This map charts the history of women who have led major expeditions to explore new frontiers. It shows how many times a woman has been involved in exploratory journeys, and it also includes the locations these engagements occurred.
AlUla, Saudi Arabia, has just opened its borders to foreign guests and offers historic history, adventure, arts and culture, as well as luxurious hotels.
Through local tour operator Experience AlUla, travelers can meet the women of AlUla, Saudi Arabia, who share this undiscovered destination.
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The relatively obscure site is an oasis in the immense desert of the Arabian Peninsula’s northwestern desert, only a 90-minute flight from Riyadh, the capital. Visitors to AlUla may discover secrets and unearth facts about ancient communities and cultures by embarking on a new trip across the huge desert and calm oasis.
AlUla is spotlighting its stand-out female professionals who share their expertise in this under-appreciated area during Women’s History Month. These women have raised their voices not just in their fields of expertise, but also as wider Saudi Arabian ambassadors. Tour guides, museum founders, and culinary and archeological specialists are among them.
Mashail Makki is a Russian actor. (picture courtesy of AlUla Experience)
Guided tour Mashail Makki is the first woman to be certified as a tour guide in AlUla, and only the fifth in Saudi Arabia. Makki’s family has a long history in the area, and her uncle was the first guide in AlUla, as well as maintaining a private museum dedicated to the region in his house.
Makki’s travels outside of AlUla inspired her to come home and share her culture with the rest of the world. She now works as a guide and rawi storyteller, sharing her love of AlUla’s history and affection for the location with her visitors.
BASMOCA’s Basma Al Sulaiman (Image courtesy of BASMOCA.)
The Basma Al Sulaiman Museum of Contemporary Art was established by Basma Al Sulaiman. Basma acquired her passion for modern art by collecting art from all around the globe throughout her travels. She continued her education in the realm of art after discovering her love, earning a certification in Modern and Contemporary Art from Christie’s Education in London in 2000.
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In New York, she saw her first piece of modern art, a work by David Hockney. Yue Minjun, Zhang Xiaogang, Zeng Fanzhi, and Zhang Huan are among the Chinese artists in her collection, which also includes works from the West, Europe, and the Middle East.
BASMOCA, which debuted in 2011, is a virtual museum dedicated to Al Sulaiman’s personal collection. Visitors from all over the world can create avatars and interact with one another as they “walk through” the museum using the online platform.
Al Sulaiman is currently regarded as the country’s patron of the arts, and she was the first woman to receive a Saudi government award for her contributions to the country’s art and culture spheres. She is currently working on an art show for the Maraya Concert Hall in AlUla, which is set to open later this year.
Mayada Badr, commonly known as the “Queen of Macarons,” can be found in AlUla. Badr is a bright and dedicated Saudi chef who studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and under the tutelage of a number of well-known international chefs.
She took use of the chance to promote Saudi cuisine and the Kingdom’s culinary prowess.
Badr, Mayada (photo courtesy Experience AlUla)
“It all began with a macaron at LaDurée, Paris’s finest macaron dessert boutique,” Badr said. “I traveled to France to study design management and fine arts, and I fell in love with Parisian cuisine and all of the restaurants there.” Then I returned to Dubai and worked for Starcom Mediavest Publicis as a media buyer and planner, but it was at this point that I realized that, although I was performing well in my profession and being promoted, it wasn’t the place I wanted to be.”
She’d go to her place for lunch and cook.
“I’ve always wanted to start a restaurant, and I’ve decided that if I’m going to do it, I want to know all there is to know about it,” she said.
Pink Camel, a high-end French bakery in AlUla famed for its unusual macaron flavor fusions, was founded by her.
“I like studying, and everyone should find their passion so that they enjoy what they do every day,” she continued.
AlMushawh Munirah (photo courtesy Experience AlUla)
Travelers may also learn about AlUla from archaeological expert Munirah AlMushawh. AlMushawh is a specialist in her area, managing the archaeological survey at the Kingdoms Institute in AlUla and co-directing the Khaybar Longue Durée Archaeological Project in Medina province.
