File photo - The old city of Al Ula, an example of traditionnal building of medieval times in Saudi Arabia. The now abandonned old town shows a narrow architecture meant to keep the street in the shadows of the heavy sun and heat. Al Ula, Saudi Arabia. October 2016 Saudi Arabia welcomed 24,000 tourists in the 10 days after it issued tourist visas for the first time, state television reported on Tuesday. Saudi Arabia announced on September 27 it would start offering tourist visas, opening up the kingdom to holidaymakers as part of a push to diversify its economy away from oil. Photo by Daniel Derajinski/ABACAPRESS.COM