The Nabataeans Are Coming

The Fall of Civilizations Podcast has an excellent episode on the Nabataeans. I absolutely recommend the show for anyone who loves history. It’s very deeply researched.

https://fallofcivilizationspodcast.com/2022/06/15/

There's more to the Saudi state tourism effort than al-Ula (I refuse to use the dorky official "AlUla" spelling). Check out how they're gaming the UNESCO World Heritage list:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_Heritage_Sites_i...

Zero in 2007, now they have 19 sites either already approved or being processed, of varying levels of actual historical value, but all applications doubtless backed by oodles of oil money.

My personal favorite, if that's the right word, is Diriyah, where you can now eat Parisian pastries and shop at Dolce & Gabbana while you await the completion of the 400-shop Diriyah Square shopping mall, excuse me, "world-class lifestyle destination".

https://www.diriyah.sa/en

https://www.diriyah.sa/en/dine

https://www.diriyah.sa/en/shopping

https://www.diriyahcompany.sa/en/retail/diriyah-square

One of the more interesting things that I've learned, is that the older version of Zoroastrianism, was what most folks would think of as "very nice and peaceful."

I have heard that it became a bit more hardline, as time wore on, but was never really the devil-worship that Christianity painted it as. I believe that it is still practiced in Iraq and Syria, making it the oldest continuous religion on Earth.

What's that saying? "One religion's gods, are another religion's devils?"

Interesting how this was published right after a popular youtuber goes to that location (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9y6lscJeK4).