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The information below is provided by The Expatriates Saudi readers and is not verified by the webmaster. For the official lowdown, contact your nearest embassy.
Saudi
Arabia
This windswept plain in the far north-west of the country is one of the most compelling places in Saudi Arabia, and the spectacular rock tombs here are the kingdom's most famous archeological site. Most of them were carved between 100 BC and 100 AD, when Madain Salah was the second most important Nabatean kingdom after Petra (now in Jordan). The tombs were 'discovered' in the 1880s by Charles Doughty - you can read all about it in his Travels in Arabia Deserta.
Although Madain Salah's tombs are less spectacular than those at Petra, they're much better preserved - the rock here is harder and less prone to water damage. Be sure to see Qasr Farid, the largest tomb at Madain Salah. It is carved from a single large outcrop of rock standing alone in the desert. The Diwan, or meeting room, is carved into a hillside and would probably have been used as a cult site. Qasr al-Bint, the Girl's Palace (yes, that's where the word comes from), is a whole group of tombs carved into an outcrop of rock.
You really need a vehicle to get around Madain Salah, as the distances are large and the heat extreme. You might want to take an organised tour, as it's pretty difficult to get to the site - these go from both Medina and Riyadh. If you want to get there off your own bat, it's about 330km (205mi) north of Medina - many of the roads aren't signposted.