HQWS supported renowned ‘Architects of Taste’  Bompas & Parr in the production of an unforgettable dining experience in AlUla, Saudi Arabia – home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hegra.

 

In collaboration with multimedia storytelling company Avocado Toast a cutting-edge 360 immersive digital dining room was brought to life, drawing on the expert knowledge of curators and historical researchers.

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Situated around a vast communal table in a custom-built tent, the dinner recontextualised the ancient gathering places of the Nabataeans at Hegra into a contemporary luxury setting.

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Over six curated courses, stories from the Incense Road were brought to life through immersive audio-visual projection, sharing inspired tales of traders and historical icons, paired with exquisite food, drinks, and an evolving incense scent-scape.

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The multi-sensorial event transported visitors to the time when Hegra was at the height of its power – AlUla’s once bustling city presided over by the Nabataeans, who once controlled the routes of passage that enabled the trade of incense and other luxurious items coveted by the contemporary civilisations of their time, including ancient Greece, the Roman Empire and Egyptian dynasties.

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The flavours, the scents, the tastes, the sounds and the spices of the Incense Road were brought to guests through a modern interpretation of the ingredients that would have been experienced along the Incense Road, from Memphis-style cardamom spiced chicken to traditional pit roasted goat shoulder and cinnamon infused chocolate Trajan coins.