ALULA: In the past, pilgrimage routes were neither paved nor clearly marked and travelers relied on the skies as their guide, reaching their destinations by observing the movement and positions of the stars.
Throughout history, stars have served as a primary navigational tool, helping humankind determine direction and location on land and at sea by observing their positions alongside the sun and moon.
This enabled travelers to organize journeys and plan routes with greater precision in the absence of modern navigational aids, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
They were also used to determine planting and harvesting times, understand seasonal changes, and identify periods of cold and heat through their rising and setting times throughout the year.
AlUla governorate is a historical stop along the routes of pilgrim caravans, where its open landscape and clear skies provided an ideal setting for navigation by the stars.
This distinctive feature remains evident today, reinforcing its status as a prominent destination for stargazing and astronomical tourism, and reflecting the enduring relationship between humans and the sky across time.
