Overseeing the development of the region is the Royal Commission for AlUla, which was created in 2017 to help improve infrastructure and safeguard historical sites. “AlUla is a destination of global significance with 200,000 years of human history and culture,” Amr AlMadani, the commission’s CEO, told T+L by email. “Elaborately carved tombs, petroglyphs, and inscriptions in the rocks tell the secrets of human ingenuity and ancient civilizations. ‘Transformative’ is a word I’ve often heard used by visitors describing their experience at the heritage sites,” AlMadani added.