Mada'in Saleh : a pre-Islamic civilization in Saudi Arabia

Madain Saleh or so-called the old city of stone,Al-Hijr, el Hijr, and Hegra. An archaeological site and pre-Islamic civilization in Saudi Arabia 

Mada'in Saleh is one of the most important archaeological sites in the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East ,located in the province of Ela belonging to the Medina and was the capital of the Kingdom of the southren Nabataeans in the north of the Arabian Peninsula. Al-Hijr is the name of Diar Thamood Valley villages between the city Medina and Tabuk, a place existed before the era of Islam in the region of Ela , within the area of Medina in Saudi Arabia.

Remnants has been found told us about the Nabataean and Roman occupation while mentioned in the Quran that there is a settlement in ancient times which is the folk of Thamood in the third millennium BC.

According to the Islamic text, the Thamudis, who would carve out homes in the mountains, were punished by Allah for their persistent practice of idol worship, the non-believers being struck by a sound wave.Thus, the site has earned a reputation down to contemporary times as a cursed place— an image which the national government is attempting to overcome as it seeks to develop Mada'in Saleh, officially protected as an archaeological site since 1972, for its tourism potential.

In 2008 UNESCO proclaimed Mada'in Saleh as a site of patrimony, becoming Saudi Arabia's first World Heritage Site. It was chosen for its well-preserved remains from late antiquity, especially the 131 rock-cut monumental tombs, with their elaborately ornamented façades, of the Nabatean kingdom.