Ad-Dahna Desert is the central division of the
Arabian Desert.
It is a corridor of sandy terrain forming a bow-like shape that connects
an-Nafud desert in the north to
Rub' al-Khali
The Rub' al KhaliOther standardized transliterations include: / . The ' is the assimilated Arabic definite article, ', which can also be transliterated as '. (; ar, ٱلرُّبْع ٱلْخَالِي (), the "Empty Quarter") is the sand des ...
desert in the south. Its length is more than siding
Twaik Mountains from the east and does not exceed in width. It is also considered the geographical margin separating
Al-Ahsa Province from
Najd. Al-Dahna Desert is therefore the string that connects the great deserts of
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
.
The desert is a series of seven successive deserts, separated from one another by plains.
Roads pass through Al-Dahnā, linking Kuwait with Al-Zilfī and
Riyadh
Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of th ...
and connecting Riyadh with Hasa.
Al-Dahna
Ad-Dahna Desert is the central division of the Arabian Desert and East Sahero-Arabian xeric shrublands, Arabian Desert. It is a corridor of sandy terrain forming a bow-like shape that connects an-Nafud desert in the north to Rub' al-Khali des ...
desert is formed of high sand dunes spreading horizontally which are called veins ( ar, عُرُوْق, ʿUrūq), mostly red in color since it contains
Iron Oxides.
Caves
Beneath the harsh deserts of Saudi Arabia lie dark chambers and complex mazes filled with
crystalline
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macros ...
structures,
stalactites and
stalagmites
A stalagmite (, ; from the Greek , from , "dropping, trickling")
is a type of rock formation that rises from the floor of a cave due to the accumulation of material deposited on the floor from ceiling drippings. Stalagmites are typically co ...
. The limestone floor of the Summan plateau, a
karst area to the east of the ad-Dahna desert, is riddled with such caves, known locally as ''Dahls''. Some have tiny entrances which open into caves, others lead into a maze of passages which can be several kilometers long. Local
Bedouin have always known these caves and some were used as water supplies. They were first systematically studied in the 1981, and later explored and reported by the
Saudi Geological Survey
The Saudi Geological Survey (SGS; ar, هيئة المساحة الجيولوجية السعودية) is the national geological survey of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
History and profile
The SGS was established as an independent entity attached ...
.
See also
*
Rub' al Khali
*
Arabian Desert
*
Ancient towns in Saudi Arabia
*
References
External links
Deserts of Saudi Arabia
Ergs
Najd
{{SaudiArabia-geo-stub