Saudi Arabia: A grandiose journey to the origins of Islam

Stretching along the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf, Saudi Arabia is by far the largest country on the Arabian Peninsula. Its desert stretches as far as the eye can see, covering an area four times the size of France! The vast majority of the Saudi kingdom is occupied by the Rub' al-Khali, literally the Empty Quarter. It is the largest uninterrupted stretch of sand in the world.

Yet this desert territory is home to some majestic sites, some of which have little to envy the site of Petra in Jordan. The ancient Nabataean city of Madahine-Saleh springs to mind, with its magnificently preserved tombs and almost non-existent tourist numbers! It has to be said that, for a long time, this fascinating cultural destination was not really open to tourism... but that's about to change!

In the west of the country, the Asir mountain range, which runs down to the Red Sea, peaks at 3,000 metres at Jebel Sawdah and brings a little diversity to this world of dunes... Here, the wildlife is not limited to herds of camels: gazelles, a few leopards and baboons can also be seen. A large part of this region is classified as a National Park. The town ofAbha is the ideal starting point for an excursion into the Asir National Park.

Just 60km away are the ruins of the village of Habella, perched on a mountainside overlooking terraced fields. Also worth seeing is the fortress of Najran, dating from the pre-Islamic period. To the north, near Jubbah, you can admire cave paintings dating back more than 5,000 years!

Desert, mountains and sea! Saudi Arabia is bordered by the Red Sea to the west and the Arabian Gulf to the east. The Red Sea is a diver's paradise, one of the best diving spots in the world. If you think of Egypt, Israel or Jordan, you forget that Saudi Arabia has the longest coastline on the Red Sea!

There's even a heavenly archipelago bathed in its delightful waters: the Farasan Islands. More than 80 coral islands and islets located forty kilometres off the coast of the Saudi city of Jizan, in the extreme south-west of Arabia. In addition to a rich aquatic fauna, you may be lucky enough to spot a dugong, an amazing marine mammal of the manatee family.

In this endless sandy desert, a few ultra-modern cities are emerging on the edge of green oases. An urban oasis in the middle of the desert, the capital Riyadh attracts businessmen. Mecca and Medina are reserved for Muslims only. Muslims can admire the Ka'ba in the Great Mosque of Mecca, which houses one of the world's tallest towers: the Makkah Clock Royal Tower, 601 metres high!

On the other hand, a journey back in time awaits you in old Jeddah, the most pleasant of the great Saudi cities, a world away from the skyscrapers of modern Riyadh. Bordering the eastern shore of the Red Sea, Old Jeddah, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2014, has preserved some of the old coral-built tower-houses dating from the 18th century. It also boasts some of the country's most interesting souks.