The Royal Commission for Al-'Ula (RCU) is a Saudi commission was established in July 2017 to preserve and develop the 2,000-year-old archaeological and historical site of

Al-'Ula Al-'Ula ( ar, ٱلْعُلَا '), is a city of the Medina Region in north-western Saudi Arabia. Historically located on the incense route, the city lies within the Governorate of 'Ula ( ar, مُحَافَظَة ٱلْعُلَا, Muḥāfathat A ...

north-western

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

Importance of Al-'Ula

Al-'Ula is the home of The

Archaeological Site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology an ...

of Al-Hijr ( Madâin Sâlih), the largest conserved site of the civilization of the

Nabataeans The Nabataeans or Nabateans (; Nabataean Aramaic: , , vocalized as ; Arabic language, Arabic: , , singular , ; compare grc, Ναβαταῖος, translit=Nabataîos; la, Nabataeus) were an ancient Arab people who inhabited northern Arabian Pe ...

which is the first

UNESCO World Heritage A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

property to be inscribed in Saudi Arabia.

Development

On April 10, 2018, an agreement of cooperation was signed between Saudi Arabia and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

to develop the site and transform it to a cultural site with the purpose to open the site to the regional and international visitors. the major components of the agreement were associated with the cultural, heritage, natural, tourism, human and economic development of Al-'Ula and including preservation and planning of the archaeological and architectural heritage.

Scholarship Program

The RCU organizes a scholarship program where many Saudi students are sent to different universities in

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, UK, France and Australia. Under this scholarship, students study subjects related to the areas of hospitality, tourism, agriculture, archaeology and heritage. In 2019, 156 students, preparing for bachelor, master or PhD, are enrolled in the program that aims at enabling Saudi youth in general and residents of Ula in particular to work in the flourishing area. The Royal Commission for Al-'Ula has concluded a partnership agreement with Ferrandi-Paris School to provide cooking training courses to chefs of ALUla. The trained chefs will then work during Tantourah Winter Festival to serve guests.

References

__FORCETOC__ {{authority control Government agencies of Saudi Arabia 2017 establishments in Saudi Arabia