La Petite Petra
Madain'Saleh
The Little Petra
Madain'Saleh, also known as Al-Hijr in Arabic, and Hegra in the antiquity, is one of the best known archaeological sites in Saudi Arabia. But that is very recent. A team of French archaeologists have been authorized on the site in 2002 only. And it has just been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on July 6th, 2008. We have been there twice. In 1999 and in 2001. No need to say that at the time we were all alone on the spot. The pictures that you're going to see here have mostly been taken in 1999. In 2001 we took much less pictures because we were shooting a video, that you can see at the bottom of the page.
Agrandir le plan
Madain'Saleh is located in the northwest part of Saudi Arabia
Nous sommes bien équipés pour le camping dans le désert.
We are well equipped to camp in the desert.
En passant à Buraydah, l'une des villes les plus
fondamentalistes d'Arabie, Lise s'est revêtue du voile.
When passing through Buraydah, one of the most
fundamentalist towns of Saudi Arabia, Lise put on her veil.
The region is dotted with those enormous sandstone rocks.
We found a sheltered campsite.
Certaines sont des plus modestes alors que d'autres sont très sophistiquées.
We have listed 116 tombs carved into the sandstone rock.
Some of them are very simple whereas others are quite sophisticated.
Elle fut habitée par les Nabatéens il y a de cela 2000 ans. Cette même civilisation qui a bâti la fabuleuse Petra, en Jordanie.
Mais alors que des millions de touristes visitent Petra chaque année, Madain'Saleh demeure déserte,
car l'Arabie Saoudite ne délivre pas de visas de touristes.
Nous sommes donc privilégiés d'avoir pu visiter ce site extraordinaire de 13 km carrés.
Madain Saleh is situated in the northwest part of Saudi Arabia, near the town of Al Ula, about 400 km north of Medina.
The city was once inhabited by the Nabataeans some 2000 years ago,
Petra (located in Jordan) being the capital of the Nabataean kingdom.
As millions of tourists visit Petra each year, Madain'Saleh remains deserted, for Saudi Arabia does not deliver tourist visas.
We consider ourselves very privileged to have been able to see this extraordinary site of 13 square km.
Ils se trouvaient directement sur la route des caravanes et prélevaient des taxes sur les marchandises qui passaient sur leur territoire.
The Nabataeans are of Arab origin who became rich by their monopoly on the trade of incense and spices.
Their kingdom was on the caravans route and they deducted taxes from all the goods passing on their territory.
Il y a de longues cavités pour les corps d'adultes, et de plus petites pour les corps d'enfants.
Here we can see the inside of the tombs. When looking closer we can see each and every chisel mark in the sandstone.
There are bigger cavities for adult corpses, and smaller ones for children's.
Le creusage des tombes se fait par morceaux.
Celle-ci n'est visiblement pas terminée.
The digging of the tombs is made piece by piece.
This one is obviously not finished.
Détail du
relief sculpté juste au-dessus de l'entrée de la tombe. Au centre, on
distingue un masque encadré de deux serpents, le symbole de protection
chez les Nabatéens.
Detail of the
sculpted relief over the entrance of the tomb.
In the middle we can see a mask flanked by two snakes,
symbol of protection for the Nabaeteans.
One says that a picture worths a thousand words.... so here are some pics.
The first european to have seen Madain'Saleh with his own eyes was the British traveller Charles Doughty in 1876.
On peut voir ici cette immense tombe inachevée,
le travail s'est arrêté
au niveau des deux escaliers se faisant face.
Cette tombe aurait été la plus grosse de toutes.
They always started the work from the top of the hill.
Here we can see this unfinished huge tomb.
The work has stopped at the level of the stairs.
This tomb would have been the biggest one.
La plupart ont été vandalisées, car les coutumes musulmanes veulent que la représentation d'un être soit interdite.
The statues which still have their heads are scarce on the site.
Most of them have been vandalised,
for the islamic custom says that
it's forbidden to sculpt or draw the face of a being.
Qasr
Al Farid. Même
journée de 1999, en fin d'après-midi
Qasr Al Farid. Same day in 1999, in late afternoon
Qasr Al Farid. Same day in 1999, in late afternoon
Qasr Al Farid. Picture taken in 1999, early in the moring
et la seule qui soit construite isolée des autres, dans un rocher à part, avec sa façade qui n'est pas tout à fait achevée.
C'est aussi le "symbole" de Madain'Saleh, car c'est la plus photographiée des tombes du site.
Qasr Al Farid is a unique tomb for being solitarily located and carved on a single isolated rock block,
and has a distinguished incomplete facade.
It's also Madain'Saleh's symbol, for it's the most photographed tomb of the whole site.
Qasr Al Farid. Photo prise en 1999, fin d'après-midi
Qasr Al Farid. Picture taken in 1999, in late afternoon
Qasr Al Farid. Picture taken in 2001, we have a better idea of the size
Antonin Jaussen et Raphaël Savignac, dominicains de l'École biblique et archéologique française de Jérusalem, avaient, entre 1907 et 1910, deviné que cette énorme caverne creusée dans le roc et remplie de sable à leur époque,
était un triclinium (grande salle avec un banc sur trois côtés) semblable à celui de Petra. Ce qui fut confirmé en 1980.
Antonin Jaussen and Raphaël Savignac, dominicans from the French biblical and arechaeological School of Jerusalem, had guessed, between 1907 and 1910, that this huge cave digged into the rock and full of sand at that time,
was a "triclinium" (large hall with a bench on three sides) similar to the one in Petra.This has been confirmed in 1980.
le Jebel Ithlib.
Just besides the triclinium, we enter this 40 m long narrow passage which is quite impressive.
We are at the highest level of the site, on Jebel Ithlib.
The heights of Jebel Ithlib
An enchanting landscape that whips up imagination.
ainsi qu'avec Marthe, la maman de Lise, qui a fêté son 78e anniversaire de naissance sur le site !
On our second trip there in September 2001, we were with our good friends Nicole and Michael Baxter,
and also with Lise's mother, Marthe, who celebrated her 78th birthday on the site.
We will always remember Madain'Saleh.
et en avons rapporté ce vidéo
and came back with this video
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