Hello and welcome to another day of sun in Riyadh!
Following on with the theme of getting out and about again post the lockdown restrictions, I recently joined some friends to watch the sunset over the desert.
So far, during our time in the Kingdom I hadn’t had the opportunity to visit the desert’s iconic red sand dunes – those mystical, other-worldly landscapes which have inspired many tales of Arabian derring-do and romantic heroes.
Prior to our outing the only desert I had seen was rough and stony, dotted with scraggy bushes and stumpy trees, not the sweeping red mounds of majestic sand Lawrence of Arabia would have travelled over by camel!!
Jackson Bentley: What is it Major Lawrence that attracts you personally to the desert?
T.E. Lawrence: It’s clean.
Lawrence of Arabia
My friends and I set off late afternoon and drove around two hours due east of Riyadh towards the city of Dammam. It’s a very busy road with bumper to bumper trucks traveling both ways transporting goods between Riyadh and the Gulf city port. Two hours is about half way to Dammam and it’s also around here that the red sand dunes begin. The road was built through them and they had to be flatten the dunes on either side to prevent them creeping back and reclaiming the highway. I would imagine after a sandstorm parts of the road would probably still completely disappear under sand.
Anyway, after about two hours of driving we doubled back and pulled in off the highway. Driving over sand dunes is a skill. The car tyres have to be deflated, as reduced pressure provides more traction and disperses the weight of the vehicle preventing sinking.
The golden rules for driving over sand dunes are: drive straight up or down, keep momentum going and don’t stop on an incline.
Thankfully we had an experienced driver and I wasn’t in the hot seat!!
We drove just a couple of kilometres in from the highway and arrived just ahead of the sunset. The golden light illuminated the dunes, making the red sand glow with warmth, while in contrast the side away from the sun cast long dark shadows.
The view was stunning. The sand is powder soft and the dunes are molded by the shifting winds. There is nothing but sand, no other form of life to be seen, serene in their stillness and beauty.
We had a picnic as we enjoyed the view then grabbed some photos and packed up as the last lingering light was fading – we didn’t want to have to make our way back to the highway across the dunes in the dark!
We pulled out of the dunes to the side of the road just as the sun, in a blazing firey ball dipped below the horizon. We increased the tyre pressure and pulled back out into the crazy traffic racing back to Riyadh on Saturday night. First, but hopefully not last, visit to the desert done!
Until next time,
Stay safe,
Anne :0)
the road to Riyadh
OurBigArabianAdventure 
Most have been magical judging from the pictures😍
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The pictures are amazing!
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Lucky Lawrence had seen the desert clean and untouched (I think you had a similar experience) but way too often when we go out to the desert we still find trash and it saddens me greatly. Lovely photos!
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Hi there – thank you for the comment. The trash in the desert is very sad to see – people don’t understand the damage they do. Glad you liked the photos! A
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