A tower with a needle-eye opening through its upper third — a silhouette recognisable in advertising and crypto memes alike. The Skybridge links the two columns with a glass gallery and offers a 360° view from the old Masmak Fortress to Jabal Tuwaiq fifty kilometres away. Ticket: 63 riyals; the sunset queue runs one to two hours.
The ancestral capital of the Saud family until Ottoman destruction in 1818. Walls of sarooj mud up to a metre thick, restored with original techniques. Reopened in 2022 as a cultural-museum quarter: Bujairi Terrace, Michelin-starred restaurants, evening projections onto the earthen walls. Admission is free; a table at Myazu or Hakkasan — a month ahead.
This ridge was once an ocean floor. Today it is a 600-metre sheer drop above the Nafud plain. Access is 4×4 only; the last twenty kilometres follow a wadi bed. Tour from Riyadh: 250–400 SAR with driver-guide. Two litres of water per person — even in winter.