The Best of Jordan and Saudi Arabia

Shimmering in the desert heat, the Saudi capital might be mistaken for a mirage: a towering show of glassy modern architecture, opulent hotels and fine-dining restaurants, erupting from an arid central plateau. But beyond the moneyed gleam of modern Arabia, hints of the Kingdom’s past can be uncovered: museums delving into the national history, hulking clay fortresses that stand like regal sandcastles and vibrant souks, sparkling with gold and heady with spice. 

Hidden deep within the desert, AlUla is an ancient oasis, an ochre canvas on which countless Arabian tales are written. Thousands of years ago, long before the flourish of Islam, ancient peoples traded incense and myrrh here, and now their artefacts, monuments and grand tombs are the crowning jewels of the Saudi sands, an ancient backdrop to desert adventures and the flickering lamps of luxurious camps. 

The road can lead you anywhere from Tabuk, a town built on the ancient route from Damascus to Madinah: head through the walls of the 16th-century castle and discover the region’s history; to the shores of the Red Sea, revered the world over for its sparkling reefs and world-class diving; or deeper into the desert, through the endless dunes and across the border to Jordan.

Mysterious petroglyphs, fire-red desert sands and vast rocky canyons: Wadi Rum is the poster child of desert escapes, in no small part to its role as the backdrop to 1962’s Lawrence of Arabia. Explore the dramatic, almost-Martian landscape by day, and brave the chill of dusk to see it transformed by night, when Bedouin campfires crackle in the dunes and stars become ancient tools of navigation.

Though its name evokes one single, iconic sight, Petra is more than just Al-Khazneh (the Treasury): it is an entire city of 800 monuments, temples and tombs carved into coral-pink sandstone canyons in the third century BC. The ancient capital of the Nabateans was unknown to the West until 1812, but even after all this time, nothing prepares visitors for the sight of the Treasury emerging at the end of a narrow gorge like a glorious, golden, ornately chiseled dream. 

All desert roads lead to elegant, youthful Amman, gleaming like an opal in the sand. World-class museums showcase treasures from this corner of the Middle East, while the Citadel is the capital’s crowning glory, holding seventh-century Umayyad ruins high above the city’s minarets and markets. To the north, ancient Jerash beckons, triumphant pillars and arches hinting at the city’s celebrated Roman heyday.