EDITION VII — SPRING
Mirage & Meridian
TRAVEL DOSSIER // KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA
// DESERT  ·  EN

The Empty Quarter — an ocean of sand where no dune stands twice in the same place.

EN  ·  2026-04-19  ·  EDITION VII — SPRING

DESERT

Rub' al Khali — the Empty Quarter
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CODE / D-01

Rub' al Khali — the Empty Quarter

TYPELargest contiguous sand desert FOUNDED20,000 years LOCATIONSE Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Yemen BEST TIMEDecember – February STATUSOpen
BY THE NUMBERS · 650,000 km² · dunes to 250 m · 56 °C summer

A territory larger than France where no one lives. The first European to cross it was Bertram Thomas in 1931; it was not officially surveyed until 1948. Today the Desert Rose and Al Khamis camps operate in Rub' al Khali: air-conditioned tents, Bedouin dinner, sunrise from a 180-metre dune. Three-day package from 4,200 SAR.

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Tuwaiq Escarpment
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Tuwaiq Escarpment

TYPELimestone escarpment FOUNDEDJurassic period LOCATIONCentral Arabia, 800 km long BEST TIMENov–Feb, with 4WD STATUSOpen
BY THE NUMBERS · 800 × 80 km · 500–600 m drop · 16 official trails

The arc of the plateau runs from the Riyadh outskirts to the Yemen border. Its western rim holds Edge of the World and Rijal Almaa; the eastern side, deep wadis with wild date palms and caves with Neolithic petroglyphs. Tuwaiq Escarpment Park opened in 2023; access is free but registration is required.