A documentary depiction of the history of Saudi Arabia's ancient city, Al-Ula, is all set to be telecasted this month.
The one-off documentary titled 'The Architects of Ancient Arabia' is an eye-opener upon the history through the camera reels, following teams of international and Saudi archaeologists and a local historian. Discovering a 3,000-year-old civilization, the film will portray the tale of the stone city's antiquity with the narration of the Academy Award-winning actor Jeremy Irons.
The Discovery Channel (OSN-Channel 500) will broadcast the documented film on March 31 at 10 PM. The production was under the banner of 'Powderhouse Productions' in collaboration with The Royal Commission for Al-Ula (RCU).
"The weeks we spent in Al Ula filming alongside the archaeological team were a life-altering experience for me and the rest of the crew," said executive producer and editor of the documentary, Robert Kirwan. "The startlingly spectacular landscape is like nothing I've ever seen."
The director of Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Research at the RCU Rebecca Foote stated that though major sites like Hegra (Mada'in Salih) are well-known, the documentary is expected to pave way for all to gain more prehistoric knowledge when societal lives were more complex. Mada'in Salih is the first UNESCO World Heritage Site to be ranked first from the Kingdom in 2008 List.
Spread over a radius of 13.5 kilometres, Al-Ula was once an important part of the Incense Route, that enabled the merchandising of spices, silk and various other items through Arabia, Egypt and India.
"Archaeologists are just beginning to reveal the secrets and stories held within the desert of this stunning landscape, there is much more to discover and we're excited to be able to share our work and this place with the world through this documentary," Foote said.
With the release of 'The Architects of Ancient Arabia', the country awaits an increased influx of tourists from all parts of the world into the region.