Imagine sweeping through green fields, floating five feet above ground, sun on your face as you slide by on track to your destination.

Not a car in the world, as you simply lean back. And before you know it, you're there.

This is how travel should feel, and on our trains, it does.

Avanti West Coast, feel good travel.

It's the entrance on History Hit. I'm Tristan Hughes, your host.

And in today's episode, what I'm doing this intro very early in the morning.

The sun is only just beginning to rise from northern Saudi Arabia, from Alula.

Alula was this great crossroads of ancient history of trade routes.

For instance, the incense trade route, you have ancient civilizations such as the Dadan culture,

almost 3,000 years old. They have some remarkable figurines surviving and these small rock cut tombs too.

Following them, you have the more well-known Nabateans think Petra, but also think northern Arabia.

And here, the site of Hegrar once again, another of these great Nabatean centers renowned for monuments rock cut tombs in the landscape.

Don't you worry, whilst I'm here, I'm getting photos, we're doing videos.

You can have a look at this archeology first hand through my Reals on Instagram, or you can just look them up online.

The archeology of this area of northern Saudi Arabia of Alula is sometimes overshadowed.

However, it is extraordinary. The landscape is unlike anything I've ever seen.

So don't you worry, we're going to be exploring Arabian archeology and ancient history more in the coming weeks and months on the ancients.

I guarantee you that I've been blown away so far.

Now, in the meantime, this episode today, well, it's something completely different.

We are going to the Indian subcontinent to talk about something equally fascinating.

One of the most extraordinary Bronze Age civilizations in the world, it's called the Harappan civilization.

You and me might know it better as the Indus Valley civilization.

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