“Traversing the world is a method for uncovering simple truths inside one’s self. For example, all I need for a good day is a large rock formation to scramble around.” – Old Sean
Half-Lounge
Now firmly back to life in Riyadh, I’ve found myself moderately bored. Saudi Arabia, from a local standpoint, only has a few viable activities for entertainment. There are cafés that might be sampled, restaurants that might be visited and friends that might enjoy an idle conversation.
To a far, far lesser extent, there are movie theaters, a few museums and occasional forays in the desert. However, these are rare, for the average Saudi person isn’t inclined towards these types of activities, especially when outdoors. And when considering the enormous heat of the nation for nine months out of a year, who can blame them?
But due to this, I can’t indulge in my favorite pastimes. There are no rock climbing venues, no frequent, affordable concerts, no botanical gardens, no lounging districts, few odd historical attractions, no open-entrance art galleries, no long riverside walking trails and no beach visits. What’s more frustrating is the high cost of operation. There isn’t a developed public transportation system yet and Riyadh is quite spread out, making ride-sharing costly as a daily expense.
While all of these activities and transportation features are starting to appear with sporadic frequency throughout the country, there’s still a ways to go.
So I’ve found myself mildly bored, though I enjoy grabbing a meal with coworkers and locals once in a while.
To forestall a bout of boredom, I decided to hitch a ride going east towards Al Hofuf.
Clatter Tracks
Last weekend, I rose early to groggily stagger around my apartment, tossing my daily hiking necessities in my backpack. Tupperware filled with non-perishable snacks, bottles of water, a broad hat, sun-blocking buff, sunscreen, spare chargers, a surplus batter and umbrella were all bundled inside a waterproof bag and slung over a shoulder.
I took my reserved Uber to the Riyadh Train Station, one of the cheapest (though not cheap) methods for exploring the nearby countryside.
The station itself is surprisingly nice. Riyadh has recently improved development of the area, resulting in a rather pretty, if functional, interior. In an attempt to cement national legacy, the station is filled with photos depicting historical events. My favorite showed the Saudi king in a black-and-white photos holding up a golden railroad spike, marking the beginning of a national railway.
Upon loading myself onto the train, I was reminded noisily of certain cultural components of Saudi Arabia. Their children are endlessly loud and never soothed or restrained.
This is a mystery to me. Everywhere I go, be it nice restaurants, airports, public transit or a cafe, it’s common for Saudi people to bring their children, which is perfectly acceptable. But when kids start crying, running up and down hallways, singing, shrieking in joy, calling across the room or dancing in their seats, nobody attempts to calm them.
When I asked a friend about this, he stated that Saudi Arabians are expected to be very formal and professional socially when they get a little older. So early youth is a chance to enjoy a little excess by dressing in bright colors, playing freely and generally being kids. Truthfully, I don’t know if that’s accurate or not, but it’s as good an explanation as any.
With that being said, I don’t especially enjoy it. I’ve started traveling with a heavy duty musician’s ear plug that knocks down everything by 25 or 75 decibels. I usually use it when I go to places like firing ranges, airport tarmacs and heavy rock concerts. But I’ve started making my ear plug a regular part of my Middle Eastern travels.
I miss Japan and her wonderful zen-trains of high speeds and thoughtfully silent passengers.
Madlands of Deserts
Following my personally muted train ride, I arrived in Al Hofuf, a major urban center, ancient oasis settlement and one of the largest date producers in the world. Historically, the area has operated as an important trading outpost and created famous traditionally-styled coffee pots of brass and silver. The city is also the folklore burial site of Layla and Majnun, star-crossed lovers in popular Arabian-origin storytelling.
According to paraphrased snippets I’ve read of the original narrative poem, a man named Qays fell in love with a young woman named Layla. In his obsessive, poetic efforts to woo her, his love grained him the nickname “Majnun.”
His very passions prevented Majnun from marrying his beloved. Layla’s father refused the marriage, considering Majnun unbalanced and therefore beneath his family’s dignity. Layla was married to a merchant named Ward (Arabic for Rose) of Ta’if.
Rendered insane by the loss of his true love, Majnun leaves his tribe and seeks painful isolation in the deep deserts of the Arabian Peninsula. There, he began composing endless poems by writing in the sand until his mind truly flees him. During this time, many minor events are stories are attributed to Majnun as he wanders the desert looking for Layla. He continues his journey with such fervor, his divine love separates him from the physical realm and sustains him despite the extreme elements of the desert.
Meanwhile, Layla, desperately ill with heartbreak, dies. She is brought into the desert to be buried. But fully mad, spiritually charged and connected to the spiritual grandness of Divine Love, Majnun wanders through the desert towards Layla’s gravesite. His body is found dead in the wilderness around 688 CE near Layla’s final resting place. Before succumbing to the elements, he carved three verses of poetry upon a nearby rock.
I pass by this town, the town of Layla
And I kiss this wall and that wall
It’s not Love of the town that has enraptured my heart
But of the One who dwells within this town
Al-Qara Sandstone Mountain
Upon exiting my train, I opted to visit Al-Qara Mountain, located on the east side of Al Hofuf. This turned out to be a wild miscalculation on my part for a variety of reasons. First, my Uber driver wasn’t the razor-intellect I’d hoped for. Instead of dropping me off near the cavern system on the east side of the mountain, he dropped me off on the west.
I wandered for about twenty minutes through the landscape before realizing that I was far from any actual tourist infrastructure.
Despite that, Al-Qara makes a strong first impression. Pale desert sandstone is bleached light pink and white by endless rays of a powerful sun. The rock formations change between sandy bowls, gravity-defying pillars, desert shrubs, daunting ravines, weathered caves and sheer rock faces. There are caves which are half-collapsed, supporting unsteady boulders and concrete struts for support.
Though Al-Qara is labeled as a hill on Google Maps, it’s technically a single, enormous mountain, weathered low from unstable rocks. It’s not a single peak, but an elevated geological feature spanning about 14 kilometers.
Placed on the wrong side of the mountain means walking, by and large, around the whole thing. There are no safe trails through. No hiking routes have ever been determined and the unstable nature of the mountain means that ravines, gullies, caves, slippery sandstone and deceptive sand pits are a constant risk. I was able to clamber lightly through some shortcuts, but the center of the mountain remains a mystery to me.
The entire mountain is bone-dry. Surrounded on all sides by either urban development or ancient palm groves, water naturally flows away from this high-point, making it uncommonly deadly to get stuck.
He’ll Be Slogging ‘Round
The hike around Al-Qara was visually impressive, but drastically challenging. First, the weather proved to be tough with strong winds blowing grits of sand directly into my face. A pair of sunglasses and a fabric mask solved this nicely. However, the overhead sun hammered down painfully, so long sleeves and a sunbrella were a necessary addition. If I’d been wise to strong winds, I would’ve brought a cowboy hat instead of constantly wrestling with a backswept umbrella.
Live and learn.
While walking around Al-Qara, I spent some time ducking into stable caves and standing atop the edges of rocks to keep my bearings. There are plenty of caves clearly used by locals which are filled with litter and fire marks, where nighttime fire pits are dug. These outer edges also have small foot trails and patches of nonsense graffiti. These patter away quickly when delving towards the center of the mountain. Caves in this area are a godsend, since they’re naturally cool, a welcome respite from the heat.
There are a couple of noted heritage sites nearby, including a traditional pottery studio. While not overtly impressive, I enjoyed learning about some of the techniques used in the region, though Google Translate did a lot of heavy lifting without any English speakers around. Online, this site is labeled as “Pottery Shop – مصنع الفخار ( دوغة الغراش )“ on the west side of the mountain.
I continued making my way through and around the mountain. Every time I attempted to brave the edges of the sandstone structures, unstable footing would force me back towards the road. This is a bit disappointing, since the southern area around the mountain is basically a cinder block slum. The east and western surrounding portions are filled with rows of palms and nicer buildings. These sections around the mountain are far more pleasant.
During my time on the western part of the mountain, I got to see Mount Mashkar (جبل المشقر), which is a fairly cool rock formation towering over low, nearby buildings. So that was a plus.
Finally, I reached the direct opposite side of the mountain. Though online the site was closed the Al Qara Mountain entrance was fully accessible. I simply walked inside, determined to enjoy myself.
Tourist Time
While all of Al-Qara is considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the eastern entrance is where the tourist infrastructure is. There’s a parking lot, numerous restaurants, walking paths, lights and information leading into the caves.
I walked inside to browse some of the rock artwork along the walls. These aren’t ancient but recent tourist additions designed to look ancient. They, along with the pillars of mirrors in the entry plaza, were interesting enough.
I was surprised to see a small crowd of tourists milling about, namely a group of Chinese tourists and young Saudi Arabians exploring the area. While there weren’t many, Al Qara is a notoriously “narrow” attraction, so just a couple hundred people can cause minor traffic buildups in the caverns.
I eventually went into the caverns themselves, which are lovely and impressive. The roof is often cracked, spilling in sunlight, making the entire setup haunting and magical to walk through. The cool caverns are paved and lit in some areas, but entirely dark in the offshoot portions. There are plenty of nooks which other tourists don’t explore. The cavern system works like a river with tributaries, meaning that visitors must walk to the end before leaving the same way they came. Pigeons often flutter through loudly, a sudden flapping noise that resounds with potency.
Volunteered Hospitality
After enjoying my solitude in the caverns, I wandered back towards the main building, knowing that there was a museum within. Some young men trying their darnest to become Social Media Famous tried ambushing me with a camera to say hi and shout out to their followers for one reason or another. But I felt too old for that sort of thing by my twenty-second birthday, so I briskly waved them away while they started illegally climbing on ancient, protected rock formations for highly-sought “likes”.
I wandered into the museum portion of Al-Qara and I was pleasantly surprised. From an anthropological point of view, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia doesn’t have a strong number of pre-Islamic artifacts. The Qaran, along with various theocratic laws and subsequent prophets, forbids the worship of false idols, or any idols really. This resulted in a centuries-long, concentrated campaign to removed artifacts which showed Islamic imagery (which is extremely taboo) or evidence of pre-Islamic belief systems.
This museum doesn’t have many artifacts, but they’ve done a good job outlining ancient Arabian Peninsula history in Arabic and English. This allows for a unique, comprehensive glance at the various pseudo-historical aspects in this part of the world, even touching upon ancient Mesopotamian influences like the Epic of Gilgamesh, desert architecture and trade routes. The artifacts in here aren’t real, but they’re compelling little recreations and models.
I turned into a particular room dedicated to the education of modern Saudi Arabia as a nation. Filled with pictures, this section is crammed with information that Saudi Arabia uses to define itself as a distinct, ancient and growing national identity.
Fun Kingdom Facts
In the volunteer room, information was abundant.
There are discussions on the weather patterns of the region and articles about the archeological heritage of Diriyah, AlUla, Madain Saleh, Duma and the pilgrimage road to Makkah.
A brief overview shows the green-and-white Saudi flag which states “There is no god but God: Muhammad is the Messenger of God” in Arabic, followed by images of the Saudi Arabian date palm which represents vitality and growth alongside the dual crossed swords, which symbolize justice and strength of faith.
There are also photos of female traditional garb, including the modern abaya (outer clothing garment) and shayla (headscarf which still shows the eyes). Veils, which provided protection against the sun, were traditionally worn by women over the eyes.
Another plaque discusses the Islamic Empire, which once occupied territory from Spain to the edges of India and China. Other articles discuss the Muslim Kingdoms of the 17th century and influences of the Ottoman Empire in the region.
That was all I had time to read as volunteers came up to me to give a tour around the room. I was seated in a small lounge area and given free snacks and traditional coffee. The patterns of red were especially nice, with “Sadu Designs” on every surface.
I was informed (politely but pointedly) that people weren’t really allowed to walk around Al-Qara unattended, as the ground was considered highly treacherous. Allegedly, several months ago, someone had fallen into a ravine and was unable to escape, succumbing to death three days later.
After hiking the fringes of the mountain, I wasn’t especially surprised by this. Al Qara is a dastardly difficult bit of land to traverse. There were plenty of times during my walk I decided not to risk certain pathways, instead preferring to exit back towards the road.
Regardless, I enjoyed my talk with the volunteers, who were polite, curious and well-spoken. They gave me a tote bag with gifts, including a Saudi coffee mix, an English version of the Qaran, several vouchers for shops around Al Hofuf, some guide books and a small pamphlet.
There’s always a cynic in me that wonders about gifts, questioning if I’m being urged to accept ideas or concepts that are against my preconceived beliefs or well-founded thoughts. It’s locally considered common knowledge that Saudi Arabia is making a strong effort to make itself more internationally appealing for political and economic reasons.
But there are other moments where thoughts like this can be thrown to the wind. Saudi Arabians are a hospitable bunch and they take enormous pride in that trait. It’s easy enough to accept a gift and remember them fondly for it.
A final note about Al-Qara: According to Christian-centric folklore, the cave system was where Judas hid following his betrayal of Jesus Christ. Naturally, Al-Qara’s local plaques and texts doesn’t promote this unconfirmed narrative, but I’ve heard it a few times now. For actual historical facts, Al-Qara was used as a school and meeting site for various tribes thanks to its cool caverns.
Downtown Drought
I departed from Al-Qara by summoning an Uber to take me back towards Al Hofuf’s city center. There, I tried a recommended Indian restaurant called the Regency Family Restaurant, which was even better than advertised. I next went seeking a coffee shop to hang out while waiting for the sun’s intensity to diminish.
Sadly, this proved tricky. Traveling Saudi Arabia on Fridays (which is the first day of their weekend) is a dicey proposition. It’s rare to find things available or open. Instead of finding a shop, I ended up wandering on foot until, heat-battered, I stopped by a fancy restaurant called Dar-Basma near a tiny, green park.
Refortified with sparkling water and cold coffee, I decided to wander the downtown area until my train’s departure time. I found a narrow hallway behind some torn down buildings which showed some traditional Al Hofuf street art. This artwork uses dried plant fibers woven into large, slightly curved plates with checkered patterns.
Elsewhere in the city, I passed the famed Ibrahim Palace, a historic 1556 Ottoman fortress and barracks, eventually converted into a royal palace heritage site. Just down the street from the fortress is the House of Allegiance, a humble, well-decorated abode where the people of Al Ahsa (the large, eastern province of the KSA) accepted annexation and accession to the Saudi state in 1913. The house was used by King Abdulaziz during the 1913 battle of Al Ahsa.
Later during my walk, I sought out Qaisariya Al-Ahsa Souq, the large traditional market of Al Hofuf. While this is an extremely nice area, I’ve gotten to see a lot of souqs and markets around the Middle East by now. All are vibrant and bustling, but the market in Kuwait is the only one which stands out to me. On a similar note, I also passed the Suwaiq Market, the Bengali Market and the historic site where “Attia Was Appointed” which has a small stone monument. The souqs and markets were crazy, with enormous crowds of non-Sadui people thronging the streets.
The monument known as “Where Attia Was Appointed” is especially interesting. Once, it was a hole that was known to swallow everything endlessly, so people often directed floodwaters towards it. Due to its uncommon talent as a cosmic drain, a lot of folklore developed around the hole, which eventually had a stone wall built around it for the safety of locals.
Supposedly, indigenous people have a common curse when they get angry at their children, which roughly translates to “May Ain Attia Swallow You” apparently inspired by this site.
Finally, it was time to turn back towards the train station.
Twilight Walk
With the sun finally low, I had the chance to walk without my sun-blocking umbrella. I always feel a bit silly about carrying the umbrella around in sunlight, but my skin burns so easily here, it’s a necessity.
Regardless, I decided to walk to the train station rather than catch a car. This was partially due to being a bit early, but also because my route took me through some of the ancient palm groves Al Hofuf is known for. The city built its legend and trade on dates and candied dates are a vital part of the region’s culinary culture.
While many of the palm trees still produce dates, the actual groves are underwhelming. Saudi Arabia has a litter problem. Virtually every non-urban site I visit, be it desert streams, ancient structures, heritage sites, sandstone mountains or palm groves, has a layer of plastic litter on the ground.
I think Saudi Arabia has the potential for massive, immersive, rugged beauty. But not with garbage swirling around my feet and desert cats picking through the plastic.
I left the groves to return towards the highway, making a point of looping far away from a small pack of desert dogs. I returned to the train station with time to organize photos and message some friends.
Near Night Train
Finally, I hopped on the train returning to Riydah. I was quickly disappointed to hear the endless wailing, laughing, shouting, half-chattering of numerous children. My entire trip was spent with an ear plug as I was entirely unwilling to listen to that cacophony.
But finally, I returned to Riyadh, went home and collapsed into bed.
There are very few places near Riyadh that merit day trips and a second one has just been crossed off my list. I hope to try a few more in the coming month.
So until then,
Best regards and excellent trails,
Old Sean
Read more about visiting Al Hofuf and seeing the world by visiting Leftfade Trails Destination Info.
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Ten years ago, I abandoned my military surplus store backpack for a Farpoint 40 Osprey Travel Pack. I’ve never replaced my bag since. Two years ago, I bought two more Osprey Backpacks for my younger siblings on their first tour outside the country. I have nothing but praise for Osprey Products.
