The Edge of the World

Jebel Fihrayn, known in English as the Edge of the World, is a point on the Tuwaiq escarpment, the limestone cliff line that runs for around eight hundred kilometres through central Arabia, where a promontory juts out and the ground falls several hundred metres to a plain that runs flat to the horizon with nothing on it. The rock is marine limestone full of fossils, laid down when this was seabed. Reaching the viewpoint means leaving the highway for tracks across the plateau, then a short walk out onto the promontory, which is unfenced with a sheer drop on three sides. Riyadh residents camp on the escarpment and tour operators run trips.

What you actually see

• The promontory - the cliff point with the drop on three sides.
• The plain below - the flat ground running to the horizon.
• Fossil limestone - the marine fossils in the escarpment rock.
• The Tuwaiq escarpment - the cliff line running north and south.

When to go

November to March; summer here is dangerous with no shade or water. Sunset is when most people go and when the tracks are busiest. Winter nights are cold for camping.

Honest expectations

The tracks in require four-wheel drive and getting lost is common without a guide or GPS. The cliff edge is completely unfenced and people have fallen. There is no water, shade or facility. Litter left by campers is a serious problem.

Nearby

Riyadh lies southeast; the Red Sands are south.