We travelled all over Saudi Arabia from late 1979
to spring 1981
(and the nearby countries, see the Middle
East page and our 'Drive Home'
in 1981).
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| In late March
1980 eighteen of us went on an expedition in a Land Cruiser and two Suburbans
to look for the Nabatean tombs and the remains of the Hejaz Railway
in the north-west of Saudi Arabia.... |
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On Thursday the 27th we drove
454 km and camped beyond Buraydah, then the next day stopped for lunch 358
km further on at the Hanakiyah graffiti rocks in Jebel Uhayn. We continued
for 272 km through two police checkpoints and round the Medina bypass and
eventually after two failed attempts found the broken but impressive
Qasr Al Bint dam near Khaybar, where we camped for the second night. Although
about a third of it is missing the dam is 20 metres high and about 135 metres
long and the legend is that it was built by the queen of Sheba. |
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On the 29th we drove to Al Ula and obtained
our permit from the Emir to visit Madain Salih. At the former Al Ula railway
station we saw the only railway waggon that hadn't had all the wood stripped
from it. |
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We went to the Hijaz railway engine
shed at Madain Salih. |
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The engine shed at Madain Salih in March
1980. The shed and its locomotives have now (2012) been restored as a
museum. |
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The 1st-century Nabatean tombs at Madain
Salih, which became Saudi Arabia's first World Heritage site in 2008. The
Nabateans 'practiced' here before moving north to create the famous city
at Petra. |
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More Nabatean tombs. The one on the
right still needs a bit of work! |
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On 30th March we followed the Hejaz Railway
south past the station at Zumrud. |
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Between Al Jadid, the next station, and Tuwayrah
we found the well at the old Turkish Fort Qalat As Sawrah, with iron steps
going a long way down to the stagnant water at the bottom. |
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And to the station at Tuwayrah where we
had lunch. |
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Between Tuwayrah and Wayban we found the
engine of the Turkish troop train that had been blown up by Major Herbert
Garland, mentor to Lawrence of Arabia, with his first automatic mine in February
1917. |
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We found the skeleton of a complete train
in a siding at Hadiyah station, about 35 km further on. By 2012 the train
had been overturned, presumably someone wanted the rails and sleepers
beneath it - see pictures at http://nabataea.net/Hadiyya.html |
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The train in the siding at Hadiyah station.
We drove two stations further on and camped for the night at Abu Na'am where
we were bombarded by mosquitoes. |
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On the 31st we found another complete train
at Al Buwayr station, five stops before the southern terminus of the
line at Medina. This one was still standing on the rails in 2002, see
http://nabataea.net/Buwayr.html |
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At this point we returned to a paved road
and drove via Medina and Badr to Rabigh on the coast where we stopped for
some rest and relaxation. On the 1st of April we drove the 150 km to Jeddah
and camped on the beach there. We spent the next day shopping and sightseeing
in Jeddah and on the 3rd drove 230 km to Taif where we looked round the
souks before camping in the desert 90 km further on. On the 4th we returned
the 825 km to Riyadh. |
| We visited
Jeddah several times ...... |
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We camped on the beach north of Jeddah
in December 1979 and went snorkelling on the reef, seeing all sorts of
fish and collecting shells and corals. |
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We explored the buildings in the old
town in April 1980. |
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In April 1980 they were renovating the former
British Legation building ..... |
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.... and by April 1981 it was finished. |
| In April 1981
we had a drive around the mountainous Azir region in the south-west....
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In Mishal Street, Taif, filling up the car
for the drive to Jeddah. |
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A well-laden truck half-way between Taif
and Abha. |
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A village between Khamis Mushayt and Najran.
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A house in Najran. |
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Huts near Ad Darb, on the coastal plain between
Abha and Jizan. |
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Between Ad Darb and Jizan. |
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A camel and donkey caravan crossing the Ad
Darb to Jizan road. |
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Fishing nets at Jizan harbour on the Red
Sea. |
| And we visited the Eastern Province several
times...... |
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Decision time on the road 300 km from Riyadh!
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Gas burnoff on the Dammam Road, April 1980.
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Fort Tarut on Tarut Island near Qatif in
January 1980. |
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In Tarut, February 1981. Alleyways and Doorways in Qatif, April 1980 (below). |
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Dhows in Jubail harbour, February 1981. |
