Saudi Arabia is Islam’s birthplace and spiritual home, represented by the cities of Mecca and Medina. The country is rich in attractions, from echoes of “Lawrence of Arabia” along the Hejaz Railway to the sculpted red dunes of romantic deserts with the carved temples of Madain Saleh, known as the second Petra, and the sophisticated rock art at Jubbah. The pristine, azure waters of the Red Sea ache to be explored. In the south, the jewel in the Kingdom’s crown, Asir, reveals breathtaking mountain scenery where mysterious and spectacular villages wait to be discovered.
Seeing the loop carved out near Al-Ula, starting and finishing at the bivouac where everyone had gathered less than two weeks ago, it was a given that this special would be a wild ride. The timed sector stretched for 371 kilometers on sandy terrain with a need for speed, either on the...
Again, we returned to lovely Al-Ula, where the bivouac was set up for two nights. This is a high-security camp that is assembled each day ahead of the rally and acts as a home base until the last competitor moves on; then, the whole place is torn down and moved by aircraft and trucks to...
Once we got GPS coordinates for tomorrow’s rally, we left the bivouac in Hail at night to sleep closer to the morning race. Then we got the exact spot points list and chose a few around the sandy trail with a nice contrast between dunes and black stone mountains. Over the majority...
Today, we left Riyadh very early after we got a new LED light for Tomas Ourednicek, a rally driver from Toyota Gazoo Racing Czech. The long 620 kilometers to Dakar bivouac in Hail we made in 8 hours and 45 minutes. Today, the rally set out on the seventh stage from Al Duwadimi. On this...
After our service in Ras Al-Khaimah, we jumped into our truck and drove 19 long hours (1200 km) to catch the world’s toughest rally in the middle of the 46th edition, which started last Friday in Al-Ula. The Dakar Rally is an automobile rally race over a route traditionally run...
We did visit Al-Qarah Mountain because it’s relatively close to Dammam, and it was a nice break to cool down in the caves before the long drive to UAE. Caves near Al Hofuf were formed due to the dissolving process of water-soluble rocks, the collapse of the upper rock layers due to...
We stopped at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, known as “Ithra” (‘enrichment’ in Arabic). It opened in 2017 and immediately became an icon and symbol of changes in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. And not only because of its jaw-dropping design, which...
It is a fascinating place to witness the production of raw salt from a vast area of land bordered to its west by the massive dunes of the Ad Dahna desert. Although it has been famous since ancient times for its high-quality salt, it produces about 200,000 tons of salt annually and is...
The historic courtyards of Shaqra’s heritage village feature beautiful triangular windows, roofs, and ornately carved wooden doors. We strolled around the old market and its traditional shops before our drive to Riyadh.
Parking location – Shaqra: 25.255977N 45.254603E
Situated about 200 kilometers northwest of Riyadh, near the town of Shaqra, Ushaiger Heritage Village is one of the oldest villages in the region. Historically, Bedouins first settled here 1,500 years ago. Ushaiger quickly became a popular stopping point for pilgrims crossing to Makkah...