Singing Sand Dunes

A group of crescent dunes stands in flat desert southwest of Doha, and when dry sand slides down their steep faces it produces a low hum that carries some distance, a sound made by the grains shearing against each other and heard only where the sand is a particular size and dryness. Sliding down or driving on the face sets it off. The dunes are isolated in otherwise flat gravel plain.

The landscape

• The hum - the low sound made when dry sand slides down the steep face.
• The crescent form - isolated dunes standing in flat gravel plain.
• The steep faces - the slip faces where the effect happens.
• The desert setting - open plain with nothing else in view.

When to go

November to March is when the desert is comfortable. The sand must be completely dry for the sound. After rain the effect stops entirely.

Before you go

The sound only works when the sand is bone dry and disappoints often. Reaching the dunes needs four wheel drive and some navigation. There are no facilities.

Nearby

Doha is northeast, and Sealine is southeast.