{"id":78619,"date":"2024-12-01T02:49:29","date_gmt":"2024-11-30T15:49:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?p=78619"},"modified":"2024-12-04T03:08:58","modified_gmt":"2024-12-03T16:08:58","slug":"hegra-saudi-arabia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/hegra-saudi-arabia\/","title":{"rendered":"Surprised by Saudi: How this Middle Eastern kingdom defied my expectations\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>No matter how well you think you know a place, there\u2019s always more to learn <\/strong>\u2013<strong>&nbsp;as Alice Morrison discovers on a trip to Saudi Arabia.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stepping off the plane, I was greeted by the sound of Chopin. A Saudi man dressed in an immaculate thawb (white robe) and red-chequered keffiyeh (head covering) was masterfully playing a public piano in the arrivals lounge. As we exchanged smiles, I wondered what other unexpected moments might await me in <a href=\"\/saudi-arabia\">Saudi Arabia<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I had wanted to visit for years. But, despite knowing the <a href=\"\/middle-east\">Middle East<\/a> pretty well \u2013 I speak Arabic and have travelled extensively in the region \u2013 I worried about travelling to Saudi Arabia as a solo woman. I had visions of a severe, closed society and an unending, featureless desert. However, when the opportunity to go presented itself, I jumped at the chance. And now a classical music lover was challenging my preconceptions before I\u2019d even left the airport.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Hegra: an underrated archaeological wonder<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I was here to explore AlUla, a giant oasis set in the desert in the north of the country, surrounded by otherworldly red sandstone rocks and mountainous outcrops. It is the home of Hegra, the Nabateans\u2019 second great city after Petra, in Jordan.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like Petra, Hegra is an archaeological site scattered with immense rock-hewn tombs \u2013 albeit on a smaller scale, with around 100 tombs versus Petra\u2019s 600 or so. The key difference is that while Petra receives almost a million visitors a year, Hegra only opened to tourism in 2020 and is pretty much unknown to most travellers \u2013 including, until recently, me. However, with Intrepid\u2019s recently launched <a href=\"\/saudi-arabia\/saudi-arabia-womens-expedition-154003\">Saudi Arabia Women\u2019s Expedition<\/a>, that&#8217;s set to change, as visiting Hegra with a local female rawee (storyteller) is a highlight of the 12-day trip.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery alignwide has-nested-images columns-2 is-cropped is-style-rectangular wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"1920\" data-id=\"78627\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Widad-2-3-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-78627\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Widad-2-3-scaled.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Widad-2-3-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Widad-2-3-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Widad-2-3-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Widad-2-3-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Widad-2-3-1920x2560.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Widad-2-3-1170x1560.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Widad-2-3-585x780.jpg 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"1920\" data-id=\"78628\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Hegra-Nabatean-sites-2-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-78628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Hegra-Nabatean-sites-2-scaled.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Hegra-Nabatean-sites-2-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Hegra-Nabatean-sites-2-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Hegra-Nabatean-sites-2-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Hegra-Nabatean-sites-2-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Hegra-Nabatean-sites-2-1920x2560.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Hegra-Nabatean-sites-2-1170x1560.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Hegra-Nabatean-sites-2-585x780.jpg 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>My guide around the site was Wedad, a petite Saudi woman in her twenties. She was dressed in ranger clothes with a Saudi twist: a long khaki coat with a matching headscarf and a giant safari hat. While women make up around 30 per cent of the workforce in the Kingdom, in travel and tourism it\u2019s reported to reach up to 45 per cent \u2013 and approximately 30 per cent of guides are women.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;\u2018I love my job,\u2019 Wedad told me. \u2018We are ambassadors for our ancestors here and are honoured to share their untold stories.\u2019 &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We spent several joyous hours clambering over rocks, unleashing our inner adventurers, examining the glorious carvings on the outside of the tombs and the sombre graves inside.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Nabateans might just be the greatest civilisation you have never heard of. They existed at the same time as the Romans and the pharaohs, and they were fabulously wealthy because they controlled the incense trade routes across the Arabian Peninsula. Wedad taught me lots of fascinating facts. Here are my top three:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Unlike Roman emperors and Egyptian pharaohs, the Nabateans didn\u2019t use slaves, even the king served his guests himself.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"2\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>You were only allowed to drink 11 cups of wine at a royal party \u2013 still pretty generous.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"3\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Nabateans were fond of cushions stuffed and decorated with ostrich feathers \u2013 well who isn\u2019t?&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Come face to face with the Nabateans<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Even more interesting was the role women played in society. They appear to have shared the highest positions as traders, priestesses and even queens. A queen could pass the throne to her daughter and many of the tombs at Hegra were built for women.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Archaeologists have reconstructed the face of a Nabatean woman: Hinat. On display in a small exhibition at Hegra Visitor Centre, she is strangely haunting, seeming to look out at you from 2000 years ago. Scientists have uncovered little personal details about her; she had an abscess in her tooth and suffered from a bit of arthritis. I find these insights poignant and relatable, and I feel a real connection to this woman even though we\u2019re divided by many centuries.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/image-2.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-78622\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/image-2.jpeg 1600w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/image-2-425x239.jpeg 425w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/image-2-768x432.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/image-2-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/image-2-1170x658.jpeg 1170w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/image-2-585x329.jpeg 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The region\u2019s precious water and date palms are what have sustained human life here for millennia (you only need seven dates a day to survive \u2013 perfect for desert life). The Nabateans could only exist because of the oasis and it is a fascinating place to explore.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The desert defines the essence of Saudi Arabia, and I love being in those wide, open spaces. I sit in the shade of the palms, drinking fresh pomegranate juice and watching the peacocks strut \u2013 and start to see how ancient civilisations could thrive here, even in the soaring heat.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Exploring AlUla\u2019s Old Town<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The wide-open spaces of Hegra and the cool palms of the oasis contrast sharply with AlUla\u2019s lively Old Town. Because of the high temperatures during the day, Saudis tend to come out en masse in the evening, when it is cooler. Groups of women promenade up and down, dressed mainly in black abayas (robes) decorated with eye-catching embroidery and head scarves \u2013 although women are now free to walk unveiled. This is a family-friendly culture, and kids rush up and down begging for ice creams or to be held on their dads\u2019 shoulders to watch the bands playing along the central walkway.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/image-3.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-78623\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/image-3.jpeg 1200w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/image-3-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/image-3-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/image-3-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/image-3-1170x1560.jpeg 1170w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/image-3-585x780.jpeg 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>There is a wide range of dining options. I went for both ends of the spectrum, from a coffee in US export, Dunkin&#8217; (honestly, that is cooler than it sounds as it&#8217;s in a traditional mud building), to a rooftop feast at a fancy hotel. Then, I popped into one of the galleries to see a weaving and sculpture exhibition. So far, so cosmopolitan. \u2018This is the new Saudi,\u2019 one of the women working there told me as she showed me around.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From Hinat and the queens of Hegra to the modern-day women I met along the way, what surprised me most about Saudi Arabia was women\u2019s place in society. The stereotype portrayed in the Western media is very different from the educated, engaged women I met, who were passionate about their work. That, and the openness and friendliness of the people.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My initial concerns about travelling here have long gone. And I can\u2019t wait till my next visit. In January 2025, I plan to walk from the north to the south of the country in an expedition that will take five months and \u2013 I hope \u2013 throw up even more exciting discoveries.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>See Hegra for yourself on our new <\/strong><a href=\"\/saudi-arabia\/saudi-arabia-womens-expedition-154003\"><strong>Saudi Arabia: Women\u2019s Expedition<\/strong><\/a><strong>.<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>Find out what else is new for 2025 with <a href=\"\/adventures\/the-goods\/\">The Goods<\/a>.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On a trip to Saudi Arabia, adventurer Alice Morrison discovers that no matter how well you know a region, there&#8217;s always more to explore.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16364,"featured_media":78632,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3153],"tags":[56,3184,3156,2380],"class_list":["post-78619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-goods","tag-middle-east","tag-saudi-arabia","tag-the-goods","tag-womens-expeditions","ipf_theme-womens-expedition","ipf_region-saudi-arabia"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.3.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Saudi Arabia defied my expectations | The Good Times by Intrepid<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Whatever you think you know about Saudi Arabia, forget it. As Alice Morrison learns, beyond the stereotypes, there is much to discover.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/hegra-saudi-arabia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Surprised by Saudi: How this Middle Eastern kingdom defied my expectations\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"No matter how well you think you know a place, there\u2019s always more to learn \u2013\u00a0as Alice Morrison discovers on a trip to Saudi Arabia.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/hegra-saudi-arabia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Good Times by Intrepid\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/intrepidtravel\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-11-30T15:49:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-12-03T16:08:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Alice-and-Widad.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Alice Morrison\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Surprised by Saudi: How this Middle Eastern kingdom defied my expectations\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"No matter how well you think you know a place, there\u2019s always more to learn \u2013\u00a0as Alice Morrison discovers on a trip to Saudi Arabia.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Alice-and-Widad.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Intrepid_Travel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Intrepid_Travel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Alice Morrison\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/hegra-saudi-arabia\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/hegra-saudi-arabia\/\",\"name\":\"Saudi Arabia defied my expectations | The Good Times by Intrepid\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/hegra-saudi-arabia\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/hegra-saudi-arabia\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Alice-and-Widad.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-11-30T15:49:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-12-03T16:08:58+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/8869f968ae520ebe1190d3f388662ad9\"},\"description\":\"Whatever you think you know about Saudi Arabia, forget it. As Alice Morrison learns, beyond the stereotypes, there is much to discover.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/hegra-saudi-arabia\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/hegra-saudi-arabia\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/hegra-saudi-arabia\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Alice-and-Widad.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Alice-and-Widad.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1080},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/hegra-saudi-arabia\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Surprised by Saudi: How this Middle Eastern kingdom defied my expectations\u00a0\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/\",\"name\":\"The Good Times by Intrepid\",\"description\":\"adventure news\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/8869f968ae520ebe1190d3f388662ad9\",\"name\":\"Alice Morrison\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/01d2bd2dc056858b997cd5334d141797bad58bd7a55cd1dd197ed67f6b76155e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/01d2bd2dc056858b997cd5334d141797bad58bd7a55cd1dd197ed67f6b76155e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Alice Morrison\"},\"description\":\"Alice Morrison is an adventurer, author and TV presenter. Her BBC series Arabian Adventures: Secrets of the Nabateans is on iPlayer now.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.alicemorrison.co.uk\",\"aliceoutthere1\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/author\/alice-morrison\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Saudi Arabia defied my expectations | The Good Times by Intrepid","description":"Whatever you think you know about Saudi Arabia, forget it. As Alice Morrison learns, beyond the stereotypes, there is much to discover.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/hegra-saudi-arabia\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Surprised by Saudi: How this Middle Eastern kingdom defied my expectations\u00a0","og_description":"No matter how well you think you know a place, there\u2019s always more to learn \u2013\u00a0as Alice Morrison discovers on a trip to Saudi Arabia.\u00a0","og_url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/hegra-saudi-arabia\/","og_site_name":"The Good Times by Intrepid","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/intrepidtravel\/","article_published_time":"2024-11-30T15:49:29+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-12-03T16:08:58+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Alice-and-Widad.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Alice Morrison","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Surprised by Saudi: How this Middle Eastern kingdom defied my expectations\u00a0","twitter_description":"No matter how well you think you know a place, there\u2019s always more to learn \u2013\u00a0as Alice Morrison discovers on a trip to Saudi Arabia.\u00a0","twitter_image":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Alice-and-Widad.jpg","twitter_creator":"@Intrepid_Travel","twitter_site":"@Intrepid_Travel","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Alice Morrison","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/hegra-saudi-arabia\/","url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/hegra-saudi-arabia\/","name":"Saudi Arabia defied my expectations | The Good Times by Intrepid","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/hegra-saudi-arabia\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/hegra-saudi-arabia\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Alice-and-Widad.jpg","datePublished":"2024-11-30T15:49:29+00:00","dateModified":"2024-12-03T16:08:58+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/8869f968ae520ebe1190d3f388662ad9"},"description":"Whatever you think you know about Saudi Arabia, forget it. As Alice Morrison learns, beyond the stereotypes, there is much to discover.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/hegra-saudi-arabia\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/hegra-saudi-arabia\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/hegra-saudi-arabia\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Alice-and-Widad.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Alice-and-Widad.jpg","width":1920,"height":1080},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/hegra-saudi-arabia\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Surprised by Saudi: How this Middle Eastern kingdom defied my expectations\u00a0"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/","name":"The Good Times by Intrepid","description":"adventure news","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/8869f968ae520ebe1190d3f388662ad9","name":"Alice Morrison","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/01d2bd2dc056858b997cd5334d141797bad58bd7a55cd1dd197ed67f6b76155e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/01d2bd2dc056858b997cd5334d141797bad58bd7a55cd1dd197ed67f6b76155e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Alice Morrison"},"description":"Alice Morrison is an adventurer, author and TV presenter. Her BBC series Arabian Adventures: Secrets of the Nabateans is on iPlayer now.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.alicemorrison.co.uk","aliceoutthere1"],"url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/author\/alice-morrison\/"}]}},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Alice-and-Widad.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4OQMK-ks3","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78619","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16364"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78619"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78619\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79783,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78619\/revisions\/79783"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/78632"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}