There is a distinct difference between observing history and being absorbed by it. For decades, the global museum experience has favoured the former: a quiet, almost clinical preservation of the past behind velvet ropes and pristine glass cases. But this month, at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, Saudi Arabia’s living heritage is staging a beautifully disruptive coup.
From June 15 to August 31, 2026, the photo exhibition “I Am a Rawi: Sharing Stories of AlUla” will transport visitors to the sensory, sun-drenched soul of AlUla’s Old Town straight to the heart of the French capital. Presented through the lens of acclaimed photographer Nick Jackson, the exhibition is far more than a visual archive of an ancient crossroads.
This thought-provoking exhibit is a masterclass in emotional resonance, showcasing how AlUla is actively pioneering UNESCO’s innovative 'Live Museum' model to transform heritage from passive observation into a dynamic space of dialogue, memory, and profound human connection.
A collaboration between UNESCO and the RCU, this exhibit sets a sophisticated new benchmark for how cultural destinations preserve their soul while scaling for a global audience. The Live Museum model pioneered in AlUla is designed to be adopted by museums and heritage institutions worldwide, positioning local communities not as bystanders to history, but as its active, non-negotiable caretakers.
Rawis, Guardians of the Oasis
At the absolute centre of this narrative are the Rawis, AlUla’s traditional storytellers and heritage interpreters. To call them tour guides would be a profound disservice; they are the major-domos of the valley's collective memory, a living bridge between the ancient Nabataean civilisations that once traversed the Incense Route and the modern luxury travellers seeking authentic sanctuary today.
The exhibition charts a journey that began in February 2025, when six Rawis arrived at UNESCO Headquarters for an intensive intercultural training residency. There, they co-designed the global prototypes for the Live Museum model, utilising UNESCO’s structured Story Circles methodology.
Today, that vision has fully matured on the ground in AlUla. Through "Swap a Story" — the local iteration of the Live Museum concept — visitors to the Old Town do not merely listen to history; they participate in it. It is an intuitive, deeply respectful exchange where a local resident and an international traveler share perspectives, deepening cross-cultural understanding through direct, people-to-people learning.
The Art of Presence
The true value of AlUla has always been its ability to press pause on the modern hustle. It offers a rare luxury: the space to listen, to understand, and to touch history untouched by mass tourism. True luxury is the absence of intrusion, replaced instead by the presence of genuine connection.
By bringing the Rawis to Paris for the exhibition's opening weeks, UNESCO and the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) are allowing European audiences to experience this intimate style of hospitality firsthand. Visitors will not navigate the space in isolation; they will be guided by the Rawis themselves, experiencing the warmth, patience, and fluid grace of Saudi storytelling in real-time.
Each photograph in the exhibition captures these precise, unscripted moments of exchange, where the striking topography of AlUla’s sandstone canyons and the intricate plasterwork of its heritage sites serve as the backdrop for a deeper, shared human experience.
'I am a Rawi: Sharing Stories of AlUla' Exhibition, from June 15 to August 31, 2026
UNESCO Headquarters Paris, 7 Place de Fontenoy, Paris 75352, France
This showcase is presented by UNESCO and the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU)
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