I couldn’t end the Mada’in Saleh section of this gallery without a few more pictures of the Qasr al-Farid tomb, it was just that spectacular. The sky was pretty overcast when we were there, and I think this would be a great place to return to at sunset and not on a tour, as helpful and convenient as the tour was. The Qasr al-Farid tomb, or "lonely castle," so named as it is completely isolated from the other tombs, was pretty spectacular. It rises four stories in height and was cut into a sandstone outcrop. This tomb was left unfinished but is the most iconic sight of Mada'in Saleh.

Mada’in Saleh is one of Saudi Arabia’s two UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The city was settled by the Nabataeans, whose capital was Petra in Jordan, in the first century B.C., and most of the 131 rock-cut tombs date to the first century A.D.