Between the golden dunes of Saudi Arabia and the ancient stones of southern Italy, a dialogue has emerged that is not only cooperation, but vision: AlUla and Pompeii are joining forces to redesign the way the world experiences history.
Two UNESCO icons, two seemingly distant worlds, two guardians of time that today choose to open a passage between the past and the future, building new paths for cultural exchange, research, and conscious tourism.
A meeting between civilizations that speaks to the traveler of tomorrow
The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) welcomed a high-level delegation from the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, led by Director Dr. Gabriel Zuchtriegel, to give substance to the Framework of Cultural Cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Italy.
A meeting that is not only institutional, but deeply symbolic: history that recognizes itself in history.
For days, archaeologists, researchers, and specialists walked together through the landscape of AlUla—among sandstone canyons, lush oases, and ancient cities that hold 200,000 years of human life—imagining how to bring these places to life with contemporary eyes.
They studied solutions to preserve, narrate, and transform the visitor’s experience into an emotional and immersive journey.
“Travelers no longer want to look at history: they want to feel it.”
This is according to Phillip Jones, Chief Tourism Officer at RCU.
His vision is clear: archaeology is no longer just about discovery, but experience.
It is not enough to see a Nabataean tomb or a Roman fresco.
You have to enter it.
You have to feel the echo of the hands that created them.
This is the goal of the new alliance: to rethink archaeological sites as living places, capable of speaking to the eyes and hearts of travelers.
Pompeii and AlUla: two souls of the same story
Pompeii is a frozen moment, a city suspended in time.
AlUla, on the other hand, is continuity: a millennial intertwining of cultures, peoples, and landscapes that overlap without ever disappearing.
On the one hand, urban archaeology; on the other, environmental archaeology.
Two opposing methodologies that, together, become an unprecedented wealth.
Dr. Abdulrahman Alsuhaibani sums it up as follows:
“Combining these perspectives means creating new ways of protecting and interpreting history. It is an investment in the future of our heritage.”
A bridge between cultures, beyond science
For the Director of Pompeii, Dr. Gabriel Zuchtriegel, this collaboration “goes beyond archaeology: it is an invitation to build bridges, not only between historical sites, but between people and cultures.”
And the beauty of this project lies precisely here: in the possibility of bringing different worlds together through shared wonder.
What will change for travelers?
A lot.
And for the better.
- New immersive narratives, capable of giving voice to the stories hidden behind stones, dunes, and ancient engravings.
- Advanced technologies to experience sites in a more emotional and interactive way.
- Sustainable tourism, designed to protect the fragility of places without sacrificing discovery.
- Experiences under the stars, among the tombs of Hegra and desert landscapes that seem to have come out of myth.
Those who walk the sun-drenched streets of Pompeii or traverse the silence of AlUla will no longer be mere visitors, but witnesses.
A collaboration with a long-term vision
The partnership between RCU and Italy does not stop at archaeology: it will involve craftsmanship, design, education, and the development of shared projects.
These include the Pompeii G.R.E.E.N. Conference, dedicated to heritage sustainability, and new joint exhibitions between the two countries.
Silvia Barbone, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at RCU, describes this visit as “the first step in a new chapter,” launched in the presence of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
A step that points to a future in which cultural heritage is not just a legacy, but a living energy for communities.
AlUla: where history breathes in the desert
1,100 km from Riyadh, AlUla is much more than a destination: it is a natural archive of human civilization.
From the 140 monumental tombs of Hegra—Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO site—to the ancient city of Dadan, to the “open-air library” of Jabal Ikmah, an extraordinary place recently recognized by the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.
A vast territory covering 22,561 km² where kingdoms, languages, peoples, and landscapes come together to tell the story of 200 millennia of humanity.
For further information, please contact:
Martinengo Communication
Representative Office, Marketing, PR, and Communications for Italy and Italian-speaking Switzerland of the Royal Commission for AlUla
Via Vincenzo Monti, 9 – 20123 Milan
Tel. (+39) 02 4953 6650
Email: martinengo@martinengocommunication.com
Website: www.martinengocommunication.com
