The Chedi Hegra is coming to AlUla and it is expected to open later this year, although an exact date has not been revealed.
The Royal Commission for AlUla has announced it has partnered with hotel operator GHM to bring the luxury hotel brand to the ancient Nabataean site in north-west Saudi Arabia. There will be 35 guest rooms, each with its own distinct connection to the Hegra landscape. There will also be three fine-dining restaurants, a cafe, spa and pool.
The hotel will be built directly into several existing structures, such as an old railway station and surrounding buildings, Hegra Fort and more. Structural and exterior walls — some still with historical mud-brick construction — are being preserved and integrated with modern architecture. However, the vast majority of the Unesco World Heritage Site will remain untouched by construction and be carefully preserved.
“Sitting at the nexus of AlUla’s living museum, The Chedi Hegra embodies the fulfilment of our Journey Through Time masterplan with its deep respect for heritage, sustainable design features, and an authentic luxury experience that celebrates what makes AlUla a special destination for travellers seeking both comfort and adventure,” said John Northen, the commission's vice president of hotels and resorts.
New Seven Wonders of the World
In January, Conde Nast Traveller named AlUla one of the must-visit places in the world. Author Aaron Millar, a celebrated travel writer and presenter, helps elect seven new wonders each year for the publication. He described AlUla as "the Acropolis of our day, the Stonehenge of now".
"They can be seen firsthand," he wrote. "And so they should. Because the real magic of wonder is not in the thing itself, but in the fact that the more you look for wonder in the world, the more the wonder of the world becomes a part of you."
Millar added: "AlUla is a place of extraordinary history and cultural heritage. But until recently, almost no one had heard of it, let alone visited. That’s changing. At the end of 2022, the site officially opened its doors to visitors and, in doing so, unveiled a more than 200,000-year-old piece of Arabian history."
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE results
Lost to Oman by eight runs
Beat Namibia by three wickets
Lost to Oman by 12 runs
Beat Namibia by 43 runs
UAE fixtures
Free admission. All fixtures broadcast live on icc.tv
Tuesday March 15, v PNG at Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Friday March 18, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
Saturday March 19, v PNG at Dubai International Stadium
Monday March 21, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
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RACE CARD
6.30pm Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,200
7.05pm Handicap Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
7.40pm Maiden Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm Handicap Dh190,000 (D) 1,600m
8.50pm Handicap Dh175,000 (D) 1,400m
9.25pm Handicap Dh175,000 (D) 2,000m
The National selections:
6.30pm Underwriter
7.05pm Rayig
7.40pm Torno Subito
8.15pm Talento Puma
8.50pm Etisalat
9.25pm Gundogdu
