Ad-Dahna Desert is the central division of the

Arabian Desert The Arabian Desert () is a vast desert wilderness in West Asia that occupies almost the entire Arabian Peninsula with an area of . It stretches from Yemen to the Persian Gulf and Oman to Jordan and Iraq. It is the fourth largest desert in the ...

. 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 '. (; , ) or Empty Quarter is a desert encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabi ...

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 Najd is a Historical region, historical region of the Arabian Peninsula that includes most of the central region of Saudi Arabia. It is roughly bounded by the Hejaz region to the west, the Nafud desert in Al-Jawf Province, al-Jawf to the north, ...

. 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 West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

. The desert is a series of seven successive deserts, separated from one another by plains. Roads pass through Al-Dahnā, linking

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

with Al-Zilfī and

Riyadh Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in th ...

and connecting Riyadh with Hasa. Ad-Dahna desert is formed of high sand dunes spreading horizontally which are called veins (), mostly red in color since it contains

Iron Oxide An iron oxide is a chemical compound composed of iron and oxygen. Several iron oxides are recognized. Often they are non-stoichiometric. Ferric oxyhydroxides are a related class of compounds, perhaps the best known of which is rust. Iron ...

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, macrosc ...

structures,

stalactites A stalactite (, ; , ) is a mineral formation that hangs from the ceiling of caves, hot springs, or man-made structures such as bridges and mines. Any material that is soluble and that can be deposited as a colloid, or is in suspension, or is ca ...

and

stalagmites A stalagmite (, ; ; ) 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 composed of calcium carbonate, but may consist o ...

. The limestone floor of the Summan plateau, a

karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

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 The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu ( ; , singular ) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq). The Bedouin originated in the Sy ...

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; ) is the national geological survey of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. History and profile The SGS was established as an independent entity attached to the ministry of petroleum and mineral resources following a ...

References

External links

Deserts of Saudi Arabia Ergs Najd {{SaudiArabia-geo-stub

Caves

See also

References

External links