SANDS OF TIME
Condé Nast Traveller India|November 2022 - January 2023
One-time Saudi Arabia resident Tharik Hussain returns to explore formerly off-limits ruins from the ancient world-and finds a land embracing change
Tharik Hussain
SANDS OF TIME

The sun's rays slowly flood the two millennia-old red sandstone steps as they make their way towards the heavens. One by one, each tier of the façade begins to change colour with the rising desert sun and gradually the features of the Tomb of Lihyan Son of Kuza reveal themselves. Three cavetto cornices cascade down the front, meeting the pin-straight pilasters crowned with Nabatean horned capitals-inspiration for countless Corinthian capitals across the Greco-Roman world. Sitting at the apex of its Hellenic pediment above the entrance, wings spread ready to take flight, is the now headless eagle and protective symbol of the Nabatean god Dushara.

"If you look beneath the eagle you will see a rough line where the work stopped," explains my tour guide, Abdur Razzak, almost 30 years old and wearing a white thobe that is so pristine that I can't find a single crease. "We don't know why, but we know Lihyan is mentioned in the Nabatean inscriptions as a general in the army, and maybe in the year 106AD when the Romans invaded, Lihyan participated in the war and was killed. Maybe this is one of the reasons he never finished his own tomb."

The façade becomes visibly rough beneath this, as each feature begins to fade. But this takes nothing away from the formidable majesty of the tomb the locals call Qasr al-Farid, or the Lonely Castle, for the way it stands alone in the barren, harsh desert of Al Ula. I can't quite believe I am finally here, after a wait of almost two decades.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 2022 - January 2023-Ausgabe von Condé Nast Traveller India.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 2022 - January 2023-Ausgabe von Condé Nast Traveller India.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS CONDÉ NAST TRAVELLER INDIAAlle anzeigen
Made In Nagaland
Condé Nast Traveller India

Made In Nagaland

From home textiles to jewellery, clothing, and more, here are the 10 Naga craft brands you need to know. By Sohini Dey

time-read
4 Minuten  |
November - December - January 2024 - 25
TOKYO RIGHT NOW
Condé Nast Traveller India

TOKYO RIGHT NOW

As impossible to pigeonhole as ever, the Japanese capital is buzzing with fresh influences and new ideas

time-read
10+ Minuten  |
November - December - January 2024 - 25
RAISING RAI: WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS
Condé Nast Traveller India

RAISING RAI: WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS

Raghu and Avani Rai on connecting via worlds seen through their lenses.

time-read
4 Minuten  |
November - December - January 2024 - 25
GILDED WATERS
Condé Nast Traveller India

GILDED WATERS

Paula Hardy boards one of the last remaining dahabiyas on the Nile for a different perspective of Egypt's storied river

time-read
3 Minuten  |
November - December - January 2024 - 25
THE GIRL WITH GRAND DESIGNS
Condé Nast Traveller India

THE GIRL WITH GRAND DESIGNS

Gauravi Kumari is part of Jaipur's new creative set that is bringing fresh perspectives to the city's design legacy.

time-read
6 Minuten  |
November - December - January 2024 - 25
A FACE FOR ADVENTURE
Condé Nast Traveller India

A FACE FOR ADVENTURE

Retooling the iconic Rolex GMT-Master II for fresh explorations.

time-read
1 min  |
November - December - January 2024 - 25
THE GRAND seduction
Condé Nast Traveller India

THE GRAND seduction

Palermo's chaos, swagger, and temperamental charm cast a hypnotic spell.

time-read
8 Minuten  |
November - December - January 2024 - 25
Rhythm Divine
Condé Nast Traveller India

Rhythm Divine

Wherever you go in Gwalior, the myth and magic of Tansen are inescapable, as Sam Dalrymple finds out.

time-read
8 Minuten  |
November - December - January 2024 - 25
IDEAL WORLD
Condé Nast Traveller India

IDEAL WORLD

Palestinian chef Fadi Kattan explains why he went ahead with the publication of Bethlehem, his celebratory cookbook.

time-read
6 Minuten  |
November - December - January 2024 - 25
NUJUMA, A RITZ-CARLTON RESERVE SAUDI ARABIA
Condé Nast Traveller India

NUJUMA, A RITZ-CARLTON RESERVE SAUDI ARABIA

On alittle-visited Red Sea archipelago, the Middle East’s first Ritz-Carlton Reserve reflects both untapped nature and hyperreal modernity, finds Noo Saro-Wiwa.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
November - December - January 2024 - 25