It is thought that around the turn of the fifth century BC the kingdom became hereditary. In these it is told how Nabonidus the king of Babylonia made a military campaign to northern Arabia in 552 BC or somewhat later, conquering Tayma Dedan and Yathrib (Medina). Dedan is mentioned in the 'Harran Inscriptions'. The Dedanite kingdom spans the seventh and sixth centuries BC. The older history of the oasis has been divided into several phases. Al-'Ula stands on the site of the Biblical city of Dedan but was founded with the ancient North Arabian Kingdom of Lihyan, which ruled from the 5th to 2nd century BC. It was located along ' Incense Road', the network of routes that facilitated the trading of spices, silk and other luxury items through Arabia, Egypt and India. The walled city of AlUla was founded in the 6th century BC, an oasis in the desert valley, with fertile soil and plenty of water. 8 Persian Night in Saudi Arabia’s Al-'Ula.5.1 Prince Abdul Majeed bin Abdulaziz Airport.Al-'Ula, the ancient walled city, is packed with mud-brick and stone houses. Hegra (Mada'in Salih) was built more than 2,000 years ago by the Nabataeans. The governorate contains the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Saudi Kingdom, called Hegra (also known as Al-Hijr, or Mada'in Saleh / Mada'in Salih), 22 km (14 mi) north of the city. Īl-'Ula was the capital of the ancient Lihyanites (Dedanites). The city (municipality) covers 2,391 square kilometres (923 sq mi). The city is 110 km (68 mi) southwest of Tayma and 300 km (190 mi) north of Medina. Historically located on the incense route, the city lies within the Governorate of 'Ula ( Arabic: مُحَافَظَة ٱلْعُلَا, romanized: Muḥāfaẓat Al-ʿUlā), one of seven in the Medina Region, covering an area of 29,261 square kilometres (11,298 sq mi).

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