Luxury publisher Assouline has released a new travel book on Saudi Arabia’s ancient oasis city.
AlUla Ever, available across the GCC as of Thursday, is the latest addition to Assouline’s Travel Series.
Written by French journalist Jerome Garcin, the book is designed to give readers a front-row seat to AlUla’s palm-lined oases, Unesco-listed treasures and desert-surrounded abodes. A vast collection of original photographs in the book showcase the destination’s rock-strewn landscapes and dune-filled vistas.
There’s also a focus on AlUla’s vibrant arts and culture scene, including dazzling images of Maraya Concert Hall, the world’s largest mirrored building.
A fusion of old and new, AlUla is a luxury destination where culture and history combine with modernity and innovation. Having only recently opened to international visitors, the ancient region spans some 200,000 years of human history. This new book gives travellers the chance to see what’s in store in the district that is part of north-western Saudi Arabia’s Madinah province.
Tracing the sands of time over each civilisation that has touched this place, the book highlights several of AlUla’s well-preserved monuments that will appeal to history-seeking travellers.
It highlights Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first Unesco World Heritage Site, and Jabal Ikmah, the world’s largest open-air library that’s filled with hundreds of centuries-old inscriptions, carved on to golden stone. The site was recently inscribed on Unesco's Memory of the World list.
AlUla Old Town also stars in the book. Consisting of a labyrinth of narrow streets lined with mud-brick buildings that were inhabited from around the 12th century until the 1980s, the town has been carefully preserved, restored and renovated, and now welcomes travellers to visit.
The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
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Kathryn Hawkes of House of Hawkes on being a good guest (because we’ve all had bad ones)
- Arrive with a thank you gift, or make sure you have one for your host by the time you leave.
- Offer to buy groceries, cook them a meal or take your hosts out for dinner.
- Help out around the house.
- Entertain yourself so that your hosts don’t feel that they constantly need to.
- Leave no trace of your stay – if you’ve borrowed a book, return it to where you found it.
- Offer to strip the bed before you go.
