Rub al Khali

The Rub al Khali covers around 650,000 square kilometres across Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UAE and Yemen, the largest continuous body of sand in the world, of which the great majority lies in Saudi territory. The dunes run in long parallel ridges and in star forms, reaching well over 250 metres in places, separated by gravel and salt flat corridors. Sabkha, salt pans left by dried lakes, occur across it and are treacherous to drive on. Temperatures exceed fifty degrees in summer and drop below freezing on winter nights. There is no infrastructure: entry means an organised convoy with satellite communication, recovery equipment and a guide, and in some areas permits.

History

Frankincense caravans crossed the desert until about 300 AD, before desertification closed the routes. Bertram Thomas and St John Philby made the first documented journeys across it by outsiders in the early 1930s, Wilfred Thesiger crossed it several times between 1946 and 1950, and in March 2012 Hajar Ali made the first known crossing by a woman (Wikipedia, Rub' al Khali).

What's there

• The dune ridges - long parallel and star dunes over 250 metres.
• Sabkha flats - the salt pans between the sand bodies.
• The night sky - stars with no light source in any direction.
• The scale - unbroken sand to the horizon in every direction.

When to go

November to February; any other season is dangerous. Nights in winter drop below freezing. Expeditions must be organised in advance with an operator, and permits are required for some areas of the sand sea.

Before you go

Entering without a convoy, guide, satellite communication and recovery gear is life-threatening. Sabkha traps vehicles that break through the crust. There is no fuel, water, shade or signal. Costs for guided expeditions are high.

Nearby

Uruq Bani Ma'arid lies on the western edge; Najran is southwest.

Key facts