After a 9 1/2 hour drive across the Empty Quarter, I arrived at Al-Kharj, ate, and found a hotel.
Day 6
Heet Cave. This is not a tourist site! About 50 km north of Al-Kharj, the last drive is on a rough dirt/rock road ending at the base of a cliff. Park behind the house ruins, walk on the road, and then down a steep rocky path to get a view of the cave – a wide low-ceiling cave full of water. I didn’t look too inviting for a swim and the interior chambers were not accessible.
Here is a post from the Internet. (Dahl Heet, SE of Riyadh). More like a sinkhole, is by Mount Al Jubayl in the small village of Heet. With its underground lake and stunning interior chambers, Heet offers some of the clearest, bluest waters in the Kingdom great for cave diving.
And here is the Wikipedia entry. Ein Heet is a solutional cave famous for its limestone formations, and natural water reservoir. It is located in Al-Jubail Mountain, about 40 kilometres from Riyadh. It is a known tourist site and one of Saudi Arabia’s caves with easy access. Inside the cave is an underground lake in internal circled holes of more than 30 meters deep and 150 meters long. In the past, the water level was high, and the convoys were supplying water from it. However, the water level has declined in recent times.
The cave consists of numerous sinkholes (land subsidence). These sinkholes serve as an entrance to a large groundwater reservoir that is situated under the surface at great depth. It is the site of a star pin[dating back thousands of years. The cave is distinguished by the coldness of the water and atmosphere due to its limestone nature.
Several experienced cave explorers reached the edge of a lake situated 120 meters under the surface. By using scubas, they discovered the waterways of this ravine or cave. According to their point of view, this cave has pure water and it is the purest water in the world.
RIYADH (pop 6.9 million)
The central highlands centred on Riyadh, the home of the Sauds and the most conservative part of the country. Riyadh is the capital and “dead center” of the Kingdom. It is the largest city on the Arabian Peninsula, the third-largest city in the Arab world, and the 39th-largest in Asia. Riyadh is located on the eastern part of the Najd plateau at about 600 metres (2,000 ft) above sea level.
In the early 1950s, Riyadh was a small dusty town surrounded by walls. It has grown a bit!
Riyadh is the political and administrative centre of Saudi Arabia and the headquarters of many banks and major companies. It is also the location of the King Abdullah Financial District, one of the world’s largest financial centres. Riyadh is one of the world’s fastest-growing cities in population, with many immigrants.
Quba Mosque. In an industrial area, from the outside, this yellow, cinder block mosque appeared unused with construction debris, but inside is a lovely large low-ceiling prayer room with 16 columns.
Al Rajhi Mosque. This is the biggest mosque in Riyadh and certainly the one with the most devout congregation. People were sleeping all over the back and many were studying the Koran sitting on the floor or pacing the hall. It has a large plain dome and a simple mihrab. The minbars in SA are often a tiny balcony next to the mihrab, not the elaborate wood minbars with stairs. As I was leaving, a fellow embraced me and handed me a pamphlet and book on Islam. Next door is a morgue.
Riyadh Zoo. Founded in 1957 as a private menagerie for King Saud and the Saudi royal family, the zoo was opened to the public in 1987 and it’s today home to more than 1,500 animals The zoo covers an area of 55 acres, making it the largest and one of the oldest zoos in the Kingdom.
The zoo exhibits around 1,500 exotic wildlife animals of around 196 different species, including endangered ones, from around the world like seals, kangaroos, griffon vultures, tapirs, hyenas, lions, monkeys, rhinoceros, gazelles, leopards, tigers, reptiles, elephants and camels. The zoo also showcases endangered species of Saudi Arabia, like the houbara bustard bird, Arabian desert leopard, Arabian oryx, etc. The zoo is locally popular for the train ride which gives a 20-minute tour of the entire zoo.
On 21 December 2019, a 24-year-old Sudanese national who came to the zoo as a visitor threw himself into the enclosure of royal Bengal tigers and was severely mauled by one of the female tigress. However, the zoo authorities were quick to act and drugged the tigress by firing narcotic shots at her. 50 SR
On a Thursday holiday day, this place was mobbed with women and their children.
Murabba Palace is one of the historic buildings in Riyadh. The palace is the first building that was erected outside the walls of the old city built between 1936-45. With the construction of the palace, three novel technologies were introduced to Saudi society: the use of automobiles as a means of transportation, electricity through generators, and water closets with drainage systems. The king left his former court in Masmak fort when the construction was finished and used the palace as his residence and court from 1938 until he died in 1953.
The building is two stories with 32 rooms. In 1999 it was renovated and converted into a museum on the upper floor with several historic garments and crafts.
National Museum of Saudi Arabia (King Abdul Aziz Historical Centre). This large lovely museum gives a brief look at just about everything Saudi: astronomy, rocks, archaeology, and habitats on the ground floor. The upper floor is all about Islam with a lot about Muhammed (Peace and Blessing Upon Him), the pilgrimage routes, Diryah, arts and crafts, and Medina and Mecca with large miniatures. Free
Masmak Fortress. Built of adobe with corner round towers, this is a museum that chronicles the Saud royal family and palaces around the country. Free
Al Safa Square (Chop Chop Square)
Salam Park. This large urban park has large areas of grass, mature trees, playgrounds, food concessions, and a large lake with fountains. It was extremely busy with families on a holiday Thursday. 5.75 SR
Al Faisaliyah Center is a commercial skyscraper and mixed-use complex located in the business district. The 267-meter-high office tower is notable for having been the first skyscraper built in Saudi Arabia (1997), and for the monumental, 5-story 22,000 sq. ft. stained glass wall of its lobby. Presently the fourth tallest building in Saudi Arabia after the Kingdom Centre, Burj Rafal and Abraj Al Bait, the Center presently ranks as the 325th tallest building in the world 1997.
Shaped like a tall thin pyramid, the complex is made up of the central office tower (30 floors), a five-star hotel, a three-story retail mall, and a banqueting and conference hall. Above the office space at 200 metres above ground level is an observation deck. The restaurant, “The Globe”, is located in the sphere above the observation deck, possessing 360-degree views of the city.
Al Anoud Tower was completed in 2005. It is t 155 m high, it is a major commercial building on King Fahd Road. It contains 20 floors with 3 basement levels. A twin tower was completed alongside it. The tower is owned by the Princess Al-Anoud Foundation and moderated by several Saudi Arabian companies including Alinma Bank Head Office & Novotel Hotels.
Kingdom Center Building is a 99-story, 302.3 m (992 ft) skyscraper completed in 2002 overtaking the 267-meter (876 ft) Faisaliyah Tower as the tallest tower in Saudi Arabia. It has since been surpassed and, as of 2021, is the fifth-tallest. It is the world’s third-tallest building with a hole after the Shanghai World Financial Center and the 85 Sky Tower in Taiwan.
It houses the 57,000-square-meter Al-Mamlaka shopping mall, offices, the Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh, and luxury apartments. The upper third of the tower features an inverted parabolic arch topped by a public sky bridge. The sky bridge is a 65 m, 300-ton steel structure, taking the form of an enclosed corridor with windows on both sides. After paying the admission fees, visitors take two elevators to reach that level.
Kingdom Center Mall. Located in the tower is this luxury 3-story mall.
Princess Latifa Bint Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Grand Mosque. With 2 minarets the large prayer hall has a small dome with a massive brass chandelier.
King Khaled Mosque. The large prayer hall has a large dome with stained glass windows the highlight.
Tuwaiq Palace. This is a fancy wedding/banquet facility with a large glass tent.
I found a cheap hotel some distance away.
Day 7
The traffic on Thursday was horrendous but on Friday morning, the city appeared empty.
At-Turaif District in ad-Dir’iyah. World Heritage Sites 2010. Al-Turaif is a historic district located in Al-Dir’iyah northwest of Riyadh. It was the first historical center with a unifying power in the Arabian Peninsula, the capital of the Saudi dynasty, the original home of the Saudi royal family and the independent country’s first capital, from 1744 to 1818.
Al-Turaif District was founded in the 15th century bearing an architectural and decorative style of the Najdi in an oasis: Salwa Palace, Saad bin Saud Palace, The Guest House and At-Turaif Bath House, Imam Mohammad bin Saud Mosque.
It is now a huge construction project, the Diriyah Gate complex, dubbed the Jewel of the Kingdom. It appears they are integrating the WHS into a tourist site. I drove all over and had several views into the WHS part.
Burj Rafal. A Marriot hotel in the far west of Riyadh, it is oval with an entire glass facade.
Fahad al Owaidah Grand Mosque. Closed. Has nice green mosaics covering the facade and columns, nice stained glass windows, and a large dome in the prayer room.
Royal Saudi Air Force Museum. Outside are small private jets, 2 large airliners, jet engines, and some helicopters. Inside are several fighter jets and a large tribute to the first Saudi Arabian in space. Free
I had wanted to go to the Edge of the World. However, it was a 2 1/2 hour drive (58 km). There was a report that someone had driven over the cliff and it was closed, and I couldn’t ascertain if that was true. I also only had my little Kia with restricted clearance. I doubted the reports that a 4WD was required (this place gets huge traffic and that seemed unlikely) but eventually decided to not go,
The Edge of the World (Jebel Fihrayn) dramatic escarpment 1.5-2 hours NW of Riyadh with an uninterrupted view of the horizon. It drops down 1,000 feet into an ancient ocean bed with dried rivers weaving across the land, and camels moving far below on a well-trodden ancient caravan route. There are several hiking trails on and around the cliffs. If you pass through a spot dubbed “the window,” you can even get down to the lower plateau.
You will need an SUV with high clearance to get here on a heavily potholed dirt road. A guide/tour is not needed. Two different approaches: the most popular one is via the Acacia Valley, but it is only open on Fridays and Saturdays. The other approach via the Sadus Dam is open at all times. Be sure to stock up on food and water before attempting either road.
Al Waba Crater*. Start at 4 o´clock as temperatures can exceed 50°C. In a flat, barren desert is volcanic, a result of a massive underground steam explosion caused when a magma flow ran into a subterranean source of water. The resulting eruption launched a colossal amount of earth into the air, leaving behind the crater that exists today. At 1.2 miles across and over 800 feet deep, it is an impressive pockmark on the planet.
A dazzling white phosphate salt flat in its depths forms a pattern of beige psychedelia. Green vegetation grows on and around its rim, with the desert all around arid and barren, the crater is home to palm trees and shrubs.
A paved road makes a 4×4 unnecessary. Take a rough trail with steps hewn into the rock 45 minutes down to access the crater. Do it early or late in the day as temperatures can go to. Hike the circumference of the crater’s rim in 3 hours or see the nearby lava fields, a 10-minute drive away. With no designated campsite, overnight camping is possible.
I then started my 400 km drive to the Eastern Province.
