Jeddah, the tourist and commercial port; King Abdullah Economic City, the city of the future; Medina, the city of the Prophet; Yambu, the city of two souls; Hegra and Aqaba, the gates of ancient civilizations on the Saudi and Jordanian sands. These are the stages of Bellissima MSC, the ship that took me to the deserts. The main destination of the cruise is Saudi Arabia, the new frontier of international tourism, as part of the Vision 2030 project which envisages a territorial, technological and social revolution throughout the country.
Photo by Irene Cabiati
A whole other world
A community of travelers has materialized on the floating city (3200 of which 1300 are children) who speak Italian, English and Arabic. And the crew (1250) comes mainly from the East, Egypt and Europe.
On the ship, women mainly wear the traditional dress (mandatory for foreigners in Medina) while others have no problem dressing in Western style, mixing with couples in love, retirees, bloggers looking for likes and a very famous swimming champion. Every evening families who speak different languages crowd the Bellissima theater: they are carefree hours while elsewhere, (even a few kilometers from us) is undermined by the fear of war and the virus.
Here it is a whole other world and, against fear, the shop windows shine in the 96-meter-long gallery; you eat well in the restaurant; children splash around in the pool; the staff smiles even if, due to Covid, none of them have been able to go ashore for months.
It seems unreal, but it is only one of the many proofs that humanity needs peace to live well. Here on the sea, we suspend the anguish to delude ourselves that we are taking back our life even if we know that the next will never be the same.
Wadi Rum, the desert welcomes crowds of tourists – Photography by Irene Cabiati
Caravans
The ship proceeds lavishly on the route in the Red Sea. Sometimes the water draws foam embroideries on the waves that pass along the sides and it is not difficult to cross container carriers, heading for the Suez Canal or towards the Indian Ocean.
Along the coast and beyond, a few centuries ago, traffic was just as intense. Caravans of incense and spices passed. Later, the pilgrims headed to Mecca. Commercial traffic was wisely “governed” by the Nabataeans. It is the most interesting civilization of which we will go to visit the archaeological remains (I century BC – II century AD), parading under the blind gaze of the elegant tombs of AlUla – Hegra, in the north-western Arabian desert and, in Jordan, in Petra and in Wadi Rum, imagining the ferment in their settlements, the wealth derived from intercontinental trade and duties, the cunning in taming the flow of water to irrigate the fields, water the animals and ensure well-being.
Sandro Caranzano’s guide «Jordan, a magical land crossed by history», which will be updated in the autumn by the Polaris publisher, is a useful tool for in-depth information, maps and travel ideas in this country full of suggestions.
The books of Caranzano and TE Lawrence. The latter writes of Wadi Rum: «the rocky walls and vaults dripped with humidity. Ferns and dense grasses of an intense green color made it a paradise “
The legend of Lawrence
It evokes the water of Wadi Rum, TE Lawrence, or Lawrence of Arabia, when, in the book, “The seven pillars of wisdom” (Bompiani), he tells of the desert, its people and its delights that contrast with the cruel descriptions of battles and betrayals. Archaeologist and then second lieutenant in the British army, he dreamed of giving the Arabs “a home, metaphorically resting on the pillars of the seven most important cities of the Middle East”. It wasn’t like that. His ghost also lurks elsewhere on the cruise itinerary and it’s hard to escape the fascination of his legendary and ambiguous life.
Jim Denevan’s work at the Desert X AUla Biennial
AlUla, culture and tourism
The AlUla region is becoming the most dynamic and interesting Arab tourist destination not only for the historical and architectural evidence of ancient civilizations. A vast info project is being developed in the desert who departed from Mada’in Salih (Hegra), the first Unesco heritage of Saudi Arabia whose “authenticity and integrity has been guaranteed over the centuries by favorable climatic conditions”.
Today the town, framed by the foliage of date palms, welcomes tourists in cafes and shops full of aromas and colors. Cultural initiatives are in full swing all around, such as the photographic exhibition dedicated to the passage of time (Cortonaonthemove-AlUla) and the Biennale Desert X AUla with land art installations as part of a project that includes the creation of an exhibition complex also outdoors. And again, the concerts of the Winter At Tantora festival (including Andrea Bocelli and Omar Khairat); the Dolce & Gabbana fashion show in the Jabal Ikmah area, the events at the Maraya multipurpose center, Guinness award as the largest mirror building in the world.
Not to mention the range of tourist offers: hospitality (from campsites to luxury resorts), wellness, guided tours, trekking, climbing, ballooning.
Illustration by Ignasi Monreal in the volume “AlUla” by the publisher Assouline
A precious art book “AlUla” by the publisher Assouline has also been published (the price is 15 thousand euros) who wanted by the Royal Commission of AlUla. Handcrafted and intended for collectors and amateurs, with photographs by Robert Polidori and illustrations by Ignasi Monreal, it covers the human and naturalistic evolution of 200,000 years of history: from the Paleolithic to contemporary communities, from the architecture of the funerary monuments excavated in the Hegra rocks to natural sculptures such as Jabal AlFil, (Elephant Rock). And then the petroglyphs and inscriptions in Aramaic, Dadanitic, Thamudic, Minaic and Nabataean: they have survived for thousands of years to tell of passages, directions, personal stories. Other trips.
In the presence of the stone elephant