Amongst the most significant discoveries in all of Al-Ula is the city of Dadan, the capital of the Dadan and Lihyan kingdoms. The town built meticulously from stone and astride the valley’s oasis, dates back between the late 9th and early 8th century BC (Kingdom of Dadan) and 5th–2nd century BC (Kingdom of Lihyan). The ticket costs 60 SAR, and the tour runs at 08:45 and 16:45 from Winter Park (duration 2,5 hours, including Jabal Ikmah).
Dadan is mentioned in the Old Testament, and the Lihyan kingdom was one of the largest of its time, stretching from Medina in the south to Aqaba in the north in modern-day Jordan.
More than 2.000 years ago, Dadan was one of the major trade stations on the ancient incense route that linked South Arabia with the Mediterranean and Egypt. It was a hub of people and talent in its time; it was what we would call a smart city – how the ancient Dadanies used nature, mountains, or the oasis to build an extremely functional city.
Parking location – Winter Park: 26.665229N 37.904628E