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The next day, opt for a guided tour through the ancient capital of Dadan. Visiting the extensive, pre-Arabic rock inscriptions at Jabal Ikmah makes for a fascinating contrast to AlUla’ s more modern enticements, like Maraya. As the world’ s largest mirrored building— 108,000 square feet gleaming in the desert— Maraya seems almost to shimmer in the landscape, like a futuristic mirage.
Days 5 – 8:
The Red Sea
The Red Sea might just be the world’ s best-kept beach resort secret. These are world-class private islands and overwater villas, popping up gradually like coral on a shipwreck. There is no wrong way to do a beach trip— you could spend all three days staring out at the Red Sea,
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meditating on its beauty— but you’ d be remiss not to immerse yourself in it. There are countless ways to experience it firsthand: snorkeling, sailing, kayaking … if you’ re certified, you should scuba dive. This is one of the world’ s largest and least-explored coral reefs— an absolute bucket-list experience for those enchanted by underwater realms. Naturally, you’ ll want to recover with a session at your resort’ s luxury spa. |
Days 9 & 10:
Jeddah
Cap off your Saudi trip in Jeddah, a historic port city alive with music, markets and vibrant murals. Get acquainted with the city’ s ancient heritage on a breezy stroll around Tayebat Museum, where Jeddah’ s 2,500-year
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history comes to life through fascinating exhibitions and displays. Then, head over to Old Town; the echoes of yesteryear harmonize with the bustle of the current day at this UNESCO World Heritage site.
For a no-frills lunch, stop at Abu Zaid for a hearty mutabbaq( fried or baked bread stuffed with garlickly mincemeat). Then, explore the Qabil Street Souq, one of the city’ s oldest markets, for the opportunity to stock up on a trove of authentic souvenirs and local delicacies: everything from dates and nuts to jewelry and shoes. In the evening, catch a live performance at the Music Space, have a picnic by the Jeddah Fountain or enjoy a lavish dinner at Mataam Al Sharq or Le Traiteur— all of which make for fitting finales to your trip. •
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Above from top left: Red Sea beach; Hegra; AlUla; shopping on Qabil Street Souq, Jeddah
Left page from top: Exhibit in the National Museum; At-Turaif outside of Jeddah
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