The Magic of Al-Ula

You can't help but be amazed: A gigantic boulder towers like a mirage in the middle of the desert. Only at a second glance you can see that the sandstone has been worked - the surreal structure has an entrance. It's called Qasr al-Farid (the lonely castle). It was intended to be the final resting place of a wealthy Nabataean - the Bedouin people who also created the famous rock tombs in Jordan. But while crowds of tourists push their way through the sights in Petra, you are largely alone in the excavation site of Hegra, Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. It feels most magical when the sun goes down and the rocks glow fiery red.