Madain Saleh is one of the archeological site in Saudi Arabia. The place is also called Al-Hijr or Hegara and is situated in the southernmost part of the kingdom.
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 and for conspiring to kill Saleh (an Arab prophet mentioned in the Qu’ran), the non-believers being struck by anearthquake and lightning blasts. 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, for its well-preserved remains from late antiquity, especially the 131 rock-cut monumental tombs, with their elaborately ornamented façades, of the Nabatean kingdom,[8] UNESCO proclaimed Mada’in Saleh as a site of patrimony, becoming Saudi Arabia’s first World Heritage.
This card is shared with me as a thank you card from Ivy Marie, a Filipina postcrosser currently located in Saudi Arabia because of work. I am so excited to read that this is a UNESCRO WH postcard.
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You are one lucky postcard collector to have this card. I haven’t got any from Saudi yet.Hopefully soon.