

The desert of AlUla is famous for its several geological rock formations, formed over millions of years by the hands of the best sculptors, the wind and the water, to form natural shapes untouched by human hands, and to become exceptional natural shapes that are unseen except in this vast natural desert. The soft and porous rock, perfect for carving, also acts as an aquifer that can store the vital fresh water resources required to sustain life in an arid environment.įollowing that was the black basalt layer formed by volcanic eruptions creates the dramatic plateaus called the Harrat. Trilobite trace fossils discovered in AlUla’s sandstone date to at least 252 million years ago and provide evidence of some of the earliest life in the area. These geological features enable the area to act as a water catchment basin with an area of nearly 700 square kilometres, allowing the valley to flow southwards towards AlUla’s settlements. Second, the area’s underlying sandstone was created during the Cambrian period over 485 million years ago, and tectonic activity has helped further shape its dramatic geology, creating volcanic landscapes, basalt plateaus and sandstone massifs. Laid down over millions of years, these rock layers contain a permanent record of the Earth’s past, including the fossilised remains of plants and animals buried when the sediments were formed. The earliest of the geologic ages which formed the rocks of AlUla was during the Precambrian Arabian shield rocks, which are marked by different layers of sedimentary rock.

Centered around its famed oasis and framed by sandstone mountains, AlUla’s geography, environment and climate have enabled human communities to flourish here.ĪlUla is a unique and extraordinary landscape because of the three distinct geological eras packed together in one region. THE MOST INCREDIBLE NATURAL ROCK AND GEOGRAPHICAL FORMATIONS IN ALULAįrom Elephant to Fish, Face Rock, Volcanoes and Lava Flows, the deserts of AlUla keep astonishing visitors with several eye catching rock and geographical formations.ĪlUla, the city that lies in the northwest of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is a place of exceptional natural beauty and deep history, a home to a wide range of flora, fauna and human communities for thousands of years. Al ula rock formation, From Elephant to Fish, Face Rock, Volcanoes and Lava Flows, the deserts of AlUla keep astonishing visitors with several eye catching rock and geographical formations.
