re-discussed with the governorate of al-‘Ulâ in order to take into consideration the needs of al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) and its new buffer zone perimeter. The major threat to the integrity of the site might be represented by the agro-industrial plant that, if not carefully designed/planned, might pollute the site and risks to be visible form within the protected area.

The eventual extension of the intensive farms located north of the site close to the fence should be monitored. It must be considered, however, that even if there is not yet a regulation defining a precise zoning for this larger zone surrounding the Buffer Zone, Saudi law does not permit the modification of the land use from agriculture to tourist development and there is no risk that uncontrolled tourist facilities and hotels will be created in these parcels. The agricultural exploitations developing around

Pl.14: Satellite image showing the development of farms and the planned settlements near the site, elaboration SCT, 2006.

Left - Ph.61: View of al-’Ulâ city and valley, MSAP, 2005.

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modern wells do not constitute a threat to the integrity of the site and do not affect in an irreversible way the landscape. Indeed, as soon as water stops to be pumped, the desert takes over again recreating the original landscape.

A possible future threat for the environmental equilibrium of the area might arise from the excessive pumping of underground waters for agricultural use that might further affect the water table, and from the actual absence of a precise definition of property boundaries and ownership of the different parcels (there is no cadastre map for this area).

(II) ENVIRONNEMENTAL PRESSURES (E.G. POLLUTION, CLIMATE CHANGE, DESERTIFICATION) Pollution Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) lies far from all major industrial and mining area of the kingdom and there are no major polluting plants in al-‘Ulâ and in the nearby villages.

The major problems concern the removal of the solid waste, and the drainage system of used waters. At the time being, all used waters finish untreated underground risking polluting the underground water table, while solid waste are regularly buried in purposefully designed areas.

Nevertheless, there is little ecological consciousness in the residents and often barren lands and desert zones are polluted by littering.

A new project, foreseeing the creation of a sewerage network for al-‘Ulâ city and its nearby villages, is currently being implemented. Used waters will be taken some 25 km afar in Wâdi Hamd, south of al-‘Ulâ.

The Site Management Authority that will be in charge of the site will develop a relationship with al-‘Ulâ Municipality (in charge of waste disposal in the area) to reduce the risks of environmental pollution, while raising awareness in the visitors about the impact of uncontrolled disposal of rubbish and waste in the natural landscape.

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Pl.15 : Al-’Ulâ development plan, Governorate of al-’Ulâ, 2000.

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State of Conservation

Climate and climatic changes According to archaeological researches there has been no major climatic change taking place in al-Hijr area during the last 2000 years. The site has always been extremely dry, with little precipitation, yet rich in underground waters.

Mechanical pumping and the large increase in population and water consumption in the last decades, however, have significantly lowered the level of the water table that now lies some 20 meters below the surface, while it used to be around 10 meters higher in earlier periods (as witnessed by the level of the many ancient wells).

Climatic data from al-‘Ulâ meteorological station concerning the rainfall in the period 1967-2004 show that, with the exception of the month of April 1975, the per month rain is extremely low (only 37.7 mm per year) and almost inexistent from May to October.

The scarcity of precipitation and the rarity of freeze, joined to the quality of the local sandstone, have favoured the remarkable state of conservation of the rock-carved architectural details of the tomb façades.

Desertification Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) lies in a desert environment and within a desert ecological system. Archaeological research has demonstrated that the climatic conditions presently visible at the site do not greatly differ from the ones that used to characterize the region during the Nabataean period, though the Nabataean surface canals that used to distribute the water to the cultivated areas of the oasis have disappeared and the ancient wells have been substituted by deep drilled wells.

Though it is known that the zone between the major rocky outcrops hosting the necropoles, used to be an agricultural area (witnessed by the large concentration of wells and proved by the archaeological researches), these agricultural exploitations were directly depending on wells and not on regular rainfalls.

The remains of relatively recent mudbrick traditional farms built in the 1960s to host sedentarized Bedouin communities and of their plantations (mostly palm trees) are visible in the site. The plants have mostly been dying out since the evacuation of the farms and their acquisition by the government.

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Pl.16: Al-’Ulâ monthly rainfall, 1967-2004, al’Ulâ meteorological station.

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The slow drying out of the vegetation and the slow dissolving of the mud structures of the farms has not been confronted. The signification of the ongoing process of re-desertification of this zone should be assessed by the Site Management team within a comprehensive approach to the area’s landscape. The management plan for the area will identify the most suitable strategy to confront these agricultural traces and decide for a suitable landscaping plan of the area.

Pl.17: Madâin Sâlih, plan of soils, MSAP, 2005.

Left - Ph.62: Mudbrick farm near a tomb façade, from Pesce, 1975, p.79.

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(III) NATURAL DISASTERS AND RISK PREPAREDNESS (EARTHQUAKES, FLOODS, FIRES, ETC.) The site and the tombs do not seem to be affected by any large scale natural and environmental disasters such as earthquakes, floods or fires. Historical sources and records did not register any major cataclysm in the area in the last two thousand years.

At the time being the authorities in charge of the site have not prepared specific plans to tackle eventual natural or man-caused disasters.

The Site Authority that will be charged with the management of the site will develop a riskpreparedness approach in order to minimize the effects of natural and man-caused disasters, though no major natural cataclysm are expected.

Site managers will be asked to integrate specific measures for the protection of the World Heritage Site within existing emergency planning systems at the local, regional and national levels.

A minor issue that affects the site is the presence of wasps’ nests inside the tombs. The DMAM use to spray regularly the interiors against the insects, but no definitive solution has been found yet. The presence of the nests, however, does affect only in minimal way the rock and, as long as access to most of the tombs will not be allowed anymore, this issue will not have a major impact on the visitors’ safety.

(IV) VISITOR/TOURISM PRESSURES The site is spread in a wide open area and can receive hundreds of visitors each day without jeopardizing the remains.

The development of the site in the coming years will greatly augment the amount of visitors. The reception areas, the visit circuits and the visitors’ needs will have to be assessed in detail in order to plan facilities capable to guarantee the proper maintenance and conservation of the site on the one side, and the quality of the visit on the other.

At present, however, though the number of visitors is not important yet (Cf. Statistics in section 5.h) the absence of awareness and understanding of the importance of the site have led to a series of minor damages and acts of vandalism.

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Ph.63: Recent and older graffiti sandblasted, al-Farîd, S. Ricca, 2006.

Ph.64: Recent graffiti inside Qasr al-Bint main tomb, S. Ricca, 2006.

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Monumental Tombs The façades of the monumental rock-carved tombs show traces of minor vandalism acts.

Notably graffiti and scratches cover part of the lower structures in the vicinity of the accesses.

Similarly, the interiors of some of the major tombs have also been written over.

Some of these graffiti have been treated in the past by the DMAM that has sandblasted the rock to remove traces of the painting, leaving unfortunately very visible traces and affecting in depth the actual rock surface.

It is obvious that other, more suitable, techniques should be used to remove the paint, possibly profiting of the experience acquired in Petra. The new management structure will bring to the site high quality expertise at national level and establish technical contacts with other World Heritage Sites to profit from international experience in conservation.

Awareness campaigns for the visitors, the presence of guards on the most visited sites during the high season, controls at the gate to verify that no material has been removed and no tools and paints are brought in, and the removal of most stairs currently permitting to accede the interior of the tombs, will significantly reduce the risk of vandalism.

Ph.65 & 66: Indiscriminate parking in front of the Sîq, Jabal Ithlib, in Alwan, 2000.

Ithlib Mountain The Nabataean religious site of Mount Ithlib constitutes one of the most attractive scenery of the site and counts therefore among the most visited areas. Vandalism has unfortunately taken place in this zone - more remote and “hidden” from the guards’ eyes - where are concentrated most of the Nabataean cultic sites and Nabataean and earlier inscriptions.

The protection of this area from visitors’ pressure requires a specific strategy designed at reducing the facility of access (through the creation of a parking area relatively far from the site, for instance) and possibly the presence of guards on site during the day. Even now, with the currently small number of visitors, the negative impact of the visitors on the site conservation is noticeable, especially during the peak season, when indiscriminate parking in front of the Sîq threatens the vestiges.

Awareness campaigns through the presentation of Nabataean culture and religion in the Visitors Centre (that will be created within the Hijâz Station Buildings) might contribute in creating the necessary understanding and respect for the site in the visitors.

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Archaeological zone The internal fence separating the still largely unexplored Nabataean “residential area” from the rest of the site guarantees the full protection of the zone that cannot be driven over, nor walked upon by standard visitors.

The new management plan should guarantee the continuous control of the site to avoid attempts of illegal excavations that have since now been prevented by the existing protections. The plan will also integrate the discoveries of the joint Saudi/French archaeological mission of Madâin Sâlih – that will work on the site during the next five years – within the tourist strategy for the site and the tourist paths.

It seems possible to foresee special tours of the “residential area” and of the excavations accompanied by a guide. Besides, it is essential that the most suitable conservation and preservation solutions for the finds be planned (and possibly implemented) by the archaeological team before leaving the site.

All attempts at partial reconstruction and didactic exhibit will need to be agreed upon by the Site Manager and the Archaeological team.

Ph.67: Existing unsuitable garbage bin, S. Ricca, 2006.

Ph.68: Landscape from Jabal Ithlib, S. Ricca, 2006.

Landscape, flora and fauna The major threat for the site landscape is represented by the uncontrolled presence of private cars/jeeps within the site. The dust, the noise and the smell provoked by private transportation within the site might greatly affect the scenery and the value of the site.

The creation of one-way road, non-asphalted but made of stabilized natural soil, leading to all the major sites and conveniently signed, will greatly reduce the problem. It is obvious, however, that when the number of visitors will grow substantially new solutions for the traffic inside the site should be designed.

The management plan will propose a stage approach to this issue and monitor regularly the number of cars on site and their actual impact on the landscape.

The low degree of ecological consciousness of the visitors is made evident by the presence of garbage (plastic bags, empty cans and plastic bottles etc.) dotting the desert between the necropoles. The existing garbage bins are both too visible and too little used by the visitors. Awareness campaigns, new

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garbage bins and a different management of the cleaning will guarantee the cleanliness of the site in the future.

Neither large animals nor cattle live within the fenced area anymore. Some seasonal bushes grow in rainy season mostly to die with the arrival of summer. The impact of visitors on fauna and flora is therefore minimal.

(V) NUMBER OF INHABITANTS WITHIN THE PROPERTY AND THE BUFFER ZONE The core zone nominated for inscription on the World Heritage List is not inhabited. The only buildings in the immediate vicinity of the core zone are the offices of the site guards at the South Gate.

The Buffer Zone of the proposed site too has no inhabitants too. Indeed, because Saudi laws give private owners full control of their properties, it has been decided to limit the buffer zone to empty land already belonging to the State.

The nearest village is al-Udib, some 5 km south of the site. However, there are some farms and gardens in the immediate vicinity of the Buffer Zone with small houses for the farmers.

Within the framework of the Site Management Plan to be created for the site, regulations will be drawn to guarantee that the owners needs for development do not affect the integrity of the site.

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PROTECTION AND MANAGEMENT OF THE PROPERTY

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Protection and Management of the Property Previous page - Ph.69: Qasr al-Farîd, from Babelli, 2007, cover page.

5.a Ownership Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) is located in the territory of the Governorate of al’Ulâ, in the Province of al-Medina al-Munawarra, in the North-West of Saudi Arabia.

The site is entirely owned by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Till 2003, the site was managed by the Deputy Ministry of Antiquities and Museums (DMAM) depending from the Ministry of Education. Following the recent merge of the DMAM with the Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT), according to the royal decree n° A/2 dated 28/02/1424 H (2003 AD) the responsibility of the site has passed in the hands of SCT. The Supreme Commission for Tourism was established by Council of Minister Resolution No 9 of 12.01.1421 H (1999 AD), with the specific mandate “to attend, develop, to promote and enhance the tourism sector of the Kingdom”. It is a technical organization with responsibility for a specialised sector being supervised by a Board of Directors chaired by the Second Deputy Prime Minister.

The entire Core Area proposed for inscription on the World Heritage List is owned by the state. The entire proposed Buffer Zone around the site is public property.

The buffer zone has been drawn with the goal to protect the site from further agricultural encroachments and in order to protect the views from and to the site. Its perimeter mostly follows the paved road circling the area, extending much further where mountains are to be found, as, according to Saudi Arabian laws, all mountains are public property.

The Core Zone is entirely fenced and access to the site is controlled by guards 24/24 h.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has purchased private land in the core area since 1972, spending some 50 million US dollars to acquire small farms and their land that were subsequently evacuated.

The proposed buffer zone extends over a surface of 1659.34 hectares.

There is no cadastral map of the area, but a satellite photograph elaborated by the SCT, presents the use of the land and the private properties around the Buffer Zone, and al-’Ulâ development plan has been presented in the previous section.

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Pl.18: Al-Hijr farms, satelite color image, elaboration SCT, 2006.

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5.b Protective Designation The protection of Cultural Heritage in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is defined by the Law of Antiquity issued by Royal Decree no 26/M in 23/6/1392 H (the English translation of the Law is joined in the Management Plan volume) and its amendments.

According to the Law of Antiquity, the Antiquity Directorate - depending from the Ministry of Education - and the Higher Council of Antiquity are responsible of the protection of the movable and immovable properties.

The Law of Antiquities has 79 articles divided into seven chapters; Chapter two deals specifically with immovable properties.

Pl.19: Al-Hijr buffer zones, satellite color image, elaboration SCT, 2007.

A new Draft Antiquities and Museums Law has been prepared, and is currently in the final stage of the process of approval (see English version of the Draft Law in the Management Plan Volume).

According to the new Draft Antiquities and Museums Law, the responsibility for the protection of the Cultural Heritage of the Kingdom passes under the authority of the Supreme Commission for Tourism.

The new Draft Antiquities and Museums Law is divided into nine chapters and 95 articles. Chapter two (articles 22-25) deals with archaeological & historical sites and urban heritage sites, chapter five defines protection perimeters and regulations for urban and archaeological sites.

The Ministry of Municipality and Rural Affairs (MOMRA) collaborates with the supreme Commission in the protection and classification of urban heritage.

Article 50 of the new Draft Law foresees “… that a protection area of 200 metres should surround all immovable urban and archaeological sites.” This protection area could be extended to maintain the visual environment of the registered antiquity.

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The new Buffer Zone of the site nominated for inscription on the World heritage List is much larger than the 200 metres protection area. Both perimeters are shown in the map.

Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) is a registered site protected by the 1972 Law. In 1976, was launched the first archaeological survey to register all the antiquity sites of the Kingdom. Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) has been registered in two phases with the code numbers 1392 to 1398 and in a second phase with code numbers 1426 to 1430. The register is regularly updated with addition of new sites; the last edition dates from 2006.

The mechanism of registration and the whole Antiquities Inventory is currently being updated and reformed to comply with modern international standards and to become an effective tool for the protection and management of the country’s rich Cultural Heritage. All sites and all data concerning them are going to be integrated in a geographically referenced system (G.I.S.).

5.c Means of Implementing Protective Measures INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ratified the 1954 The Hague “Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict” on 20/01/1971.

On 07/08/1978, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ratified the 1972 “Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage”.

The Kingdom has submitted its Tentative List to the World Heritage Centre on 25/09/06.

NATIONAL LAWS The Antiquities Law, issued by Royal Decree No 26/M in 23/6/1392 H, defines and protects as antiquities moveable and immoveable properties older than 200 hundred years. More recent properties might be considered as antiquities following a resolution by the Ministry of Education

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(art.5). The responsibility for preservation and registration of antiquities lies within the Directorate of Antiquities (art.6).

Antiquities Law imposes planners to seek Directorate’s approval for all development plans in villages and cities (art.12).

Existing laws concerning heritage in the country are in need of strengthening as they are difficult to enforce and leave many important resources without protection. In order to overcome this situation, the Supreme Commission for Tourism has drafted a new Draft Antiquities and Museums Law currently under review by the Saudi government.

This new legislation includes various chapters covering: provisions and general provisions; archaeological historical and urban sites; underwater antiquities; trading in antiquities; surveys and excavations; urban heritage; museums; penalties for non-compliance and effectiveness.

It foresees also regulations to cover all the detail requirements for implementation of the law. These will be subject to the authority of Government departments and Ministerial control, and where required, will be ratified by the Council of Ministers.

According to the analysis of the existing legislative framework elaborated in 2004, within the Strategy and Action Plan for the Antiquities and Museums Sector of the Supreme Commission for Tourism, there are still key elements to be defined concerning notably the issues of general legislation relating to real estate (affecting the rights of the SCT to acquire and to lease for development) and the liability to identify precisely ownership through an effective system of land registration.

Ph.70: The limits of the site, aerial view, SCT, 2006.

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH) Having acknowledged the actual limitations and shortcuts of the existing legal system for the protection of Cultural Heritage within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, it should be stated unambiguously that the protection system currently in place at al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) guarantees the full preservation of the site.

Indeed, the core area is entirely fenced (the fencing of the site took place between 1403 and 1421 H at a cost of some 20 million Riyals) and its two only vehicular accesses are controlled by guards.

Besides, the most delicate area, where lies the yet unexcavated Nabataean city, is further protected by a second, internal fence isolating it from regular visitors.

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At the site, the Antiquities Law is enforced by the local police, by the governor of the region and by the antiquities staff and local museum administrators. 16 guards are posted at al-Hijr with vehicles to patrol the site and control the visitors. Their efforts are doubled by the national Police that have its own office near the one of the Antiquity guards at the southern entrance of al-Hijr Archaeological Area (Madâin Sâlih).

Besides the legal protection, a strongly felt religious tradition, considering the site doomed, has played a major role in the preservation of the site in the past, preventing its re-use by Bedouins and local farmers as residential area.

According to this tradition, the visitors are refrained from sleeping and living on the site favouring therefore its actual preservation. This “informal” regulation is currently imposed by the site regulations.

The relative importance of this tradition and its actual relevance for the Saudi visitors and on the development of the site is somehow controversial. The issue should be assessed by the management plan in order to achieve a commonly-agreed system that will not go against traditions.

The limits of the area concerned by the religious prohibitions are not precisely defined. Nevertheless, it is known that the Railway Station was built outside the “sensitive” area. Indeed, the Ottoman fort was built near the well of Bir al-Nâqa (the she-camel well) where Muslim pilgrims used to have a halt in their travel to Mecca along the Syrian pilgrimage route. The Ottoman railway station was built in the immediate vicinity of the fortress to avoid stepping over the area concerned by the religious tradition.

Following the approval of the 1972 Antiquity Law and the 1976 official registration of the site, Saudi Arabian Government has bought extensive pieces of land – removing farms and farmers from the immediate vicinity of the archaeological remains – in order to guarantee the protection of the tombs and of their landscape natural setting.

The new Draft Antiquities and Museums Law foresees the creation of a buffer zone around archaeological sites on a width of 200 metres. In 2006, during the process of the preparation of the nomination file, the perimeter of this buffer zone for al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) has been reconsidered. The new protective perimeter presented in this file is currently in the process of being approved.

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Saudi procedures for the approval of the Buffer Zone are relatively simple, requiring in fact only approval at the local level. The system foresees that the proposed perimeter, drafted by the SCT, is submitted for discussion and approval to the local department of Antiquities of al-’Ulâ and then submitted to the local department of the Ministry of Agriculture. If approved, the document is sent back to the SCT for signature and approval by the SCT Secretary-General. This procedure usually requires some six months and al-Hijr new buffer zone perimeter is expected to be approved by the end of 2007.

Copy of the approved perimeter should be sent to the Medina department of the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affair (MOMRA) in order to be integrated in their planning procedures.

In this case, a copy of the approval decree will also be sent for information at the World Heritage Centre headquarters in Paris to be included in the al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) nomination file.

5.d Existing Plans Related to Municipality and Region in which the proposed ¨roperty is ¨Located (e.g. regional or local plan, conservation plan, tourism development plan) Tourism planning in the Kingdom is directed by a National Strategy for the Development of the Tourism Industry. Local committees for the development of tourism exist at the provincial level.

The main object of the Regional Tourism Council is to enhance, share, cooperate and provide all kinds of help and assistance in the development of tourism in the region and in each of its district. Its object is to encourage investment of the private sector and co-operate in developing recreational and cultural heritage tourism sites in the region in cooperation with the Supreme Commission of Tourism.

In Medina, the Regional Tourism Council is headed by the Governor of al-Medina al-Munawwara, and consists of the following members: 1) Mayor of al-Medina; 2) Director of al-Medina Police; 3) The governors of the 6 regions of the province (al-‘Ulâ, al-Yambu, Badr, Khayber, Mahd and al-Hanakiya); 4) Director General of Royal Commission at Yanbu; 5) Director of Pilgrimage Department in alMedina; 6) Director General of Ministry of Commerce and Trade in al-Medina; 7) Chairman of alMedina Chamber of Commerce and Industry; 8) Member of Majlis Shoura (Parliament) and Head of Yanbu Chamber of Commerce and Industry; 9) Secretary General of al-Medina District Council; 10)

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Ph.71: Core zone landscape, S. Ricca, 2006

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Representative from Recreation Development Programs; 11) Representative of Housing Sector; 12) Representative of Tourism and Travel agencies.

The Saudi Arabian planning at local level is done by the technical offices of the municipalities, ratified at the provincial level and finally approved by the Ministry of Municipalities and Rural Affairs (MOMRA).

In 2000, a consultant working for the Municipality of al-‘Ulâ and Medina MOMRA office prepared a Regional Plan for the Municipality of al-‘Ulâ setting the guidelines for development of the city till the year 2030. The plan was approved by al-Medina Province and al-Medina Regional Council in 2002.

It anticipates a large-scale increase of the population of the city and foresees the creation of a new large residential area some 15 km north of al-‘Ulâ. The new settlement will be surrounded by a zone of intensive agricultural exploitation in the south and by large farming zones in the north, in the immediate vicinity of Madâin Sâlih.

Till now, only a minimal part of the infrastructures for the new settlement have been laid down. The new road network is visible along the road leading from al-‘Ulâ to al-Hijr archaeological area, some 5 kilometres before reaching the fence, but it concerns only a minimal part of the vast urban extension designed by the planners in their zoning plan to accommodate the expansion of al-‘UIâ and al-Udib village in the vast empty areas north of the city.

The inscription of Madâin Sâlih on the World Heritage List and a more comprehensive approach to ecological development and sustainable tourism suggest that the plan be modified according to criteria jointly decided by the Governorate and the al-Hijr Management Unit. Though the very size of the World Heritage nominated property partially protects it from the most dramatic effects of the foreseen development, this plan risks jeopardizing the overall tourist development of the region.

A certain level of urban development is compatible with the highest standards of protection of the site, as it is likely that the new residential neighbourhoods will be low-density areas with low (1-2 levels) houses. Nevertheless, the overall scale of the planned settlement seems excessive. Notably, the presence of a large agro-industrial compound – in violet in the plan – in its very centre seems particularly worrying and incompatible with the overall landscape and heritage protection of al-Qura valley. Alternative options and locations need to be considered. It is likely that the growth of al-‘Ulâ towards the south where the new airport is being built, might offer suitable answers to the needs of part of the population meant to settle in the northern extension of the city.

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The slow rhythm of implementation of the project seems to indicate that the plan assumptions might have not been based upon a thorough assessment of the city’s needs, but more according to a consolidated praxis of technical planning looking for technically compatible and easy solutions without taking sufficiently into consideration the ecology, the landscape and the heritage of the area.

The policy designed by the Supreme Commission for Tourism and the overall objectives of the Tourist National Plan for this region – meant to become the “capital” of Saudi tourism –propose an alternative vision of economic development based on services, on tourism and on the re-appropriation of local identity (the old city of al-‘Ulâ, for instance) that dramatically modifies the planning assumptions on which the plan was based (economical development based on intensive agriculture and agroindustries).

The sustainable tourism development imagined by SCT should lead to more eco-friendly and heritagefriendly plans. It will be the role of SCT to convince the local community that other options are available to achieve the economical development for the region. The legal implications of the partial re-drawing of this development plan need to be assessed at the central level, and discussed with the local community.

5.e Property Management Plan or other Management System At the time being there is no specific management plan for the al-Hijr site. Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) is still run by the administrative structure that used to be in place under the DMAM. The recent merge of the DMAM with the SCT has not brought about any major change in the local system of management.

Hereafter are presented the organizational charts of the SCT and the detail of the Division of Antiquities & Museums. A third scheme, focusing on the site of Madâin Sâlih, shows how the site is currently run.

A new proposal for the management of the site, meant to answer the new needs and challenges related to the SCT policies and the nomination on the World Heritage List, is presented in the following pages.

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The reflections that have brought about this new organizational chart are detailed in Volume II: Management Plan. The discussions held during the preparation of the Nomination File have been instrumental in defining the guidelines of the site management plan and this organizational chart. The full support of the higher echelons of the SCT and the commitment of the Saudi Kingdom to the sustainable tourism policy developed by SCT, guarantee that the steps outlined in this report will be soon transformed into practical legal and administrative blueprints.

THE EXISTING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM OF THE SITE At the time being, before the new Site Management Unit is created, al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) is run by the newly established Division of Antiquities ad Museums within the Supreme Commission for Tourism that is in charge of the preservation of the site, of the development of scientific research and excavations and of the safety of the visitors.

The relative complexity of the existing administrative system in place at al-Hijr does not seem capable to answer effectively to the new challenges and pressures brought about by the nomination to the World Heritage List.

A new system, allowing a direct connection with the highest echelon of SCT on the one side, and with the local community on the other in order to be able to monitor and to debate local exigencies and expectations, is needed.

Pl.20: The four departments of the Supreme Commission for Tourism, SCT, 2006.

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Pl.21: Administrative structure of Madâin Sâlih Antiquities Office, SCT, 2006.

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Pl.22: SCT/Department of Antiquities organisational chart, SCT, 2006.

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THE NEW MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOCICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH) The operational guidelines for the implementation of the 1972 World Heritage Convention explicitly require that a management plan (or system) be in place to manage and protect the properties nominated for inscription on the World Heritage List.

The importance of establishing a proper management plan for al-Hijr is evident to all the concerned parties within the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the preparation of this Nomination File has constituted an important catalyzing factor in this process.

The establishment of a single unit in charge of the management of such an important and large archaeological site seems the most suitable solution to answer the multiple requirements of the site itself, of the local communities around the protected area and of the international organizations in charge of World Heritage Sites.

The will to raise the awareness and the interest towards national cultural heritage, in the Saudi public at large and in the local community of al-‘Ulâ, constitutes the backbone of the future development plans for the area. The international requirements for the inscription of a site on the World Heritage List act as guidelines directing the ongoing efforts of the Saudi authorities and constitute the underlying framework of all future action.

Nevertheless, it is obvious that a country that has for many decades focused its energies on the creation of a modern state and modern infrastructures, does still partially lack the human resources capable of developing such a comprehensive approach to heritage sites, and that this new approach to site management will need to grow and evolve gradually in parallel with the overall upgrading of the country’s technical and managerial skills in the heritage sector.

The discussions surrounding the al-Hijr Management Plan are a “première” for the Kingdom and an extremely positive aspect of the whole nomination process. Different departments and people are brought together to share their vision and their approach to this issue.

The studies put forward in the last 5 years by SCT staff, and by a number of international consultants, have defined both the objectives and the characteristics of the national tourism development. Their conclusions constitute the basis for the creation of a sound management system for al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih).

A synthesis of the ongoing internal debate and a proposal for the re-organization of the local administration currently running the site is presented in the Volume II of this Nomination File.

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Hereafter are presented only the new proposed organizational charts of al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) Unit. These charts constitute the first step of the new site management plan that will be designed and implemented in the coming years.

Pl.23: SCT/Department of Antiquities proposed organisational chart, SCT, 2006.

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Pl.24: New administrative structure of Madâin Sâlih Antiquities Office, SCT, 2006.

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5.f Sources and Levels of Finance The budget of the Supreme Commission for Tourism is allocated from the Ministry of Finance on a yearly basis. The SCT budget is subdivided into different sections: - Salaries - Operational expenses - Maintenance and cleaning - Projects Since the year 2000, when SCT was created, the governmental funding of this organization has greatly augmented. The budget for the year 2003 was 84.000.000 SR (22.4million US $) of which 26% was allocated for payroll and allowances, the one of 2006 was of 222 millions Riyals (59.2 m $).

The creation of the SCT implied a significant shift in the approach to the cultural heritage sector. In 2003 was decided to merge the DMAM with the SCT with the intention that the merged entity would be empowered to implement a major new program of investment and development of cultural tourism based on the largely undeveloped heritage resources of the Kingdom.

Before 2003, the budget of DMAM was included in the overall budget of the Ministry of Education and was subdivided according to different criteria (Museums and schools together, for instance). It is therefore not possible to compare it directly with the present situation.

Besides, the actual budget of the SCT/DAM is still depending on both the SCT and the Ministry of Education, with many salaries being paid by the latter. In the current phase of the implementation of the administrative reform of the Kingdom, this situation exists also in relation with other ministries, and it is still frequent that public servants continue to depend administratively from the departments they used to belong to before being attached to the SCT structure.

SCT/DAM is responsible for over 6.300 cultural heritage sites, 65 museums and many excavated sites and has a yearly budget guaranteeing their protection and maintenance.

Besides running expenses and salaries, the funds were and are allocated on a project basis according to the needs of the sites.

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The yearly budget for the salaries of the personnel of al-‘Ulâ is 806.000 SR that equals 215.000 US $.

The yearly budget for the salaries of the personnel of al-Hijr is 523.000 SR, some 140.000 US $.

A comprehensive approach towards the cleaning of archaeological sites throughout the Kingdom has been studied by the Antiquities Sector. It has been decided to contract the task to the private sector.

The value of the existing contract (ending in 2007) is of 4.165.200 SR per year (1.110.700 US $) to provide 89 janitors for the country’s archaeological sites (four janitors for al-Hijr Archaeological Site - Madâin Sâlih). The new contract, currently in preparation, specifies the need of 6 janitors for the site.

The new contract includes the following items: - Provision of workforce.

- Garbage collection and disposal - Pesticides and pest control.

- Cleaning of the interior of the structures - Landscape maintenance and gardening (if needed) - Provision for the necessary materials.

5.g Sources of Expertise and Training in Conservation and Management Techniques The rationale behind the creation of SCT, the Kingdom’s National Tourism Administration, was the need to change and reinforce the entire sector creating new dynamics to help Saudi Antiquities to overcome their gap with the international community.

SCT is not subordinated to a ministry, but combines the functions of Ministry of Tourism and a statutory agency responsible for the development and promotion of the tourism industry. It reports directly to the prime Minister. Its status is further reinforced by the fact that its Board of Directors includes members of the Council of Ministers.

According to the studies commissioned by the SCT to analyse the situation of the cultural heritage sector in the Kingdom, the country has a shortage of technical and professional expertise on the

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conservation and development of cultural heritage, particularly at the regional level, where the current staff often lacks basic scientific training.

In 2003 there were 834 employees of the DMAM including 256 “Antiquity Guards” and 125 positions in regions and provinces. DMAM existing human resources included 5 PhD holders, 14 Postgraduates and 120 Graduates, making up 30% of the staff. The remaining 70 % has lower qualifications or none.

Notably, the regions are understaffed, preventing the development of synergies with MOMRA and other governmental agencies.

Indeed, apart from a core group of high-profile researchers with academic background directing the Department of Antiquities, Saudi Arabian Antiquities personnel (DMAM), has been relatively isolated from the international scene in the past, being only marginally involved in international training courses devoted to conservation and management of cultural properties.

The training and development of key staff in the SCT, particularly in terms of the management and marketing of heritage properties including museums, have been set among the major priorities of SCT programme.

The Secretary-General of the SCT, His Highness Prince Sultan Ibn Salman Ibn Abdul Aziz, conscious of the absence of familiarity with cultural heritage policies and sustainable cultural tourism within the Kingdom, has notably launched a programme of visits to European heritage cultural sites and parks designed for Saudi local administrators (at the governorate and provincial levels) with the goal to raise their awareness of the development possibilities related to the management of cultural heritage.

This kind of initiative is meant to be extended to other sectors of the administration and will be complemented by technical trainings for the Antiquity division personnel.

Employees from the Department of Antiquities and Museums participated in various conferences, meetings and workshops related to World Cultural Heritage Sites within the country and abroad in the last years: - Regional Training Workshop on World Heritage Convention, al-Sharqa (UAE) 26/02 – 2/03 2005.

- World Heritage Meeting of Arabic Countries, organized by World Heritage Centre in cooperation with SCT of Abu Dhabi 4-8 December 2005, Abu Dhabi (UAE).

- Training on World Heritage Site Management, organized by UNINTAR/UNESCO, March 2004 - April 2005, in Japan.

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Significant measures have already been taken to raise the quality of the staff in various sectors, from English and computer skills, to more technical conservation, preservation and management issues.

The Antiquities and Museum section of SCT has organized various training courses for its employees in the fields of computer, English language, restoration, preservation & protection of monuments and sites, inventory & database preparation, in collaboration with local training centres and foreign institutions.

Saudi Arabian architects and engineers from SCT have taken part in the recent regional training course on management organized by ICCROM at Doha in the Arab Emirates.

Dr. Abdallah al-Saoud and Eng. Mohammed al-Hamdan of SCT were trained at ICCROM Rome, and Eng. Bandar al-Malaq from SCT/DAM will attend an ICCROM training course scheduled for OctoberDecember 2007.

The preparation of this nomination file has constituted an important opportunity to motivate the personnel of the SCT Division of Antiquities and Museums and to involve the staff in conservation and management debate at international level.

The inscription of al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) on the World Heritage List could play a major role for the development of the entire sector giving national and international recognition and visibility to Saudi heritage and creating new economic and cultural dynamics in the Kingdom. The inscription would notably favour exchanges of experiences and know-how with other WHL sites encouraging young and motivated employees to travel and be trained abroad.

The good knowledge of English in the country, especially among the technical community, will allow the Saudi engineers and architects to fully profit of the opportunities created by the inscription on the World Heritage List.

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5.h Visitor Facilities and Statistics The twenty Km long fence has only two gates and access is currently possible only through the South Gate.

At the time being, the visitors’ facilities at al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Mâdâin Sâlih) are basic.

At the South Gate stand a small guard boot, a police control post, a lavatory and two small offices for the antiquities staff. Guards are protecting the site 24/24 with night shifts.

Entrance is free of charge. Access is open for Saudi visitors, while foreign visitors need to apply in advance for a permit from al-’Ulâ or Riyadh Departments of Antiquities.

The site is open every day, including ‘Aid and the Month of Ramadan, from morning to sunset.

A Bilingual panel in Arabic and English at the entrance informs the visitors about the regulations inside the archaeological area, and a similar panel is to be found at the closed entrance of the internal fence isolating the still unexcavated remains of the Nabataean city from the accessible necropolis.

Visitors’ statistics are collected by the entrance guards. Though extremely useful these data are incomplete and do not include the count of the number of private vehicles bringing the visitors in.

The available data concerning the number of visitors to al-Hijr Archaeological Site in the last ten years are presented hereafter, followed by a brief analysis.

Within the framework of the establishment of the new management system for the site, a specific attention will be dedicated to the improvement of visitors’ statistics. Data concerning the visitors will be continuously processed in order to verify the impact of the policies designed for the site on its tourist frequentation. The new statistics will subdivide the visitors into a larger number of categories: 1) Saudi; 2) Foreign residents (possibly identifying their country of origin); 3) Arab and Muslim countries tourists; 4) Foreign tourists (by country and identifying tourist groups); 5) School and University students (counting both the number of classes and the number of students).

Vehicles will also be recorded (separating private cars/jeeps from busses) A carnet de doléance, allowing the visitors to report eventual problems met during the visit of the site, and a questionnaire to check the “quality” of the visit experience for the tourists, in Arabic and English, will be prepared by the management team. These data, that will be regularly checked and analysed by the Management team, will allow a continuous “monitoring” of the visitors needs and expectations.

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Ph.72 & 73: Entrance panels to the archaeological area, S. Ricca, 2006.

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Pl.25: Visitors to Madâin Sâlih, 1998-2006, SCT, 2006.

BRIEF ANALYSIS OF THE STATISTICAL DATA The data concerning the number of visitors have been collected since 1998.

Since 2002 the statistics count separately Saudi and Non-Saudi visitors, allowing for a sharper analysis of the tourist fluxes. Unfortunately, school students visiting the site with their classes are not counted separately and cannot be quantified. Similarly the data concerning the number of tourists coming with organized groups and the nationality of the foreign visitors is not registered.

- The total numbers are relatively significant for a country without a Cultural Tourism tradition; they range from some 13.000 in 1998 to 45.600 in 2005, showing a sharp raise in frequentation after the year 2002. The site of al-Hijr is the most visited in the whole Kingdom with some 300.000 visitors in the last 9 years.

- The regular augmentation of the number of visitors had a temporary halt in 2005 when some 3.000 less visitors came to Madâin Sâlih than the previous year. The data for 2006, though partially incomplete, seem to be similar to those of 2004.

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- It is meaningful that the number of foreign visitors has not been especially affected by the overall international political situation, while, in the same period the number of foreign tourists to the kingdom has sharply declined.

It seems therefore that the foreign visitors are mostly foreign residents of the Kingdom.

- The number of Saudi and non-Saudi visitors is almost comparable, though foreign visitors need to apply in advance for a permit to visit the site. This datum illustrates the fame of the site within the expatriate community.

Absolute numbers in the last years are relatively stable for the Saudi public, around 29.000 per year, while there has been a growth of the foreign public between 2002 and 2004.

- The number of visitors varies considerably according to the months of the years. The peak season for the Saudi public being mostly concentrated in the periods May-August and October-December (with the lower presences registered in the months of February, March, April and in September), while the peak season for non-Saudis roughly corresponds with the winter/spring seasons. The two patterns might be summarized as follow: Saudis mostly visit Madâin Sâlih during their summer holidays while foreigners, who leave the Kingdom in the hot summer months, visit the site mainly during the colder months of the year.

- The large number of Saudi visitors in the summer months (and during the ‘Aid holidays period) when schools are closed demonstrates the little presence of school visits and children groups even in the absence of precise data concerning school classes.

- The maximum number of visitors per month has been registered in the months of October 2004 and 2006 with some 7.500 visitors (an average of 250 visitors per day); the lowest was recorded in February 1998 with only 193 visitors (an average of less than 7 per day).

- Data concerning the hotels: though investments from the private sector have been done in the city in view of its development as tourism area, the number of visitors spending the night in al-‘Ulâ is still relatively small and the overall capacity of the hotel sector still limited.

Up - Pl.26: Chart of Saudi and non-Saudi visitors, 1998-2006, SCT, 2006.

Pl.27: Monthly record of visitors to Madâin Sâlih (Saudi & non-Saudi), 1998-2006, SCT, 2006.

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PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATION ABOUT EXPECTED TOURIST FLUXES FOLLOWING THE INSCRIPTION WORLD HERITAGE LIST

ON THE

SCT estimates for the tourism fluxes at al-Hijr in the coming years foresee a significant augmentation of the total number of visitors.

If we assume that (according to a pattern frequently verified on other World Heritage sites) following the inscription on World Heritage List, and the launch of national and international marketing campaigns for the site of al-Hijr, the number of visitors might double in the coming 5-7 years, it will reach some 100.000 visitors per year (compared to the 46-48.000 in 2004-5) in 2012-15.

Most likely, the distribution of these visitors throughout the year will not change and we might therefore expect a peak season, during the month of October, where some 15.000 visitors (i.e. 500 visitors per day) visit Madâin Sâlih.

These numbers can be accommodated relatively easily by the site without major risks for the integrity and the conservation of the remains.

The new tourist facilities to be designed at the Hijâz Railway Station buildings should be planned to cope with a 500 visitors/per day average expected rate and should be capable to receive some 2.000/2.500 visitors in peak week-end days or holidays period.

HOTELS STATISTICS At the time being there are two hotels opened at al-‘Ulâ, with a third one currently being built near the old city. They are 4-star hotels belonging to local private entrepreneurs or to a small Saudi chain. Madâin Sâlih Hotel has 50 rooms and 16 suites (approximately 132 beds); Arac Hotel al-‘Ulâ has 42 rooms and 4 suites (92 beds). The third hotel, currently under construction is planned to be larger and to have some 100 rooms. Besides the hotels, there are also apartment accommodations available for tourists in al-‘Ulâ.

Occupancy rates at the hotels are currently rather low according to the owners, though, unfortunately, there are no specific statistics available because occupancy rate is calculated by SCT for the whole Medina Province without detail for al-‘Ulâ.

The only existing data concern the Arac Hotel in the year 2001, when only 3033 people slept at the hotel: 1599 Saudis and 1434 foreigners. Their distribution throughout the year confirms the assumptions made from the visitors statistics, and notably that Saudi visitors concentrate mostly in the summer months and foreigners in winter.

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Ph.74: Arac hotel, al-’Ulâ, S. Ricca, 2006.

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5.i Policies and Programmes Related to the Presentation and Promotion of the Property The studies launched by the Supreme Commission for Tourism since the year 2000 have identified in the site of Madâin Sâlih, and in the whole al-‘Ulâ region, a major attraction pole for the development of national, regional and international tourism.

The concern of SCT for the establishment of a sustainable development have led to the elaboration of detailed studies focusing on the protection and management of the site of Madâin Sâlih, the most known and visited national cultural site of the Kingdom.

These studies have defined two immediate priorities: - The nomination of the site for WHL status (meant to boost the country’s awareness of its unique and rich heritage); - The launch of an international campaign of archaeological research on the site in cooperation with the French CNRS (starting in 2001 and renewed in 2005).

In parallel, a number of plans for the development of the al-‘Ulâ region are under review form the Saudi authorities. These include notably: - The creation of a new airport at al-‘Ulâ; - The creation of a visitor’s centre and tourist facilities and museums within the Hijâz Railways Station buildings at Madâin Sâlih, etc; - The partial re-creation of a section of the Hijâz Railway.

The new General Administration of Antiquities within the SCT structure is in charge of the conservation of the site and of the harmonization of the tourist approach with the overarching conservation and preservation needs.

REALIZED PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS Since its registration as an Antiquity Site, a number of projects, studies and development plans took place at al-Hijr. Hereafter are listed the major interventions carried out by the DMAM and later by the SCT since 1972:

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In 1978, The DMAM asked the French National Geographic Institute (IGN) to realize an aerial survey of the site and a photogrammetric survey of the tombs (see Vol.II, section 6). This operation led to establish a new inventory of the tombs and sites at Madâin Sâlih.

Between 1403 and 1415 (1982 and 1994) the buildings of the Hijâz Railway station and the nearby ottoman fortress were restored.

In 1405 (1984) was built the Museum of the nearby city of al-‘Ulâ whose interior layout was designed in 1411 (1990) and renewed in 1418 (1997).

In 1990, a metal fence circling the whole site was erected. The fence, a two-meter high metal grill, runs for some 20 Km and was extended, in 1994, to include also the Hijâz Railway Station complex.

In 1994 a number of interventions were executed by the DMAM at al-Hijr Archaeological Site to facilitate the visit: - The tombs were cleaned and some 20 metal staircases were built; - A system of panels and numbers to identify each tomb has been created. The panels bear Arabic and English texts translating the original inscriptions and briefly present the main tombs; - Concrete paths made of prefab concrete slabs, 1.5 m wide, directly laying on the sandy ground were placed in front of the tombs to avoid walking in the sand; - Panels in Plexiglas to protect the inscriptions carved on the tombs façades were placed in front of each inscription; - In 1424 (2003), a plan for the lighting the Hijâz Station area was implemented by the Supreme Commission for Tourism.

PLANS IN-THE-MAKING The definition of the new tourist circuits inside the site is currently studied by the SCT. The Ministry of Transport will finance the proposed plan for the road within the site that will be prepared and implemented already during the year 2007. The major elements of this plan concern: - The definition of the most suitable circuit for the internal road;

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- The definition of a suitable technical solution to achieve a sufficiently stabilized road surface avoiding the use of asphalt that would spoil the natural environment of the site; - The definition of suitable areas for small parking areas in the vicinity of the major necropoles; - The location and the design of restrooms within the site.

In parallel, studies and projects are also focusing on: - The definition of the programme for the re-use of the 16 buildings of the Hijâz railway (cf. Vol. II Management Plan section 5); - The design of the Visitors’ Centre and of the other planned activities in the Hijâz railway buildings.

Pl.28: Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) internal road network, SCT, 2006.

Private sector is expected to play a major role in the tourist development of the site. Private entrepreneurs will be allowed to propose guided tours of the site and to develop special facilities for the visitors (road-trains, horse and camel rides etc.). The bazaar and the restaurant will also be run by the private sector. The role of the SCT will be to facilitate their activities by the preparation of carefully designed contracts and sets of rules capable to guarantee the respect of al-Hijr heritage and to control and direct the overall tourist development.

LONG-TERM DEVELOPMENT PLANS UNDER REVIEW SCT and the local authorities have been considering a number of long-term plnas and projects for the region. Some of these have already reached the implementation phase; others are still at the level of feasibility studies.

- The upgrading of an existing airstrip south of al-‘Ulâ city, and its transformation into a regional airport connected with the national air routes, is currently under

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way. This project, that was previously postponed, is now reaching its final stage and the opening of al-‘Ulâ Airport is foreseen for 2008. The airport is meant to play a major role in the development of tourism in the region.

- The creation of a new sewerage system for al-‘Ulâ area draining used waters in the Wâdî Hamra area, some 25 km south of al-‘Ulâ, has reached the implementation phase. The new sewerage system will greatly improve the overall ecological equilibrium of al-Qura valley.

- The re-creation of a small section of the Hijâz Railway linking al-‘Ulâ with its new airport in the South and with al-Hijr in the north has made the object of a detailed study. The discussion of this plan has currently been postponed until the completion of al-‘Ulâ airport. During the preparation of the feasibility study of the project, special attention will be paid to the impact the rebuilt railroad might have on the archaeological remains of the site (notably on the “residential area”).

Saudi authorities are particularly interested in the revitalization and tourist development of the remains of the Hijâz railway in the region of al-‘Ulâ. Indeed, beside the unique remains of the Nabataean civilization, the remains of the early 20th century railroad constitute another important heritage asset of the site. Historic railways are increasingly becoming a tourist attraction. For many years, the famous Orient Express, immortalised by Agatha Christie, has been running exclusive packages with various itineraries across Europe. In Britain the railway heritage is well preserved, much of it supported by railway enthusiasts. In India the railway heritage is also well preserved and is being adapted for tourism purposes. The famous Darjeeling Himalayan railway has now been designated a World Heritage Site, while the railway museum is one of the major museums open to visitors in Delhi.

The Hijâz Railway played a prominent role in the early 20th century history of this area and is associated with a sense of adventure, especially the exploits of T. E. Laurence. It was the first railway ever developed in the Kingdom, and it represents a popular form of technology of the early 20th century of much potential interest to Saudis and foreign visitors.

- Saudi central government has also been considering the possibility to create a National Cultural Heritage Park in the region of al-‘Ulâ within which the Archaeological Site of al-Hijr would be included. Such a park, focusing on the extraordinary cultural and natural sites of the al-Qura valley and the zone of al-‘Ulâ oasis, would constitute the perfect institutional cadre for the site of al-Hijr, as it would guarantee the link between a World Heritage property and the other archaeological and natural sites in its vicinity that constitute an essential element of national Cultural Heritage. However, at the time being, its realization seems too complex to

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implement. It is hoped that the new status as World Heritage Site of al-Hijr might have a positive impact on the launch of such a comprehensive and ambitious plan.

5.j Staffing Levels (professional, technical, maintenance) The Antiquities Office at al-‘Ulâ is responsible of all the registered sites of the region, and is in charge of the security and guarding of al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) The al-‘Ulâ department has a staff comprising the Director of the Museum (B.Sc in Archaeology & Museum studies), an administration assistant (High-School diploma) and 19 guards that are sometimes working also at al-Hijr.

The yearly budget for the salaries of the personnel is 806.000 SR that equals 215.000 US $.

It is under consideration to increase the number of employees including architectural engineer, archaeologists, antiquities supervisors and restoration experts.

Madâin Sâlih section comprises a director of the site (with B.Sc in archaeology), one administrative assistant (high-school diploma) and 16 guards with three vehicles.

The yearly budget for the salaries of the personnel is 523.000 SR, some 140.000 US $.

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Ph.75: Madâin Sâlih landscape (detail), from Babelli, 2006, p.196.

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| CHAPTERS SIX - SEVEN - EIGHT |

MONITORING / DOCUMENTATION / CONTACTS

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6.a Key Indicators for Measuring State of Conservation At the time being there isn’t any formalized system concerning the monitoring of the site; maintenance and protection being guaranteed by the continuous presence of the guards and the site director at al-Hijr.

The site is regularly visited by the SCT responsible staff from Riyadh and the site guards regularly report to SCT headquarters, through the existing administrative chain, any noticeable change in the state of conservation of the site and all main events concerning the site.

Three major elements have concurred to the remarkable preservation of al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih): - The monuments are not masonry structures, but, being carved into the rocky outcrops, they are actually part of the landscape itself; - The area is fenced off, rather isolated and further protected by the religious traditions; - There is still a relatively limited amount of visitors.

In the last years, the attention of the SCT has concentrated on this site focusing on its possible transformation into a major national and international venue. Visits from high-level personnel from Riyadh have therefore been more frequent contributing to the technical monitoring of the site.

Furthermore, the regular monitoring of the Saudi antiquities has been doubled by the serious and comprehensive study carried out by the French CNRS mission that has worked, in collaboration with the DMAM, at Madâin Sâlih since 2001.

The analyses and surveys they have carried out in the last 5 years, concern all the aspects of the site, from landscape to rock-carving technology, from satellite analysis to the census of the inscriptions.

The mission has assembled an extraordinarily complete and comprehensive documentation that can be used as reference for regular monitoring in the future.

The complete inventory and the mapping of all the archaeological and epigraphic remains in Madâin Sâlih, elaborated by the Madâin Sâlih Archaeological Project, have permitted to update previous inventories, and to detail the pathology of the monuments identifying the characteristics and the origin of the deteriorations affecting the monuments.

Previous page - Ph.76: Al-Khuraymât necropolis, from Babelli, 2006, p.13.

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The new management unit will define a standardized system of monitoring that will give the site director a complete understanding of the state of conservation of the ruins. This monitoring system will allow identifying problematic areas, foreseeing and planning the following steps and verifying the impact of the maintenance and conservation works that have been carried out in the past or are currently being implemented.

Within the framework of the preparation of the site “risk maps” – one of the first priorities of the new management unit (cf. Volume II Management Plan) – a scientific monitoring and follow up mechanism will be set up. The new system will be based upon regular (yearly) reports and extraordinary reports in case of calamity or localized collapses/events.

The reports will include the following elements: - Basic data (name of site, date of report, name of the responsible of the report, date of the site visit, etc.); - List of the bodies to which copy of the report has been sent; - Overall comprehensive assessment of the conditions of the site presenting in few lines the major problems faced; - A precise description – organized in hierarchic way from the main to the minor issue – of the alterations and events affecting the conservation of the site; - Photographs presenting the damages; - A draft conservation plan identifying the needed “urgent” interventions, the medium and longterm interventions, identifying the skills and the technical qualifications necessary for its implementation.

In order to produce these documents, the definition of key-indicators of the conservation state of the property will help achieving a scientific approach to site conservation and allow an immediate, almost automatic, verification of the conservation and maintenance needs.

Three different indicators have been selected: - The most important documents to rely upon for the assessment of the state of the monuments are, and will be, photographs. Colour, black and white and multi-spectral photographs are a non-destructive methods (unlike the intrusive collection of stone samples, for instance) of utmost value in assessing the damage the façades suffer from weathering or from vandalism. The new studies carried out by the Madâin Sâlih Archaeological Project between 2001 and 2005, are meant to update and complete the 1914 publication by Jaussen & Savignac, and allow

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Tomb IGN 17 - Ph.77: 1910, from Jaussen - Savignac. Ph.78: 2005, G. Ferrandis for MSAP. Ph.79: 1978, IGN survey 1978. Ph.80: 1978, photogrammetric drawing IGN 1978.

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therefore a punctual comparison with the situation at the beginning of the 20th century and the precise identification of the alterations that occurred during the last 100 years. Indeed, comparison with the earlier photographs can lead to an estimate of the rate of decay of the monuments. Complete sets of images from three distinct periods are available (1907-1910 from Jaussen & Savignac; 1978-1979 from IGN photographic and photogrammetric survey, 20012005 Madâin Sâlih Archaeological Project survey). New comprehensive photographic campaigns, covering the whole area and reproducing the views of the earlier photos, should be done at regular intervals, possibly every 5 years.

- The acquisition and analysis of the most suitable satellite views of the site and the surrounding areas should be done on regular basis (likely every 1-2 years) to verify the evolution of the agricultural and urban settlements south and north of the site and verify the effectiveness of the policies foreseen by the Management Plan to contain and direct local development.

- The presentation, on a large-scale map, to the public of the regular maintenance work and the punctual consolidation and restoration works carried out by the new Management Unit and by the SCT – regularly updated on a yearly basis – might also act as a sort of key indicator of the state of conservation of the site. The diminution of “hot spots” on this “risk-map”, following the site authority’s intervention, will prove the effectiveness of the actions implemented by SCT/DAM and in the meantime materialize for the visitors the concern of the Saudi government for the conservation of its rich heritage.

Pl.29: Monitoring key indicators according to the UNESCO format, SCT, 2007.

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6.b Administrative Arrangements for Monitoring Property Currently, the site is managed according to the structure presented in chapter 5.e.

The administrative system of the SCT/DAM foresees the regular allocation of funds for paying staff salaries and running costs and the possibility to ask, on a yearly basis, for extraordinary funds to implement specific projects.

As shown in the previous paragraph, there is not yet an administrative structure charged with the regular scientific monitoring of the property. The monitoring of the site is guaranteed by the continuous presence of guards on site. This arrangement permits an effective control of the external causes of damage (vandalism, calamities, etc.) affecting the site, but does not tackle the issue of the natural decay and of the scientific maintenance of the monuments.

The new scheme proposed for the management of the site will introduce a new administrative structure in charge of the World Heritage Listed property and directly reporting to the Deputy Secretary-general for Antiquities. The new structure will be in charge of the regular monitoring based upon the scientific and administrative criteria outlined in the previous paragraph (6.a).

Notably, it will produce a yearly report, integrating the data provided by the bodies forming the Local Committee, to present a complete overview of the evolution of the site form the conservation point of view, but also from the tourism development perspective.

6.c Results of Previous Reporting Exercises Following the 1996 visit of the M. Federico Mayor, UNESCO Director-General, to Riyadh, UNESCO has pledged to support the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in its efforts to prepare the nomination files for the inscription of the Kingdom’s natural and cultural sites on the World Heritage List.

A series of international missions relating to the potential for inscription on the World Heritage List of the site of al-Hijr have taken place.

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In 1998, a report was produced by two French experts: Mr. Jean-Marie Dentzer and M. Jean-Pierre Braun. This report focused not only on the site of al-Hijr, but also on the Old City of al-’Ulâ and the other major archaeological sites of al-Qura valley.

In the following years following the creation of the Supreme Commission for Tourism, a series of technical reports dealing with the site of al-Hijr have been prepared by international consultants.

Notably, in 2002, SCT with the assistance of Ernst & Young PLC, UK, prepared a five-year Action Plan for the Sustainable Tourism Development Plan of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The output 2.06 of this plan is a draft Management Plan for al-’Ulâ and al-Wajah Area, analysing the tourist potential of the site of Madâin Sâlih.

These reports have permitted to focus the attention on the site of al-Hijr alone in view of the complexity of the rehabilitation of al-’Ulâ old city and the difficulties related to the preparation of a comprehensive management plan for the whole area.

Following the recent meeting of M. Koichiro Matsura, Director-General of UNESCO with His Highness Prince Sultan Bin Salman, Secretary-General of SCT, in Riyadh on 30/4/2006, the process of preparation of the nomination File has been accelerated.

This nomination file closely follows the recent submission of the Saudi Arabian Tentative List to the World Heritage Centre in October, 2006, listing three sites among whom al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih).

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Documentation

7.a Photographs, Slides, Image Inventory and Authorization Table and other Audiovisual Materials The original list of the digital photographs (in jpeg format) signed by the author, and the authorization for the non-exclusive cession of rights in favour of UNESCO/World Heritage Centre, according to the requirements of the World Heritage Operational Guidelines, are joined to the two volumes of the Nomination File.

The digital files are joined in the attached “Photo” CD. Copy of the original documents signed by the photograph, and a visual index of the 19 images, are presented in the following pages.

The titles of the 19 photos of Mr. Mohammed Babelli included in this file refer to the owner’s classification.

List of Images © Mohammed Babelli 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih), Area C Necropolis Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih), Al-Khuraymât Area Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih), Al-Khuraymât Area Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih), Al-Khuraymât Area Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih), Jabal Ithlib Landscape Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih), Landscape Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih), Landscape Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih), Landscape Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih), Jabal Ithlib Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih), Jabal Ithlib Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih), Qasr al-Bint Necropolis Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih), Qasr al-Bint Necropolis Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih), Qasr al-Bint Necropolis Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih), Qasr al-Fârid Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih), Area C Necropolis Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih), Qasr al-Fârid Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih), Qasr al-Bint Necropolis Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih), Al-Khuraymât Area Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih), Qasr al-Bint Necropolis

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10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Pl.30: Visual index of M. Babelli pictures attached to the Nomination File, SCT, 2007.

16.

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7.b Texts Relating to Protective Designation, Copies of Property Management Plans or Documented Management Systems and Extracts of Other Plans Relevant to the Property See documents presented in Volume II: Management Plan of the Nomination File for al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih).

7.c Form and Date of the Most Recent Records or Inventory of the Property The Saudi Arabian Department of Antiquities & Museums within the Supreme Commission for Tourism keeps an updated inventory of the archaeological and monumental sites of the Kingdom protected by the Law of Antiquities.

The inventory, listing more than 6.000 archaeological sites, is regularly updated and published by Department of Antiquities & Museums. The last edition dates from 2006.

Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) has been registered in two phases with the code numbers 1392/3/4/5/6/7/8 at first, and with code numbers 1426/7/8/9/30 in a second stage, in1978.

The mechanism of registration and the whole Antiquities Inventory is currently being updated and reformed to comply with modern international standards and to become an effective tool for the protection and management of the country’s rich Cultural Heritage. All sites and all data concerning them are going to be integrated in a geographically referenced system (G.I.S.).

Besides the official record the Madâin Sâlih Archaeological Project, in collaboration with the DMAM, has prepared a new and complete inventory including all monument and inscription within the area delimited by the protective fence. This inventory will be published by the MSAP in the coming years and copy will be held at the SCT headquarters in Riyadh.

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7.d Address where Inventory, Records and Archives are Held All documents, records and archives concerning al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) are kept in the premises of the Supreme Commission for Tourism in Riyadh.

Supreme Commission for Tourism Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Riyadh, Diplomatic Quarter - 11586 P.O. Box 66680 Once established, the new site management unit of al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) will conserve copy of all the documents concerning the property.

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7.e Bibliography (Al-)Ansary (A.R.) and Abu al-Hassan (H.), Al ‘Ula and Mada’in Salih (English version), Dar al-qawafil, Riyadh, 2004.

Alwan (O.A.), Branch of Al Ula Tree & Images of Madâin Sâlih (in Arabic), al-’Ulâ, 2000.

Babelli (M.), Mada’in Saleh, Riyadh, 2006.

Balty (J.-Ch.), “Architecture et société à Pétra et Hégra. Chronologie et classes sociales; Sculpteurs et commanditaires”, in: Architecture et société. De l’archaïsme grec à la fin de la République romaine, Actes du Colloque international organisé par le Centre national de la recherche scientifique et l’École française de Rome (Rome 2-4 décembre 1980), Collection de l’Ecole française de Rome 66, Rome, p. 303-324, 1983.

Barger (Th.C.), “The Riddle of Meda’in Salih”, Archaeology 19.3, p. 217-219, 1966.

Barger (Th.C.), “Greek Inscription Deciphered”, Archaeology 22, p. 139-140, 1969.

Berger (Ph.), “Nouvelles inscriptions nabatéennes de Medaïn Salih”, Comptes rendus de l’Académie des inscriptions & belles lettres 4e série 12, p. 377-393, 1884.

Bowersock (G.W.), “Exploration in North-West Arabia after Jaussen-Savignac”, Topoi 6, p.

553-563, 1996.

Bowsher (J.M.C.), “The Frontier Post of Medain Saleh”, in P. Freedman et D. Kennedy (éds), The Defence of the Roman and Byzantine East, BAR International Series 297, Oxford, p. 23-29, 1986.

Clemow (Fr.G.), “A Visit to the Rock-Tombs of Medain-I Salih, and the Southern Section of the Hejaz Railway”, Geographical Journal 42, 1913, p. 534-540.

Clermont-Ganneau (Ch.), “L’inscription nabatéenne de Hégra (Le Hegr), CIS, II, N° 271”, Revue Biblique nouvelle série, 5, 1908, p. 533-537.

Courbon (P.), “Archéologie en Arabie Saoudite. Le site nabatéen de Medain Saleh”, Revue XYZ 102, 2005, p. 31-34.

Dentzer (J.-M.), Bessac (J.-Cl.), Braun (J.-P.), Nehmé (L.), Abu al-Hassan (H.), “Report on the 2001 Season of the Saudi-French Archaeological Project at Mada’in Salih, Ancient Hegra”, Atlal 17, 2002, p. 101-126, pls 10.1-10.9.

Dentzer (J.-M.), Kermorvant (A.), Nehmé (L.), Tholbecq (L.), Abu al-Hassan (H.), “Report on the 2002, Second Season of the Saudi-French Archaeological Project at Meda’in Saleh”, Atlal 18, 2005, p. 61-80 [English], p. 153-159 [Arabic], pls 9.1 à 9.23 [in color].

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Doughty (Ch.), Travels in Arabia Deserta (2 volumes), Cambridge, 1888.

Doughty (Ch.), Voyage dans l’Arabie déserte. Translated into French by J.-Cl. Reverdy. Paris, 2002.

Euting (J.), Nabatäische Inschriften aus Arabian, Berlin 1885.

(Al-)Fassi (H.), “The Taymanite Tombs of Madâin Sâlih (Hegra)”, Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies 27, 1997, p. 49-57.

Facey (W.), Saudi Arabia by the First Photographers, Stacey International, London, 1996.

Fiema (Z.T.), “Remarks on the Sculptors from Hegra”, Journal of Near Eastern Studies 46, 1987, p. 49-54.

Gatier (P.-L.) and Salles (J.-F.), “Aux frontières méridionales du domaine nabatéen. Avec un appendice [p. 186-187]: L’emplacement de Leuké Komé”, in J.-F. Salles (éd.), L’Arabie et ses mers bordières. 1. Itinéraires et voisinages, Travaux de la Maison de l’Orient 16, Lyon, 1988, p. 173-187.

Ghabban (A.), Introduction à l’étude archéologique des deux routes syrienne et égyptienne de pèlerinage au nord ouest de l’Arabie Saoudite, Thèse de doctorat, Université de Provence Aix Marseille, 1988.

Halévy (J.), “Une inscription funéraire de Hegra”, Revue sémitique 17, 1909, p. 66-69.

Healey (J.F.), “The Nabataeans and Madâ’in Sâlih”, Atlal 10, 1986, p. 108-116, pl. 107109 [Arabic version p. 135-144].

Healey (J.F.), “A Nabataean Sundial from Madâin Sâlih”, Syria 66, 1989, p. 331-336.

Healey (J.F.), The Nabataean Tomb Inscriptions of Mada’in Salih. Journal of Semitic Studies Supplement 1. Oxford, 1993.

Huber (Ch.), Journal d’un voyage en Arabie (1883-1884), Paris, 1891.

(Al-)Ibrahim (M.) et (Al-)Talhi (D.), “A Preliminary Report on the Excavation at Al-Hijr (Second Season)”, Atlal 12, 1989, p. 21-28.

Jaussen (A.) and Savignac (R.), Mission archéologique en Arabie. I. De Jérusalem au Hedjaz, Medain-Saleh. II. El-‘Ela, d’Hégra à Teima, Harrah de Tebouk (2 volumes), Paris, 1909-1914.

Khairy (N.I.), “An Analytical Study of the Nabataean Monumental Inscriptions at /Meda/’in Sâleh”, Zeitschrift des deutschen Palästina-Vereins 96, 1980, p. 163-168.

Kühlenthal (M.) and Fischer (H.), Petra, The Restoration of the Rockcut Tomb Façades, Bayerisches Landemsamt für Denkmalpfledge, München, 2000.

McKenzie (J.S.), The Architecture of Petra, British Academy Monographs in Archaeology 1, Oxford, 1990.

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McKenzie (J.S.), Reyes (A.T.), Schmidt-Colinet (A.), “Faces in the Rock at Petra and Medain Saleh”, Palestine Exploration Quaterly 130, p. 35-50, 1998.

Masry (A.H.) éd. An Introduction to Saudi Arabian Antiquities. Riyadh.

Musil (A.), The Northern Hegâz. A Topographical Itinerary, Oriental Explorations and Studies 1, New York, 1926.

Negev (A.), “The Nabatean Necropolis at Egra”, Revue Biblique 83, 1976, p. 203-236.

Nehmé (L.), “Towards an understanding of the urban space of Madâin Sâlih ancient Hegra, through epigraphic evidence”, Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies 35, 2005, p. 155-175.

Nehmé (L.), “Explorations récentes et nouvelles pistes de recherche dans l’ancienne Hégra des Nabatéens, moderne al-Hijr/Madâin Sâlih, Arabie du Nord-Ouest”, Comptes rendus de l’Académie des inscriptions et Belles-Lettres 2004, p. 631-682.

Nehmé (L.), Arnoux (Th.), Bessac (J.-Cl.), Braun (J.-P.), Dentzer (J.-M.), Kermorvant (A.), Sachet (I.), Tholbecq (L.), avec une contribution de J.-B. Rigot, “Mission archéologique de Madâin Sâlih (Arabie Saoudite): Recherches menées de 2001 à 2003 dans l’ancienne Hijrâ des Nabatéens”, Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy 17, 2006, p.

41-124.

Netzer (E.), Nabatäische Architektur. Avec une contribution de Judit Gartner et Rachel Laureys. Sonderbände der Antiken Welt. Zaberns Bildbände zur Archäologie, Mainz, 2002.

Parr (P.J.), Harding (G.L.), Dayton (J.E.), “Preliminary Survey in North-West Arabia, 1968”, Bulletin of the Institute of Archaeology 10, p. 23-61, 1972.

Pesce (A.), Colours of the Arab Fatherland, Oasis Publishing, Riyadh, 1975.

Pirenne (J.), “En Arabie Saoudite, Médaïn Saleh, une nécropole des adorateurs de la pierre”, Archéologia 79, 1975, p. 22-33.

Potts (D.T.), “Hegra before the Nabataeans”, Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy 4, 1993, p. 59-63.

Renan (Er.), Documents épigraphiques recueillis dans le nord de l’Arabie par M. Charles Doughty, Paris, 1884.

Sartre (M.), “La Mission en Arabie des Pères A. Jaussen et R. Savignac. Historique et bilan scientifique”, Topoi 6, 1996, p. 533-552.

Schmidt-Colinet (A.), “A Nabataean Family of Sculptors at Hegra”, Berytus 31, 1983, p. 95102.

Schmidt-Colinet (A.), “The Mason’s Workshop of Hegra, its Relations to Petra, and the Tomb of Syllaios”, in A. Hadidi (éd.), Studies in the History and Archaeology of

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Jordan III, Amman, p. 143-150, 1987.

Schmidt-Colinet (A.), “Zur nabatäischen Felsennekropole von Hegra/Madain Salih in Saudi-Arabien”, Antike Welt 18.4, 1987, p. 29-42.

Siraj ‘Ali (J.S.), “A Preliminary Report on the Southern Khiraiba, Al-Hijr Excavation Third Season, 1410/1989”, Atlal 13, 1990, p. 21-32.

Stiehl (R.), “A New Nabatean Inscription”, in Stiehl R. et Stier H.E. (éds.), Beiträge zur alten Geschichte und deren Nachleben, Festschrift für Franz Altheim zum 6.10.1968.

Berlin, 1970, vol. 2.

(Al)-Talhi (D.), “Preliminary Report on the Excavation at al-Hijr (Madain Saleh) (Fourth Season 1411 A.H./1990 A.D.)”, Atlal 14, 1996, p. 25-42, pl. 16-17.

(Al-)Talhi (D.), Al-Ibrahim (M.), Mursi (J.M.), “Preliminary Report on Al-Hijr Excavations during the First Season 1406/1986”, Atlal 11, 1988, p. 47-57.

(Al-)Talhi (D.) and Al-Daire (M.), “Roman Presence in the Desert: A New Inscription from Hegra”, Chiron 35, 2005.

(Al-)Talhi (D.), Al-Ibrahim (M.), Mursi (J.M.), “Preliminary Report on Al-Hijr Excavations During the First Season 1406/1986”, Atlal 11, 1988, p. 47-57, planches et version en arabe p. 57-68.

The Supreme Commission for Tourism, Directory of Tourism Services, Second Edition, Riyadh.

(Al-)Theeb (S.), Nuqûs al-Hijr al-nabatiyya, Riyadh, 1998.

Wenning (R.), 1996, “Hegra and Petra: Some Differences”, Aram 8, 1998, p. 253-267.

Winnett (F.V.) and Reed (W.L.), Ancient Records from North Arabia. Toronto, 1970.

WEB SITES http://www2.cnrs.fr/presse/journal/1419.htm http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/actions-france_830/archeologie_1058/les-carnets-archeologie_5064/afrique-arabie_5068/arabie-saoudite-mada-in-salih_15207/index.html

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8.a Preparer The nomination file of al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) has been prepared by Dr. Hussein Abu al-Hassan Supreme Commission for Tourism Consultant Cultural Heritage Programme Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Riyadh, Diplomatic Quarter - 11586 P.O. Box 66680 Tel: + 966 1 4808855 Ext.1611 Fax : + 9661 4804693 Email: h.abualhassan@sct.gov.sa

8.b Official Local Institution/Agency The Local Agency from which depends the office at al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) is the al-’Ulâ local office of the Department of Antiquities of the Supreme Commission for Tourism located within the premises of al-’Ulâ Museum.

Mr. Naef Raji al-Anazi Department of Antiquities and Museums Director of al-’Ulâ Museum al-’Ulâ - PO Box 215 Tel: + 966 4 8841536 Fax: + 966 4 8840585

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8.c Other Local Institutions - Governorate of al-’Ulâ al-‘Ulâ 41921 Tel: 00966 – 4 8841125 Fax:00966 – 4 8840020 - Department of Education al-‘Ulâ 4921 Tel: 00966 – 4 8841900 Fax:00966 – 4 8840244 - Old City of al-‘Ulâ Association al-‘Ulâ - P.o. Box 350 Tel: 00966 – 4 8843743 Fax:00966 – 4 8843670

8.d Official Web Address Web address of the Supreme Commission for Tourism:

www.sct.gov.sa E-mail of the Supreme Commission for Tourism:

info@sct.gov.sa

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Signature

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9.

Signature on Behalf of the State Party

Prof. Dr. Ali al-Ghabban, Supreme Commission for Tourism Secretary-General Consultant for Culture & Heritage

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List of Images

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PHOTOS Ph.1 Ph.2 Ph.3 Ph.4 Ph.5 Ph.6 Ph.7 Ph.8 Ph.9

Ph.10 Ph.11 Ph.12 Ph.13 Ph.14 Ph.15 Ph.16 Ph.17

Madâin Sâlih, Qasr al-Farîd and the site landscape, G. Ferrandis for Madâin Sâlih Archaeological Project, 2003

Tomb B7, detail of the door, original drawing from Jaussen - Savignac, 1914, Vol.I, Fig.164 Camels in Madâin Sâlih, G. Ferrandis, for Madâin Sâlih Archaeological Project, 2003 A view of Qasr al-Bint from the south, from Babelli, 2006, p.74

Flying over Madâin Sâlih, Supreme Commission for Tourism, 2006

Qasr al-Bint necropolis, aerial view, Supreme Commission for Tourism, 2006

p. 1 p. 4 p. 5

p. 9

p.12

p.17

Area C necropolis, from Babelli, 2006, p.84

p.18

Desert landscape, from Babelli, 2006, p.215

p.20

Satellite view of Jabal Ithlib area, Satellite Quickbird, Eurimage, 2004

p.19

Tombs in Jabal al-Ahmar area, G. Ferrandis for Madâin Sâlih Archaeological Project, 2003

p.20

Lihyanite rock drawings, jabal al-Khuraymât, Madâin Sâlih Archaeological Project, 2005

p.21

Southern part of Qasr al-Bint necropolis, Madâin Sâlih Archaeological Project, 2004

p.22

Lihyanite inscription from Jabal Ithlib, SCT, 2003 Area C, geological detail, S. Ricca, 2006

Nabataean niche with Betyl, Madâin Sâlih Archaeological Project, 2004

Entrance of the Sîq with niches, G. Ferrandis for Madâin Sâlih Archaeological Project, 2002 Entrance of the Sîq and the Dîwân, SCT/DMAM, 2003

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p.22

p.23

p.23

p.23

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Ph.18

Nabataean well (well 27), Madâin Sâlih Archaeological Project, 2005

Ph.20

Modern farm at al-Hijr, Madâin Sâlih Archaeological Project, 2005

p.24

Qasr al-Bint necropolis, S. Ricca, 2006

p.25

Ph.19 Ph.21 Ph.22 Ph.23 Ph.24 Ph.25 Ph.26 Ph.27 Ph.28 Ph.29 Ph.30 Ph.31 Ph.32 Ph.33 Ph.34 Ph.35 Ph.36 Ph.37 Ph.38

Excavations in the “residential area”, Madâin Sâlih Archaeological Project, 2004 Jabal al-Ahmar necropolis, Madâin Sâlih Archaeological Project, 2004 Qasr al-Bint outcrop from the sky, SCT, 2006

p.24

p.24 p.25

p.26

Jabal al-Khuraymât necropolis, tomb IGN 100, Madâin Sâlih Archaeological Project, 2003

p.26

Qasr al-Farîd, from Babelli, 2006, p.82

p.27

Area C necropolis, S. Ricca, 2006

Arched door tomb, Supreme Commission for Tourism, 2003

p.26 p.28

Crenellated tomb,Jabal al-Khuraymât necropolis, Supreme Commission for Tourism, 2003

p.28

Nabataean ‘horn’ capital, Supreme Commission for Tourism, 2003

p.28

Half step type tomb, Area C necropolis, S. Ricca, 2006

p.28

OttomanFort, courtyard, Madâin Sâlih Archaeological Project, 2003

p.29

Ottoman Fort, main façade, from Babelli, 2006, p.154

p.29

Ottoman Fort, general view, Madâin Sâlih Archaeological Project, 2003 Passengers using the Hijâz railway before its official opening in 1908, Maunsell 1907, in Facey, 1996, p.41

Building the Hijâz railway station at Mu’azzam, one of the stops between Tabuk and Madâin Sâlih, Hallajan, c. 1908, in Facey, 1996, p.40

p.29

p.30 p.30

A locomotive and train on their side possibly due to an explotion, from Babelli, 2006, p.142

p.31

A blown up locomotive between Medina and Madâin Sâlih, from Babelli, 2006, p.150

p.31

Carriage and wheels along the tracks, from Babelli, 2006, p.149

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Ph.39 Ph.40 Ph.41 Ph.42 Ph.43 Ph.44 Ph.45 Ph.46 Ph.47 Ph.48 Ph.49 Ph.50 Ph.51 Ph.52 Ph.53 Ph.54 Ph.55 Ph.56 Ph.57 Ph.58 Ph.59

A view of Madâin Sâlih station complex from the Islamic fort, from Babelli, 2006, p.157

p.32

Madâin Sâlih carriage shed, interior, Madâin Sâlih Archaeological Project, 2003

p.32

Madâin Sâlih Station, S. Ricca, 2006

Cover page of 1914 book by Jaussen and Savignac

Front elevation of tomb IGN 100, original drawing from Jaussen - Savignac, 1914, Vol.I, Pl.XL

p.32

p.36 p.37

Tomb A3, plan and sections, original drawing form Jaussen - Savignac, 1914, Vol.I, Fig.174

p.37

Madâin Sâlih, tombs IGN 112-113 and Jabal Ithlib, G. Ferrandis for Madâin Sâlih Archaeological Project, 2003

p.19

Bosra, the Nabataean arch, S. Ricca, 2004

p.43

A tomb façade from the west side of Qasr al-Bint, from Babelli, 2006, p.60

Nabataean tombs at al-Bad, Saudi Arabia, Supreme Commission for Tourism, 2003 Nabatatean inscription form Madâin Sâlih (Jaussen & Savignac inscription 7), J. Simson, 1985 Petra, deterioration of the sandstone, G. Ferrandis, 2003

p.38

p.42

p.44

p.44

Petra, stone decay, from Kühlenthal - Fischer, 2000

p.45

Madâin Sâlih, detail of the stone-cutting work, from Pesce, 1975, p.74

p.45

The preserved landscape of Madâin Sâlih, from Babelli, 2006, p.192

p.49

Madâin Sâlih, detail of Tomb IGN 100, Supreme Commission for Tourism, 2003 The internal fence, S. Ricca, 2006

Madâin Sâlih from the sky, Supreme Commission for Tourism, 2006

Bullet holes on a tomb façade, Qasr al-Bint necropolis, S. Ricca, 2006 Eolic erosion on a al-Khuraymât façade, S. Ricca (detail), 2006

Eolic erosion on a rocky outcrop, Supreme Commission for Tourism, 2003

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p.47

p.50

p.51

p.52

p.52

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Ph.60

Metal staircase leading to Qasr al-Bint central tomb, S. Ricca, 2006

p.53

Ph.62

Mudbrick farm in front a tomb façade, from Pesce, 1975, p.79

p.58

Recent Graffiti inside Qasr al-Bint main tomb, S. Ricca, 2006

p.59

Ph.61 Ph.63 Ph.64 Ph.65 Ph.66 Ph.67 Ph.68 Ph.69 Ph.70 Ph.71 Ph.72 Ph.73 Ph.74 Ph.75 Ph.76 Ph.77 Ph.78 Ph.79 Ph.80

View of al-‘Ulâ city and valley, Madâin Sâlih Archaeological Project, 2005 Recent and older sandblasted graffiti, Qasr al-Farîd, S. Ricca, 2006

p.55

p.59

Indiscriminate parking in front of the Sîq 1, Jabal Ithlib, in Alwan, 2000

p.60

Existing unsuitable garbage bin, S. Ricca, 2006

p.61

Indiscriminate parking in front of the Sîq 2, Jabal Ithlib, in Alwan, 2000

p.60

Landscape from Jabal Ithlib, S. Ricca, 2006

p.61

The limits of the site, aerial view, Supreme Commission for Tourism, 2006

p.67

Qasr al-Farîd, from Babelli, 2007, cover page Core Zone landscape, S. Ricca, 2006

Entrance Panel to the Archaeological area 1, S. Ricca, 2006

p.63

p.69

p.81

Entrance Panel to the Archaeological area 2, S. Ricca, 2006

p.81

Madâin Sâlih landscape (detail), from Babelli 2006, p.196

p.89

Tomb IGN 17 in 1910, from Jaussen - Savignac

p.92

Tomb IGN 17 in 1978, IGN survey 1978

p.92

Arac Hotel, al-‘Ulâ, S. Ricca, 2006

Al-Khuraymât necropolis, from Babelli, 2007, p.13

Tomb IGN 17 in 2005, G. Ferrandis for Madâin Sâlih Archaeological Project Tomb IGN 17 in 1978, Photogrammetric drawing IGN 1978

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p.84

p.90 p.92

p.92

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AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

PLATES Pl.1 Pl.2 Pl.3 Pl.4 Pl.5 Pl.6 Pl.7 Pl.8 Pl.9 Pl.10 Pl.11 Pl.12 Pl.13 Pl.14

Map of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, Supreme Commission for Tourism, 2006

p.10

Topographic Plan of al-’Ulâ Region, scale 1: 250.000, Series 1501NM, Sheet NG37-6 al-’Ulâ, General Directorate of Military Survey, Ministry of Defence and Aviation, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 2002 (based on 1988 flights)

p.13

Administrative division of Saudi Arabia, Supreme Commission for Tourism, 2006

Topographic plan of Madâin Sâlih, scale 1:50.000, Sheet 3726-11, Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Aerial Survey Department, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 1977 (based on 1970 flights) Geo-referenced satellite picture of the area showing the limits of the Core Zone and of the Buffer Zone, satellite colour image, elaboration SCT, 2006 Location of al-Hijr within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,, SCT, 2006

Al-Hijr Archaeological Site and its major Necropoles, satellite colour image, elaboration SCT, 2006 Hijâz railway in Saudi Arabia, Supreme Commission for Tourism, 2006

Pre-Islamic trade routes in the Arabian peninsula, Supreme Commission for Tourim, 2006 Madâin Sâlih aerial view (1970) showing the 19th c. cultivated areas, elaboration Supreme Commission for Tourism, 2006

p.11

p.14 p.16

p.16

p.16

p.31

p.34 p.35

Plan of the Nabatean Empire, from Nehmé - Villeneuve, 1999, p.164

p.42

Population in Medina Province – 1419 H – 1999 AD, 7th Development Plan, Ministry of Planning, KSA

p.54

Location of the Nabataean wells, Madâin Sâlih Archaeological Project, 2005

Satellite image showing the development of farms and the planned settlement in the vicinity of the site, elaboration SCT, 2006.

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p.55

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List of Images

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

Pl.15

Al-‘Ulâ development plan, Governorate of al-‘Ulâ, 2000

Pl.17

Madâin Sâlih plan of soil, Madâin Sâlih Archaeological Project, 2005

Pl.16 Pl.18 Pl.19 Pl.20 Pl.21 Pl.22 Pl.23 Pl.24 Pl.25 Pl.26 Pl.27 Pl.28 Pl.29 Pl.30

Al-‘Ulâ monthly rainfall 1967-2004, al-‘Ulâ Meteorological station

p.56

p.57

p.58

Al-Hijr farms, satellite colour image, elaboration Supreme Commission for Tourism, 2006

p.64

The Four Departments of the Supreme Commission for Tourism, SCT, 2006

p.72

SCT/Department of Antiquities organisational chart, SCT, 2006

p.73

New administrative structure of Madâin Sâlih Antiquities Office, SCT, 2006

p.76

Al-Hijr buffer zones, satellite colour image, elaboration SCT, 2007

Administrative structure of Madâin Sâlih Antiquities Office, SCT, 2006

SCT/Department of Antiquities proposed organisational chart, SCT, 2006

p.65

p.72

p.75

Visitors to al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih), 1998-2006, SCT, 2006

p.82

Monthly record of visitors to al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih), 1998-2006 (Saudi + Non-Saudi), SCT, 2006

p.83

Monitoring key indicators according to the UNESCO format, SCT, 2007

p.93

Chart of Saudi and Non-Saudi visitors, 1998-2006, SCT, 2006

Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) internal road network, SCT, 2006

Visual index of M. Babelli pictures attached to the Nomination File, SCT, 2007

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AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MÂDAIN SÂLIH) NOMINATION DOCUMENT FOR THE INSCRIPTION ON THE UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE LIST

MANAGEMENT PLAN

KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MÂDAIN SÂLIH)

NOMINATION DOCUMENT FOR THE INSCRIPTION ON THE UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE LIST

MANAGEMENT PLAN JANUARY 2007

Management Plan

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

CONTENTS 1.

INTRODUCTION

p. 4

2.

MANAGEMENT PLAN SCHEME

p. 8

Preliminary Considerations Document Structure Plan Objectives: Immediate, Medium-term and Long-term Management Plan Outline Preliminary Notes for the Definition of Technical and Planning Guidelines for the Implementation of the Management Plan

p. p. p. p.

3.

SAUDI ARABIAN LAW OF ANTIQUITIES

p. 34

4.

DRAFT ANTIQUITIES & MUSEUMS LAW

p. 47

5.

HIJAZ RAILWAY BUILDINGS OUTLINE PROJECT

p. 64

6.

IGN SURVEY: MAPS & PHOTOGRAMMETRY

p. 85

2.

2.

2.

2.

2.

a b c d e

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p. 23

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1.

Management Plan

Introduction

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has recently approved a political strategy aiming at the development of tourism in the country. A new, young and dynamic organization, the Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT), has been entrusted with the challenge to develop this sector for the benefit of Saudi economy.

Indeed, the opening of the kingdom to tourism represents a major shift in the national policy requiring a series of changes at the very heart of the political system of the country. Such a deep re-thinking of basic aspects of the country policy cannot be introduced in a short time, but needs to be implemented step by step in order to verify their actual implications at the all levels.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has long been closed to non-religious tourists. Aside the millions of Muslim pilgrims heading for the Haj to Mecca, no group or private tourist was admitted in the country.

Starting from the 1990s this situation has began to evolve and a growing attention has been devoted to the development of tourism in the Kingdom.

Since 1995, tourist visa for groups have been issued through Saudi Arabian Airlines and its associated travel agents within a program called “Discover KSA”. Currently the hypothesis to issue tourist visa for independent travellers is under review.

In 2000 was created the Supreme Commission for Tourism that has since been entrusted with the management and protection of the national cultural heritage.

A number of studies and plans have been put forth by SCT, with the support of international consultants, to launch, control and direct the development of the tourism sector.

The tourism market has been divided into three segments with a different level of priority: Priority A: Saudi Arabian tourists, principally families and individuals; Inbound Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC) and tourists from neighbouring countries (Arab countries); Umrah Plus – high income pilgrims.

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Management Plan

Priority B: Specific domestic niche markets (such as honeymooners); Arab shoppers from neighbouring countries.

Priority C: High income expatriates living in Saudi Arabia and in GCC; Niche international leisure segments in the industrialised countries interested in culture and heritage, nature, ecotourism, and marine tourism; Special markets such as MICE; Saudi nationals and tourists from neighbouring countries interested in educational courses, medical treatment and sports events.

The Supreme Commission for Tourism has signed Memorandums of Understanding for cooperation and assistance in developing cultural tourism in the Kingdom with the following ministries and organizations: - Ministry of Higher Education on 28/2/1427 H (28/3/2006 AD) - Ministry of Municipalities and Rural Affairs on 8/9/1424 H (3/11/2003 AD) - Geological Survey of Saudi Arabia on 2/2/1423H (15/4/2002) - Supreme Commission for the Protection of Natural Life and its Development.

SCT has identified Cultural Heritage as a major asset for the country. Realizing the specificity, importance and fragility of Cultural Heritage, SCT has prepared a draft “Sustainable Tourism Development Plan” to guide its actions. In the meantime it has launched in-depth studies for the analysis of the characteristics of the tourism sector in Saudi Arabia.

Since its creation in 2000, SCT has already initiated a number of key actions to reorganize and strengthen the Cultural Heritage sector’s institutional and legal structure, and to lay the groundwork for strengthening both fiscal and human resources capacity.

These on-going actions include: Drafting of new legislation that will extend protection to all national heritage and cultural resources (immoveable, moveable and intangible), and put in place an institutional structure to plan and implement regulations, policies and programs that will give force to the legislation;

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Management Plan

Re-organization of the Deputy Ministry of Antiquities and Museums to function as a unit within the SCT. This re-organization includes the new organizational structure and will lead to significant human resources changes to establish capacity needed to implement the ambitious plan for the future delopment of the country’s heritage; Provision of substantially increased budgets to support the strengthening of the organization and the initiation of the proposed program; External consultation with important stakeholders, both within the private and public sectors.

Without broad public understanding and support for the preservation and development of heritage and cultural resources the proposed program will be still-born. This requires a continuing commitment to community consultation at every level; These actions, concerning the whole Cultural Heritage sector of the Kingdom, will have a significant and direct impact on al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih).

In 1978, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was among the first countries to become a state party to the 1972 UNESCO World Heritage Convention, and has recently submitted its tentative List to the World Heritage Centre secretariat.

Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) counts among the three sites inscribed on this list as one of the major example of the richness and diversity of Saudi heritage.

The decision to submit a Nomination File to the World Heritage Centre in view of the inscription of al-Hijr on the World Heritage List is a proof of the Saudi Arabian opening and of the Kingdom’s will to share its unique and rich heritage with the rest of the world.

The preparation of this file is but a first element within the larger framework of the re-thinking of the current management practices in cultural heritage sites in the country and is meant to play an “example” role in the development of the necessary skills within the national administration.

The still on-the-making process of re-organization of the Cultural Heritage sector has already greatly profited of the dynamics created by the launch of this nomination process that have seen a full and fruitful collaboration between the Antiquities section and the overarching tourism organization with the common aim of protecting and developing the site of al-Hijr.

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Management Plan

Saudi Arabian Authorities are committed to realize in the coming months/years the programme outlined in the following pages conscious of its importance for the whole cultural heritage sector well beyond the contingent issue of the World Heritage List inscription.

It obvious, nevertheless, that the inscription of al-Hijr would have the effect of boosting the confidence of the SCT team and would play a catalyzing role for the development of further initiatives aiming at safeguarding and developing Saudi national heritage.

The major problems facing the site were outlined since 1999, when a study realized by Ernst & Young Consultancy Group for the Supreme Commission for Tourism made a first assessment of the key issues that needed to be tackled in order to guarantee both the protection and the development of the site.

According to the report’s recommendations1 a number of decisions have been taken to improve the management of the site; yet no comprehensive Management Plan was drafted, and no Site Management Unit has been created.

The following major steps were taken at al-Hijr during the last years: - The traffic inside the fenced area has been regulated by the creation of a one-way circuit now followed by the vast majority of the cars; - the first volume dedicated to al-Hijr of a series of new and modern monographic guides presenting the major heritage sites of the Kingdom, has been published; - A new international agreement has been signed with France to allow a French archaeological mission to work at al-Hijr. In a first phase, a scientific survey of the site has been carried out with state of the art techniques, and this study is to be followed by a second phase – starting in 2006 – launching a five-year archaeological excavation at al-Hijr in collaboration with the University of Riyadh and SCT/DAM.

1. The study (Ernst & Young, 1999, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Supreme Commission for Tourism, Sustainable Tourism Development Plan - Output 2.06 Cultural Heritage Action Plan, Draft Outline Management Plans for al-’Ulâ and al-Wajah) identified the following key issues: The religious background; The need to protect the site from urban encroachment; The need to protect views from the site towards encroachments; The need to protect the site from inappropriate developments within the setting; The absence of basic visitor support services (toilets, mosque, exhibition etc.); Absence of management and security within the site; Absence of monitoring of the visitors; Presence of inappropriate infrastructures (cement paths, metal bins and staircases); Inappropriate management responses to deal with problems (graffiti, well etc.); Health and Safety risks; Presence of a large fenced area within the site; Off-road driving; Lack of formalized parking areas in the vicinity of the major sites; Lack of site interpretation programmes; Lack of orientation (panels, signage, routes for vehicles); Vandalism and graffiti; Littering; No established linkage with other Nabataean sites within and outside the country.

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Management Plan

2.a Preliminary Considerations - A management plan is an evolutive document, needing periodical adjustments justified by the local context and the results of studies.

- A single on-site management unit for the al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) is necessary. The unit should be: - Responsible for all aspects relating to visitation and site protection - Operationally independent, but adhering to strategies and policies agreed upon by the SCT - Identified as the point of decision making authority

The coordination of the various bodies involved on the site that have separate lines of authority from Riyadh is absolutely necessary. These separate bodies should be put together under the unique umbrella of the Site Authority to be created. These bodies are: Supreme Commission for Tourism Division of Antiquities & Museums/Supreme Tourist Commission Ministry of Agriculture Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs Ministry of Communication and Transportation Regional Tourism Council External companies involved in road works, electrical supply, water pumping etc.

Police Municipality of al-’Ulâ Governorate of al-’Ulâ Private sector actors (Hotels, tour operators, tourist guides, restaurants, etc.)

Public groups and local associations of residents and farmers Private Foundations (like “Turath Foundation”)

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Management Plan

The new Site Authority should: Upgrade visitors’ information and services (maps, signs, toilets, rest areas, etc.)

Improve visitors’ circulation Communicate with stakeholders Direct archaeological research and coordinate international missions Be in charge of conservation and security issues

The implementation of a sustainable site development and management practices is necessary to protect the site from damages resulting from the foreseen increased number of visitors and the planned tourism development of the site.

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Management Plan

2.b Document Structure The structure of a standard “Management Plan” follows a scheme similar to the one proposed hereafter. The scheme should and will be adapted to the specific characteristics of the country and of the site.

It will necessarily include a phase of analysis (to be built up on the material prepared for the Nomination File), to be followed by the plan itself and some specifications for implementation.

I – ANALYSIS 1) Physical Environment 2) Natural, Cultural, Socio-Anthropological and Economic Values 3) Existing Management Conditions

II – MANAGEMENT PLAN The management plan of the al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) will participate to the overall vision for the development of tourism in the Kingdom put forth in previous SCT plans and reports and reproduced hereafter: “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as the cradle of Islam, seeks to conserve and to present its cultural heritage as a most important element of the nation’s civilization and cultural identity, and to develop compatible uses, and cultural, social and economic benefits, within the context of the nation’s Islamic values.”

The Plan will add to a number of other plans already designed, or in the process of being elaborated, by the SCT. Notably to the General Strategy for the Development and Promotion of Tourism Industry, the Sustainable Tourism Development Plan, the Medina Province Tourism Development Plan, and the Draft Outline Management Plan for al-’Ulâ and al-Wajah.

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Management Plan

These documents have identified two major “Tourism Development Areas” in the North-West of Saudi Arabia: al-’Ulâ and al-Wajah.

It is anticipated that within 20 years the area of al-’Ulâ will be established as the prime cultural heritage tourism destination within the kingdom, attracting both domestic and international tourists.

The ambitious goal of these plans is to profit of the unique cultural heritage assets of these areas while guaranteeing their protection, and to present them within a cultural landscape that constitutes in itself another major attraction. The landscape should be protected from the negative pressures of urban, agricultural and industrial developments through suitable local planning policies.

The underlying assumption being that the development of tourism based on the area’s wealth of cultural and natural assets will be an important source of employment for the people living in these areas that can greatly contribute to the economic revitalization of the region.

The passage from a purely tourism approach to a conservation and management plan of a major heritage site like al-Hijr, however, requires a more fine-tuned strategy, specific technical qualifications and an even more respectful approach towards such eminently non-reproducible resources.

When confronting with the management of cultural heritage, It should always be considered that the Management Plan is not simply a strategy document, but an ongoing process that must react to changes that are occurring, particularly in sites where there is rapid tourism development. It should therefore include mechanisms allowing a regular feedback and the continuous check of the actual impact of the planning policies implemented on site. The possibility to re-discuss and re-direct the plan strategies should be considered and planned since its inception phase.

Al-Hijr Management Plan will confront major “strategic” issues - The relationship between Local Management Unit and National Tourism Plan should be carefully considered. Any choice concerning the development of the zone should be based primarily on conservation considerations. No development that could harm the uniqueness and the integrity of the site should be allowed.

- Only an effective collaboration between the Site Management Unit, the Local Administrations and the National Tourism Planning Authority will guarantee the sustainable development of the

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Management Plan

whole region, the preservation of the site and the respect of the regulations imposed by its World Heritage Site status.

- The possibility, evoked in strategic SCT plans, to create a National Cultural Heritage Park including all the major sites in the al-Qura Wadi should be further developed with aiming at the creation of a sustainable Cultural Heritage Tourism around the attraction represented by the World Heritage Listed site of al-Hijr. The Site Management Unit should become an active member of the National Park directive board.

The al-Hijr Management Plan will confront local level issues The plan will deal with the site and its surrounding areas to root the development of the protected zone within the overall development of the area. To achieve this goal a number of still partially unsolved issues need to be tacked.

These concern notably: - The issue of land ownership in the surrounding of the fenced areas - The application of the provisions foreseen by the new Antiquity and Museum Law - The definition of regulations detailing the activities forbidden inside the Buffer Zone and, further on, in the entire valley area.

The effectiveness of the Buffer Zone as a protective area for al-Hijr World Heritage Site will depend on the actual possibility to implement a series of restrictions to the uses of the land. A preliminary list of “prohibitions” is drafted hereafter.

The Buffer Zone proposed in the Nomination File has been designed following state-owned land limits to avoid immediate tensions with private owners. However, the regulations to be applied in this Buffer Zone are not yet defined.

They should include the following restrictions: No mining No new roads No new buildings No camping and housing No trade No hunting

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Management Plan

No waste disposal No plant removal No plantation of exotic species No fires Strictly controlled agricultural and grazing activities The ongoing expansion of the nearby villages is currently directed by local level planning directives put forth by the Municipal authorities. The Site Management Unit of al-Hijr World Heritage Site should intervene and be part of the local planning process. Indeed, the areas beyond and around the Buffer Zone should also be managed keeping in mind their proximity with a World Heritage Listed Site. Notably their urban and agricultural development should respect bylaws to be agreed upon by the new Management Unit that should ideally have a sort of “veto” power in dealing with local administration planning.

PROPOSED ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE The whole system concerning the protection and development of Cultural Heritage in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has recently gone through a process of complete reorganization.

The decision to merge the Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT) and the Deputy Ministry for Antiquities and Museums (DMAM) was based upon a strong rationale recognising the urgent need to inject new life into the DMAM whilst optimising the potential synergy with tourism to help add momentum to the development of tourism in Saudi Arabia.

However, it has been noted that it is unusual for a national tourism organization, particularly a body that sits outwith mainstream governmental structures, to assume responsibility for national heritage.

Though there is a clear and urgent requirement for the national heritage of Saudi Arabia to play a more prominent and influential role in the rapidly evolving tourist industry of the kingdom, Saudi national heritage deserves and requires more than a purely tourist approach, it requires a comprehensive approach to its long term stewardship, conservation, management and marketing.

The risks of a purely tourism-oriented policy for the conservation of the rich Saudi Heritage have been recognized and interiorized by the SCT that has prioritized the preparation of a “Sustainable Tourism Development Plan” for the Kingdom in order to respect the specificities and needs of Cultural and Natural heritage sites.

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Management Plan

According to the strategic planning put forward by the SCT (Cf. Stevens & Associates, 2003, Merger of Antiquities and Museums Sector into the Supreme Commission for Tourism: Part One – A Policy and Strategic Review), a project-based approach seems the most apt to achieve the SCT goals.

Incidentally, this approach has also been considered the most suitable to guarantee a smooth interaction/integration of the two previously independent bodies following the merge of the DMAM into the SCT. Such an approach implies that each Project Team should have a dedicated Project Manager who will report directly to the Head of the National Program for Cultural Tourism, and a specific Advisory Board representing key stakeholders or local experts. These Advisory Boards should be organized by project leaders and should report to the project leader.

This scheme overlaps almost without differences the one suggested in the file for the future Site Management Unit of al-Hijr. The system proposed for the implementation of the multi-sectorial, interlinked activities of the Management Plan requires a single structure acting with enlarged responsibilities and autonomy.

Similarly the suggestion to establish a “partnership”, whose specific legal and administrative status should be careful considered, between the Supreme Commission for Tourism on the one hand and the local authorities (Municipal, provincial and at governorate level), the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs (MOMRA), the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development (NCWCD) on the other closely fits with the needs listed above of the Management Unit.

This “partnership” will have responsibility for preparing and implementing a full management plan for the site, devolving executive powers to relevant organizations where appropriate. Another important function of the partnership will be to consult with local people as to their aspirations and concerns and to ensure that these are adequately reflected in any future development and management proposals.

A first scheme of the structure of the management site unit is proposed in the Nomination File, section 5.e, p.76 and is reproduced hereafter. It is obvious, however, that during the elaboration of the Plan this suggestion will and should be modified to be adapted to the needs.

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from section 5.e, p.76 - Pl.24: New administrative structure of Madâin Sâlih Antiquities Office, SCT, 2006.

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Management Plan

2.c Plan Objectives at Immediate, Medium-Term and Long-Term Immediate: - Establish a Site Management Unit for al-Hijr - Commence management plan - Introduce legislation to protect setting of the archaeological site - Introduce cadre of rangers to patrol site - Introduce charges for international visitors, use funds for conservation activities - Prevent access to majority of tombs by removing metal steps - Remove Perspex covers over inscriptions - Remove all signs with concrete bases where this is damaging natural surfaces - Remove all marble panels in front of the tombs - Develop North Gate as main entrance to the site - Introduce proposed one-way route and small car park near the major necropoleis at the most suitable locations - Prepare interpretation and marketing strategies - Introduce pre-booked guided tour programmes for interested parties - Demolish partially built health centre & other recent buildings near railway station - Remove concrete pathways & litter bins around the tombs - Pilot soft-culture events at Islamic Fortress - Establish monitoring systems related to baseline data on environmental, archaeological and other indicators - Launch research excavations in residential area in collaboration with the French archaeological mission

Medium-term: - Secure World Heritage Site status - Monitor progress and update management plan - Reduce the use of private cars around the site - Introduce alternative transport around site (jeep caravans, bus, road train)

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Management Plan

Introduce alternative conservation measures for inscriptions Build major new visitor centre at Northern Gate Move all rolling stock into restored workshop building Develop interpretation on Hijâz Railway inside railway workshop and Ottoman fort.

Introduce themed tourism packages with Petra and key Nabataean sites within the Kingdom Continue to monitor effect of legislation and planning controls designed to protect setting

Long-term: - Monitor progress and update management plan on a five-year basis - Develop onsite conservation laboratory with research capability - Legislation in place to protect landscape and setting of site - Establish National Cultural Heritage park in the region of al-’Ulâ - Prepare facility and service for presentation, consolidation storage and preservation of finds - Madâin Sâlih to become international “must-see” cultural heritage destination - Re-establish railway linking Madâin Sâlih with al-’Ulâ - Monitor effect of WHS status on tourism activities in al-’Ulâ area These recommendations will help to stimulate the development of a thriving sustainable tourism economy fully respectful of international conventions and of the international value of the site. This plan should also aim at placing the site in its wider historical and geographical context.

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Management Plan

2.d Management Plan Outline In the following pages are outlined the guidelines of the Management plan for al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih). The Management Plan will be prepared during the year 2007/8 by the new Site Management Team foreseen in this report.

The first task of this new structure will be to define with precision its organizational chart (fine-tuning the one suggested in the previous pages), the system of Local Board to liaise with local administrations and the other ministries and bodies involved, and the needs in human resources of the new Site Management Unit (including terms of reference of the personnel).

Its second task will be the preparation of the Management Plan according to the guidelines briefly presented in the following pages.

Feed-back mechanisms should be foreseen and designed in order to guarantee the continuous control of the effectiveness of the plan guidelines. Notably, data concerning tourist fluxes and visitors’ numbers will need to be continuously updated and confronted with expectations. Reactions and suggestions expressed by the local community should be, as far as possible, integrated within the management system.

One of the essential elements that will direct the action of the site management authority will be the creation of an effective record and follow-up system allowing budgetary and administrative choices to be based upon real data and the precise knowledge of what has been done and what still needs to be done.

The management plan will tackle the following points: - Planning of the surrounding areas and of the access routes to the site, including proper signage; - Identification of the most suitable conservation and restoration techniques for the site in the full respect of international best practice and international restoration charters; - Definition of a set of priority interventions to be carried out for the conservation of the site, both in its architectural elements and its landscape. Such definition of priority will result from

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the preparation of site “Risk Map” analyzing the present situation and identifying needs and priorities; - Tourism management and the handling of the visitors at the site. The main points to address are: the definition of tourist circulation and special circuits, creation of services (cafeteria, restroom, first aid, shops and boutiques, etc.) enhancement of the quality of the visit (considering fluxes, circulation, explanatory panels and visitors’ centre, guided tours, publications, etc.), of the visitors’ security and of the site protection; - Control and management of the foreign and national archaeological missions excavating at the site. The accent should be placed on the conservation and presentation of the sites during and after the excavations; - The tourist development of the site through the re-organization of the access (shift from the South entrance to the North Gate), the careful landscaping of the access area, the planning of soft cultural activities (in the Ottoman fort and in the area in front of it), the creation of a visitors’ centre and a Hijâz Railway exhibition, the creation of special site riding tours (horseback or camelback) and of discovery tours to the nearby archaeological sites.

- The management (in close collaboration with the overall SCT programme) of the marketing activities and the development of a site “brand image” through national and international advertisement campaigns based on al-Hijr’s inscription on the World heritage List; - Management of the economic resources generated by the site development and integration of the local and national entrepreneurs’ activities into a sustainable development strategy focusing on the preservation of the site; - Development of the legal protective system of the site through the monitoring of the respect of the norms established for the buffer zone (and possibly – if the National Cultural Heritage Park will be created – beyond), but also through public relation campaigns specifically aimed at the local communities (schools, municipalities, local associations, and provincial bodies) and designed to strengthen their bond with the site and to develop their awareness of the universal signification of the site and of its scientific, cultural, heritage and identity value for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its people; - The administration and the training of the site employees and of the site management team through on-the-site training programs.

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In the following pages are briefly synthesized and organized, the many ideas and projects for the development of al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) put forth by the members of the team and the foreign consultants that have collaborate with the SCT. Some of these have already been included in the project documents and are already being implemented, others are still at the level of hypotheses and suggestions

Accesses and fences - Transfer the main access from the South Gate to the North Gate. Re-organize the tourist panels directing the visitors from al-’Ulâ; - Design suitable panels for the internal and external panels; - Re-design the access area and prepare a detailed project for the re-use of the 16 Hijâz Railway buildings (the buildings should host: a visitors’ centre, A Hijâz railway Museum/Exhibition Hall, bookshop and boutiques, cafeteria and site restaurant, restrooms for the public and for the staff, Archaeological centre to host the missions working on site and store their finds, Guards’ homes, and a small mosque); - Propose a range of technical solutions to reduce the visual impact of the metal fence surrounding the site through minor landscape interventions. The possibility to remove the fence and replace it by a less “impermeable” and more symbolic barrier might be evoked and discussed with the local community; - The internal fence isolating the “residential area”, though undoubtedly affecting the overall aspect of the site, should be kept at list till the end of the archaeological campaign. Indeed, the conservation and the protection of the yet unknown archaeological urban site should be the first priority. The agreement with the archaeological mission should impose to this latter to propose and budget different options for the final presentation of the excavated sites that will be submitted to the site management unit. Only at a later stage, once the excavations and the consolidation of the ruins completed, the fence might be removed.

Conservation, consolidation, maintenance and restoration - Collect and update all the maps, drawings, aerial and satellite pictures, photogrammetric surveys, and documents concerning the site. Digitize the graphic documents and organize a

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database assembling all existing data to be kept in two copies, one in SCT office headquarters in Riyadh and one at the Management Unit office on site; - Collect and analyse technical material concerning consolidation and restoration techniques applied to similar sites in the kingdom and abroad. Set up a scientific cooperation with UNESCO World Heritage Centre and with other World Heritage Listed sites having similar characteristics (first of all Petra, Jordan); - Complete, wherever necessary, the surveys and the aerial coverage of the site in order to produce maps at the most suitable scales (1:25.000, or smaller) for the planning and development of the site.

- Remove unsuitable elements and define new technical solutions for the access to the tombs (new stairs where necessary), the road, the parking areas, the pathways around the rocky outcrops, the Nabataean well, etc.; - Identify zones that might be dangerous for the visitors and solutions to limit the risks for the public (closure, protection barriers, alert and explanatory panels, etc.); Set up a risk-preparedness approach establishing the necessary connections with the national and local bodies in charge of civil protection from natural and man-caused calamities with the aim of adapting their policies to the specific needs of the site (earthquakes, floods, wars, terror attacks, etc.); - Elaborate a “risk map” of the whole area, identifying the most fragile and endangered elements in order to establish a list of priorities for future conservation and restoration interventions based on scientifically-based assessments; - According to the risk map, define a range of possible actions according to different budgets and prepare a calendar of activities for the medium and long-term (5-10 years); - Organize a regular, and scientifically sound, monitoring system of the physical conditions of the monumental and archaeological remains and of their surroundings (cf. Vol.I, section 6); - Define maintenance criteria and “best practices” to deal with “minor” issues and set up a maintenance unit within the Site Management Unit; - Conceive a comprehensive Landscape Protection Plan for the protection of the natural characteristics of the area.

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Tourism management - Identify and define, according to the estimated fluxes in the next five years, parking areas for the visitors’ cars; - Study and apply alternative solutions to reduce the use of private cars inside the site, and verify their impact on the visitors. Alternative solutions might imply the creation of rangerguided car caravans leaving the entrance at pre-defined hours, the use of small busses, or the use of more specific devices like land-trains or camel tours; The organization of these solutions might be put in the hands of private entrepreneurs or kept by the site authority in public hands; - Define the maximum “capacity” of the site according to different tourist scenarios for the Kingdom and for the region; - Analyse size and characteristics of tourist “groups” in order to set up guided tours specifically designed for them; - Organize a set of circuits of different length for different kind of public (standard circuit, specialists’ circuit, circuit for schools, “experience” circuit, Hijâz railway circuit, etc.); - Define, according to an estimation of the maximum amount of visitors per day, the needs in services (toilets, cafeteria, First Aid, etc) and plan accordingly the re-use of the existing Hijâz railway buildings; - Create a modern and attractive “Visitors’ Centre” presenting the site and its history with the support of all modern and traditional techniques (models, pictures, photos, films, 3-D graphic reconstructions, etc.); - Foresee a meeting point for groups and school classes (and the possibility to have on the site explanations, lectures or conferences ); - Test the effectiveness of the control at the entrance to reduce vandalism on site and study alternative solutions to improve the situation (guards posted on the site, closure of specific zones to the visit, obligation to follow guided tours of specific areas – like “Mount Ithlib” or the “residential area” – etc.). Define the number of guards needed on a yearly or seasonal base.

Site tourism development & marketing - The inscription on the World Heritage List will be an opportunity for the development of the whole area beyond the limits of the inscribed property. An active collaboration with the municipalities, the private sector and the population should be sought and achieved in order to establish tourist circuits including the other natural and cultural sites of the region;

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- The Site Management Unit should play an active role in the creation of a National Cultural Heritage park in the region of al-’Ulâ; - Set up a tourist strategy capable to attract international tourists visiting Petra to al-Hijr; and niche-conceived programs for high-profile tourists; - Organize national and regional tourism campaigns centred on the importance and attractiveness of the site to attract Saudi public; - Organize international and national events at the site; - Study the possibility to partially re-create a small section of the Hijâz railway to connect al’Ulâ with al-Hijr; - Organize in collaboration with local private sector a series of tourist projects in the area (hikes, camel tours, desert sports, etc.); - Consider the possibility to establish captive balloons or balloon competitions in the vicinity of the site (like in Wadi Rom); - Create a set of leaflets, postcards, posters, CD-Rom, videos etc. of the site with the World Heritage Logo; - Define with central SCT structure a marketing campaign for the site emphasizing its international significance and the signification of its inscription on the World Heritage List.

Education, research and publications - Set up effective cooperation with the archaeological teams working on the site; - Organize a medium and long-term calendar of activities and elaborate, with their scientific support if needed, the most effective solutions to share with the public their discoveries and their work; - Prepare a full range of tourist documents (from the simple leaflet to the scientific publication) in Arabic and English and make them available to visitors in the site bookshop; - Create a training centre for the site guides and guards; - Set up a calendar of scientific events/lectures presenting the site in the major Cultural institutions of the Kingdom (Universities, Museums, etc.).

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2.e Preliminary Notes for the Definition of Technical and Planning Guidelines for the Implementation of the Management Plan VISITORS’ CIRCULATION ON THE SITE A first plan concerning the control of the circulation within the fenced area has already been prepared and implemented. A one-way, unpaved road permits to accomplish a complete tour of the site and to return to the South entrance gate. Most of the private cars of the visitors do follow the suggested road, though there are still cars running off-the-track. No parking areas exist in the vicinity of each major complex of tombs.

The dimension of the site and the hard climatic condition during most of the year (extremely hot in summer, cold and windy in winter) require a motorized circulation within the fenced area. Saudi traditions and habits do not easily allow for common transportation (at least in a first phase) and therefore it is likely that private cars will continue to be the main, if not the unique, way of visiting the site.

Following the careful record and analysis of the tourist fluxes, alternative solutions might be considered to reduce visual nuisance to the “natural” aspect of the area caused by an excessive number of private cars. These solutions might include, at first, the organization of car “caravans” – lead by a site ranger – leaving the Hijâz Railway access at pre-defined time (every hour, for example) during the peak seasons or the use of or road-trains to tour the site leaving private cars and tourist busses outside the enceinte. These suggestions need to be tested on site after having carefully analysed the habits of the public throughout the year. Their effectiveness needs to be tested and recorded through questionnaires distributed to the visitors.

The creation of camelback or horseback visit circuits to tour the site should also be considered bearing in mind the extreme climatic conditions of the site. A camelback evening circuit might be extremely attractive, add value to the visit, and create new job opportunities for the local community. The actual location of the facilities hosting the animals should be carefully considered. The re-use of some ancient farm might sound attractive, yet the actual long-term impact of such a project upon the integrity of the site should be carefully considered.

Another nuisance provoked by the visitors’ cars, beside the dust and the noise perturbing an otherwise “intact” landscape, is their obtrusive presence when parked in front of the major sites. The solution

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for this problem requires the definition of parking areas in the vicinity of each site (at a distance not exceeding the 200-300 metres for climatic and cultural reasons) in order to avoid parking directly in front of the tombs.

It is suggested to create in these parking points some information panels or models presenting the site that should substitute the visually disturbing panels currently placed in front of each tomb that should be removed (both the tombs identification numbers and the explanatory panels in metal and marble).

It is also suggested to equip one or two of these areas with carefully designed lavatories and restrooms (most likely partially or completely underground or buried in the sand) for the public. Their exact number and location will need to be studied in detail.

One of the first goals of the new management structure will be to identify these zones for each site and to define the most suitable kind of informative elements (and garbage bins) to be located in each of them. This might take place already in the year 2007 in parallel with the definition of the road project already financed by the Ministry of Transport.

ANTIQUITIES AT RISK The almost complete “freedom” given to the visitors within the enceinte (with exception of religiously-related prohibitions, like eating and sleeping on the site, and the actual size of the area do not allow for a continuous monitoring of the public from site guards and rangers.

Examples of minor vandalism are therefore relatively frequent (graffiti on the walls, littering and even voluntary destruction of archaeological artefacts, cf. section 4) as the control is extremely loose.

It is suggested to consider, at least during the peak seasons, the option to have a continuous presence of a site guard at the Ithleb Mountain area, and possibly also to restrict the access to this extremely fascinating, yet fragile area, to guided tours only. Once more, the most suitable solution should be tested in a first phase in order to verify its effectiveness and its impact on the visitors’ behaviour.

A further protective measure for the major tombs will be achieved through the removal of the vast majority of the metal stairs the DMAM built in the 1990s. Only a limited number of tombs (or even none…) should be accessible to the visitors. Their interior is relatively repetitive for the standard visitor and more fragile. The removal of the stairs will permit to achieve contemporarily two major results: 1) to reduce threat to the integrity of the tombs 2) to re-create the original aspect of the rocky outcrops hosting the necropolis currently partially spoiled by the infrastructures built by the DMAM.

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The comprehension of the burial techniques and rock hewing architecture, on the other hand, might be achieved through the visit of the tombs directly accessible from the ground floor level and through explanatory panels/videos in the Visitors’ Centre.

The stairs might eventually be kept for one or two major tombs, where the existing metal ladders might be replaced by newer and less obtrusive ones.

The existence of clandestine excavations inside the site is prevented by the double fences (one circling the whole area, the second one isolating the fragile archaeological area from the visitors) put in place by the Saudi Authorities. Nevertheless, continuous attention should be paid by the guards to avoid any attempt at illegal activities within the site. The regular check of the cars trunks, for instance, might play a dissuasive role without requiring larger personnel. Incidentally, this kind of control will also permit to identify paintings and spray bottles or any device that might affect the conservation of the site.

COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES At the time being there are no commercial activities taking place at the site. On the contrary, the lack of lavatories, libraries and visitors’ centre is strongly felt by most visitors. The comprehensive plan for the renewal of the Hijâz Railways Station buildings, will transform these 16 buildings into a tourist pole.

The commercial concessions and the contracts to be tendered for the private sector will need to be carefully designed and regularly updated & controlled in order to guarantee the respect of the site and avoid unsuitable and obtrusive design, littering and pollution.

The withdrawal of a concession if the private entrepreneur does not respect the regulations should be foreseen by the site regulations. Private sector pressures can be extremely strong on the local management unit and it is essential that the regulations are written in such a way that the Unit could always have the upper hand over the will of the private sector.

The possibility of using the fortress (restored in early 1990s), and/or the large water reservoir and the Train hall for public shows during the evenings, seems fully acceptable from the conservation point of view. The actual impact of these activities on the original buildings, however, will need to be continuously monitored to avoid deteriorating the structures.

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A feedback mechanism of control should be designed to monitor all commercial and public activities taking place within the area. Prices and quality of the services to be tendered out to the private market (food, cafeteria, bookshop, gift shop, handicraft shop, etc.) should be monitored by the Site Authority.

The possibility that the Site Management Unit could directly control the revenues (or part of them) generated by the selling of the licenses, and by the entrance tickets, in order to injected directly these funds on site management and conservation projects, should be considered and discussed with the relevant administration (Ministry of Finance, SCT, ).

SANITARY FACILITIES They are currently completely lacking. It is foreseen that lavatories for the public will be created in the Railway buildings in the vicinity of the northern gate.

The archaeological zone of al-Hijr needs an adequate number of lavatories organized in specially planned spaces, with water supply systems and dispersion tanks.

Detailed studies will be necessary to integrate the design of the new facilities into their surroundings in such a way that they are not visible form the monuments and they do not disturb the harmony of the site.

The most suitable location and the precise number and size of these facilities will be defined within the Management Plan. Particular attention should be devoted to the issue of sewerage and waste. The most suitable technique for a desert milieu should be planned in order to respect this fragile ecological environment.

The most suitable system for bringing in water should also be studied. Elsewhere in the country, the creation of isolated water tanks regularly re-filled by tankers has proved the best solution as it does not require the creation of complex and expensive underground infrastructure.

Any new development should be coordinated by the Site Management Unit, within the framework of an overall detailed development plan.

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TOURIST INFORMATION Tourist information is currently almost totally lacking, with the exception of the intrusive and seriously weathered panels standing in front of the major carved tombs.

A new Visitors’ Centre presenting the site of al-Hijr and the ongoing researches and excavations is planned in the Hijâz Railways area. The design and the plans of these new facilities for the public are not yet ready, but a preliminary study (joined to this Volume in section 5) has determined that the needed surfaces are compatible with the existing buildings.

The future role of the Visitors’ Centre is to become an orientation centre which will give the visitor the essential keys to understand and interpret the archaeological and natural site. The most important themes that should be explained in the centre are: - The geological area and its ecological equilibrium - The history and extent of Nabataean kingdom - The characteristics of its monumental architecture - The gods of the Nabataean and their religious practice The possibility to assign more space to the Visitors’ Centre then actually proposed should be considered as the Visitors’ Centre will become a major point of attraction and play an important educational role.

Beside the Visitors’ Centre, the Train Hall will host a permanent exhibition focusing on the Hijâz Railway, presenting locomotives and carriages of the original trains. It has been suggested to utilize the Ottoman fort as an exhibition area presenting the Syrian pilgrimage route; this option is currently being studied.

A coherent system of information panels, possibly with the addition of three-dimensional models carefully designed and made of suitable materials, should be created and placed in the vicinity of each major necropolis. These informative elements should not be intrusive and need not be placed in the immediate vicinity of the tombs to preserve their visual integrity.

A first series of new publications, presenting the sites in an attractive and scientifically correct manner, has already been prepared by SCT and the Antiquity & Museum section. These new guides of the site will be available at the site bookshop with all the other existing publications concerning the site, the nearby archaeological and natural points of interest and Arabian heritage at large.

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Other information material, documents, flyers, site maps, postcards, posters, videos, CD-ROMs etc., should also be available at the site. A free map of the site should be given to all visitors to facilitate their orientation and locate the facilities. The possibility to prepare audio-guides for the visit of the site to be rented by the visitors might be considered.

An important element for the management of the visitors could be represented by the definition of multiple circuits tailor-made for different kind of public. These different circuits might be signalled on the site map with various colours according to their length/time requested.

Besides, an archaeological site as important as Madâin Sâlih, where excavations will soon start, should be able to propose to visitors, particularly school children, commentated visits to explain the progress of the digs, the stratigraphy, important finds, techniques of dating, conservation problems etc.

This type of visit could be a “cultural tourism product” which would be particularly appreciated by a small foreign clientele.

TICKETING At the time being access to the site is free of charge. Saudis are allowed to visit the area without permit, while foreigners have to apply for a special permit at al-’Ulâ. It is evident that the new Management plan will introduce a more flexible approach to ease the access formalities for foreign tourists.

The possibility to introduce a paying entrance should be carefully considered. Though this solution differs from the current practices in the country (apart from the National Museum in Riyadh), it seems a relatively necessary step fully justified by the exceptional quality of the site. Eventually paying entrance can be limited only to the foreign visitors, in order not to dissuade the Saudi public that is not used to pay entrance fees.

The presence of a continuous fence around the site, and of a circle-circuit with a single entrance/exit from gate north, offers the best possible scenario for the creation of a paying mechanism.

The legal obstacles that might exist for the implementation of this measure should be explored, notably as far as the system of redistribution of the money produced by the entrance fees is concerned.

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What would be the ”correct” market price? Would the money collected from the entrance tickets be directly managed by the Site authority, or will it be collected by the Ministry of Finance or by SCT and re-invested in this and other sites throughout the Kingdom?

If we consider that, following the implementation of marketing policies and the inscription of the site on the World Heritage List, the number of 50.000 foreign visitors/year might be easily attained (out of the 100.000 total visitors expected – cf. statistics in Section 5), and that the entrance cost could be around 5 US $, we realize that the simple entrance fees might produce some 250.000/500.000 US $ a year; a sum that could contribute significantly to the everyday maintenance of the site, covering the salaries of the staff for instance.

RELIGIOUS SENSITIVITY OF THE SITE The site of al-Hijr is quoted in the Holy Qur’an2 and a strongly felt religious tradition prohibits living and settling in the area. This prohibition has been extended to eating and sleeping on the site.

The impact and relative importance of this tradition for the Saudi public should be monitored and carefully addressed.

Evening or night visits to Madâin Sâlih might be extremely appealing considering the extreme climatic conditions of the site during day-time. An agreement defining the commonly-accepted extent of the area concerned by religious prohibitions should be developed through the dialogue with the religious people.

The presence of moveable food selling cars inside the fenced area should anyway be forbidden and the whole food-related sector should be concentrated in the restored Hijâz Railway buildings.

The possibility to demolish the recent and abandoned concrete buildings and structures in the immediate vicinity of the Train Hall should also be taken into consideration, as well as the possibility to turn one of the existing buildings into a praying hall for the visitors.

2. It is stated (VII, 73-84) that the people of Thamud were wealthy, built their palaces in the al-Qura valley and inhabited the mountains. The Thamoud were ungrateful and worshiped idols. God sent them his messenger, the Prophet Sâlih, to invite them to worship the Only God. Only a few of them trusted his envoy and they asked Sâlih to make a miracle to prove his words. Sâlih made a she-camel appear from the rock. Notwithstanding the miracle, the people of Thamud refused to respect God’s will and killed the animal. In response of this act God sent them a doom. Madâin Sâlih is believed to be the location of this event.

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Generally speaking, there is a very evident need of campaigns specifically designed for the school children, the region inhabitants and the Saudi public at large capable to raise the awareness of the significance and value of pre-Islamic national heritage.

QUALITY OF THE RESTORATION AND MAINTENANCE WORK AT THE SITE Till now, no major restoration campaign has taken place on the Nabataean tombs. However, the quality of the restoration carried out in the Ottoman Fortress, and the recent project for the lighting of the Railways Station site, do not seem to comply with international standards.

The attempts to remove graffiti from the tombs walls and the protective plastic plates in front of the inscriptions though showing the authority’s will to protect the site from vandalism and deterioration, exemplify also the relative isolation of the Saudi authorities in charge of the site and their relative ignorance of current restoration techniques and their lack of technical training.

The new management structure will need to establish regular contacts and exchanges with the management bodies of other sites in the Arab Region in order to profit of their experience in conservation, management and planning.

Similarly the concrete slabs used to create paths around the sites do not seem acceptable form an aesthetic point of view. Different solutions should be considered for the immediate surroundings of the major carved façades.

The creation of a technically competent maintenance structure on the site could significantly affect its conservation. For instance, while no major capillarity-related damages of the rock carved façades are evident, specific zones where rainwater accumulates and rests in contact with the bases of the rock outcrops show evident signs of salt crystallization and humidity-caused deterioration. The regular monitoring and the simple drainage of these waters by the site rangers will significantly reduce the rate of decay of the rock outcrop bases. A regular exchange of expertise with the conservation team working in Petra should be established.

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ENHANCEMENT, RESTORATION AND TOURISM-RELATED PLANS The preliminary sketches presenting a “landscaping” idea for the North entrance, or an openair theatre in front of Mount Ithleb proposed in the Regional Tourism Plan do not respect the standards required by a Word Heritage Site.

Similarly, the recently built illumination system of the Hijâz Railway buildings shows a complete lack of understanding of the needs and characteristics of the site. The same poor technical quality might be seen also in the earlier restoration of the Ottoman Fort or in the attempts at removing the graffiti from the rock façades.

It is essential that the new Site Management authority tackles the comprehensive development of the site in a highly professional manner and that the solutions designed for this unique site follows internationally-accepted quality standards.

To achieve better standards, the Site Authority needs to establish contacts, at the national and international level, with the most qualified technician and planners available.

When intervening on the site, the overarching principle that should guide the deeds of planners, architects and conservators should always be the preservation of the site and of its monuments. The same attention that will be required in dealing with the conservation of the rock-hewn structures and the archaeological remains should be applied also when dealing with all other aspects of the site, whether the rehabilitation of the railway buildings or the creation of the tourism infrastructure.

The monitoring of the sites after the inscription of a property on the World Heritage List carried out by the World Heritage Committee on a regular basis might act as a control device, but the Site Authority must be able to detect the risks and the possible damages embedded in every plan proposed before they are realized. Once the site inscribed on the WHL, the World Heritage Centre can be solicited for technical support and advice.

WATER ISSUE, ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS AND CLEANING A possible threat for the environmental equilibrium of the area might arise from the excessive pumping of underground waters for agricultural use that affects the water table level.

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A comprehensive ecological assessment of the oasis area and of its water resources should be carried out in the coming years to allow for a sustainable development of the region. The experience of Petra, where the hotels built above the cornice have overexploited the water resources, and brought about the progressive desertification of an entire valley, should always be kept in mind.

The Site Management unit will be involved in the elaboration of these studies and in the practical application of their recommendations for the site protection.

The water necessary for the running of the site restaurant, cafeteria and restrooms will be pumped from a nearby well that will be reactivated. The most suitable and ecologically safe system of disposal of the used waters, however, will need to be assessed before launching the tenders for the renovation of the Hijâz Railway buildings.

The slow drying out of the vegetation and the slow dissolving of the mud structures of the farms has not been confronted. The signification of the ongoing process of re-desertification of this zone should be assessed by the Site Management team within a comprehensive approach to the area’s landscape.

The management plan for the area will identify the most suitable strategy to deal with these agricultural traces and decide for a suitable landscaping plan of the area.

The Site Management Authority will also collaborate with the al-’Ulâ Municipality (currently in charge of waste disposal in the area) to reduce the risks of environmental pollution caused by garbage and solid waste, while raising the visitors’ awareness on ecological issues and on the impact of uncontrolled disposal of rubbish in the natural landscape.

The current system of retrieval of garbage from the site depends from al-’Ulâ Municipality. The Management Plan will identify the most suitable garbage collection system for the site (private company, Municipality of al-’Ulâ, site guards etc.) according to the evolving needs of the site in this domain. It is likely, in fact, that the amount of refusal will grow enormously with the opening of commercial activities in the re-used Hijâz Station buildings and the expected augmentation of the number of visitors.

The most suitable location of the garbage bins inside the al-Hijr Archaeological Area and their design will also require decisions from the site authority.

The system currently applied for the cleaning of the site is based on the outsourcing to the private sector. A national contract exists and a new version of the contract is currently being prepared (Cf. Vol.I section 5.f).

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It seems, however, that the proposed system is not fully suitable for al-Hijr site. It is suggested to consider the possibility to separate Madâin Sâlih from the overall National contract. Indeed, it would be better if a new contract is prepared and run/signed directly by the director of the Site Management Unit. This contract should be short-term and renewable (one-two year); it should include provisions to oblige the contractor to comply with the required standards, like already proposed for the Hijâz Railway buildings. The contract for al-Hijr should allow a great flexibility in the number of janitors required as the number of visitors varies considerably during the year.

Besides, the issue of insect removal and “interior” cleaning, currently foreseen by the national contract, should be pondered more carefully. The maintenance/cleaning of the tomb vaults needs supervision form antiquity personnel, or at least precisely-defined specifications/terms of reference concerning the techniques to apply and/or the materials to use in order to avoid damaging the rock.

RISK-PREPAREDNESS The Site will develop a risk-preparedness approach in order to minimize the effects of natural and man-caused disasters, though no major natural cataclysms are expected.

Site managers will be asked to integrate specific measures for the protection of the World Heritage Site within existing emergency planning systems at the local, regional and national levels.

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AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

Draft Antiquities & Museums Law

54

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

Draft Antiquities & Museums Law

55

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

Draft Antiquities & Museums Law

56

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

Draft Antiquities & Museums Law

57

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

Draft Antiquities & Museums Law

58

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

Draft Antiquities & Museums Law

59

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

Draft Antiquities & Museums Law

60

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

Draft Antiquities & Museums Law

61

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

Draft Antiquities & Museums Law

62

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

Draft Antiquities & Museums Law

63

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

Hijâz Railway Buildings Outline Project

64

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

Hijâz Railway Buildings Outline Project

65

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

Hijâz Railway Buildings Outline Project

66

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

Hijâz Railway Buildings Outline Project

67

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

Hijâz Railway Buildings Outline Project

68

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

Hijâz Railway Buildings Outline Project

69

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

Hijâz Railway Buildings Outline Project

70

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

Hijâz Railway Buildings Outline Project

71

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

Hijâz Railway Buildings Outline Project

72

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

Hijâz Railway Buildings Outline Project

73

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

Hijâz Railway Buildings Outline Project

74

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

Hijâz Railway Buildings Outline Project

75

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

Hijâz Railway Buildings Outline Project

76

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

Hijâz Railway Buildings Outline Project

77

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

Hijâz Railway Buildings Outline Project

78

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

Hijâz Railway Buildings Outline Project

79

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

Hijâz Railway Buildings Outline Project

80

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

Hijâz Railway Buildings Outline Project

81

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

Hijâz Railway Buildings Outline Project

82

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

Hijâz Railway Buildings Outline Project

83

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

Hijâz Railway Buildings Outline Project

84

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

IGN Survey: Maps & Photogrammetry

85

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

IGN Survey: Maps & Photogrammetry

86

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

IGN Survey: Maps & Photogrammetry

87

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

IGN Survey: Maps & Photogrammetry

88

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

IGN Survey: Maps & Photogrammetry

89

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

IGN Survey: Maps & Photogrammetry

90

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

IGN Survey: Maps & Photogrammetry

91

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

IGN Survey: Maps & Photogrammetry

92

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

IGN Survey: Maps & Photogrammetry

93

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

IGN Survey: Maps & Photogrammetry

94

AL-HIJR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (MADÂIN SÂLIH)

KINGDOM

OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Management Plan

IGN Survey: Maps & Photogrammetry

95