I Like Driving in my Car …
With a little organisation, a
gathering of like-minded friends and a posse of 4 wheel drives, one, two or
three day excursions from Jeddah can be refreshing and great fun.
So, dig out the boy scout/girl guide skills, borrow a tent, gas burner
and kettle and go explore!
The first item on your pre-trip prep list should be a copy of of 'Desert Treks from Jeddah' by Patricia Barbor. It is a brilliant source of inspiration for exploring with 27 well-researched destinations, each with superb illustrations, explicit directions and all the practical information you'll need as well. It is available from bookshops such as Jarir and Tihama, as well as hotel giftshops for SR60. Do pay attention to the safety advice points given - the two most important being to always have a letter in Arabic from your Saudi sponsor giving you permission to travel and always travel with at least one other car. That said - here are a few tasters of trips that really should be in your scrapbook of memories …
The
Hejaz Railway & Medain Saleh
The Hejaz Railway was built between 1900-1908, on the orders of the last
Caliph of Turkey and Ruler of Western Arabia as it was part of the Ottoman
Empire. The line's route from
Damascus to Madinah was ostensibly to transport pilgrims, but its main purpose
was to facilitate troop movements about the region and maintain Turkey's hold
in Western Arabia. During World
War I and the Arab Revolt against Turkish rule of 1916 the railway was
destroyed at strategic locations and although repairs were made the
improvement in the road systems and advent of air travel resulted in it
falling into complete disuse by the 1950s.
The track is long gone but the majority of the embankment remains and
the sandstone stations, garrisons and water towers that were built every 20km
along the line are fascinating to explore.
At some stations there are derailed locomotives and wagons to be seen
and at the station at Medain Saleh
the workshop has been restored as a museum and houses a steam locomotive in
magnificent condition.
Medain
Saleh
is the best known and most spectacular archaeological site in Saudi Arabia.
Believed to have been occupied as long ago as 3000 years, it was the Nabateans
that carved the tombs out of the rock, a mere 2000 years ago, for which it is
now famous. Their empire
stretched from Damascus to the borders of Yemen - Medain Saleh prospered by
levying huge taxes on traders plying the spice route from Yemen to Europe.
Eighty monumental tombs in an area of 9 km2 suggest a sizeable
population, especially in comparison with the seaport of Jeddah, at the time a
mere 1km2. Today the
abandoned windswept site is eerily compelling.
Some 850km north of
Jeddah, it is a long haul drive to get there.
To get the most out of the trip take 3-4 days, camping along the Hejaz Railway at the points suggested in 'Desert Treks'.
A gentle route would be to stop one night at the halfway point of Madinah
(3½ hours from Jeddah) - the Sheraton
(01 491 9567), is outside the exclusion zone and therefore open to
non-Muslims. Make an early start
the next day to the site, stay a second night at the new Medain Saleh Hotel (04 884 2888)in Al Ula and then either return to Jeddah in one day or take your
time, exploring bits of the Railway and stop another night in Madinah. If you do stay in Madinah, have an evening meal at the
intriguing Al-Andalusia restaurant
- simply delicious Lebanese food with fantastic service in a stunning hillside
setting.
When planning your
journey, do bear in mind that a letter of permission from the Department
of Antiquities and Museums (01 411 5777 ext233) in Riyadh is required,
although the hotel in Al Ula can also arrange this for you.
If you already know either of these options will be too much for you
read about how Saudi Arabian Airlines and Golden Eagle Tours can take the
strain in the next section!
The
Wahba Crater
The
Wahba Crater is an enormous pre-historic hole in the ground!
A fancier attempt at describing the 2km wide and 260m deep crater would
be a waste of superlatives - you have to see it and have your breath taken
away - first, by the sheer size of it and secondly by the climb down and back
up again. As it is a 5½
hour drive you should plan a one night camping trip - again, an ideal spot is
marked in 'Desert Treks'. If you
make it this far, why not add a mere 40km and explore the 19th
Century Turkish Fort that King Abdul
Aziz refurbished in the 1940s as a Hunting
Lodge.
Al
Hada, Taif and Harithi
The view from the top of the Taif Escarpment is stunning. Two hours drive from Jeddah, the last half hour is a knee-trembling journey up the escarpment that rises like a wall from the desert floor. The road has been rebuilt recently, freshly dynamited sections offering the motorised ships of the desert a wider hold on the mountainside. Traces of the old road can be seen wandering off round the edges of outcrops of rock, the tarmac crumbling into the void, occasional gaps in the safety barrier encourage a tighter grip on the grab rail! When you reach the top the baboons (yes, baboons!) that inhabit the rocks on the plateau will give you a warm welcome, especially if you have some bananas for them. The town at the top is Al Hada and Taif itself is a further 20km. Taif used to be known as the Summer Capital, when the Government Ministries would escape from Jeddah and its steamy heat. A slight detour off the Taif road to Harithi is definitely worth making. Again, in the summer months the air is refreshingly cool and clear. A farming community, the most surprising sight for the desert-dulled explorer are the fields of roses and lavender. The campsite that the Desert Treks' team gives directions to is beautiful and worth the rather bumpy journey - wild gardens of grasses, lavender, and juniper with butterflies and bees busy flitting between. If camping does not appeal but you do not fancy a night drive back to Jeddah, stay at the Sheraton in Al Hada (02 754 1400) or the Inter-continental in Taif (02 750 5050) - telephone to check their rates as both offer discounts at various times in the year.
Moon
Mountain
If the above trips seem
too much like hard work, then try Moon
Mountain. It is deceptively
high but simple to climb and worth the effort for the view.
Take some shade and a picnic or barbecue to reward yourself after your
exertions. It is only 45 minutes
drive from Jeddah but still gives you the feel that you've got away from it
all and who knows, you might find yourself bitten by the exploring bug. (Ignore oft-told, seldom witnessed stories of alternative
biting such as camel spiders etc!)