Rub' al Khali

TheRub' al Khali(/ˈrʊbælˈkɑːli/;Arabic:ٱلرُّبْع ٱلْخَالِي,[ar.rʊbʕ‿al.χaːliː]) orEmpty Quarteris adesertencompassing most of the southern third of theArabian Peninsula. The desert covers some 650,000 km(250,000 sq mi) (the area oflong.44°30′−56°30′E, andlat.16°30′−23°00′N) including parts ofSaudi Arabia,Oman, theUnited Arab Emirates, andYemen.It is part of the largerArabian Desert.
The desert is 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) long, and 500 kilometres (310 miles) wide.Its surface elevation varies from 800 metres (2,600 ft) in the southwest to around sea level in the northeast.Most of the terrain isergs, withsanddunesup to 250 metres (820 ft) high, interspersed with gravel andgypsumplains.The sand is reddish-orange due to the presence offeldspar.
There are also brackish salt flats in some areas, such as theUmm al Samimarea on the desert's eastern edge.Ali Al-Naimireports that the sand dunes do not drift. He goes on to say,
Along the middle length of the desert, there are several raised, hardened areas ofcalcium carbonate, gypsum,marl, or clay that were once the site of shallow lakes. These lakes existed during periods from 6,000 to 5,000 years ago and 3,000 to 2,000 years ago. The lakes are thought to have formed as a result of "cataclysmic rainfall" similar to present-daymonsoonrains and most probably lasted for only a few years. However, lakes in theMundafenarea in the southwest of the Rub' al Khali show evidence of such lakes lasting longer, up to 800 years, from increased runoff from theTuwaiq Escarpment.
Evidence suggests that the lakes were home to a variety of flora and fauna. Fossil remains indicate the presence of several animal species, such ashippopotamus,water buffalo, andlong-horned cattle. The lakes also contained small snails,ostracods, and when conditions were suitable,freshwater clams. Deposits of calcium carbonate andopalphytolithsindicate the presence of plants and algae. There is also evidence of human activity dating from 3,000 to 2,000 years ago, including chippedflinttools, but no actual human remains have been found.
The region is classified as "hyper-arid", with annual precipitation generally less than 50 millimetres (2.0 in), and daily mean relative humidity of about 52% in January and 15% in June–July.
Fauna includesarachnids(e.g.scorpions) androdents, while plants live throughout the Empty Quarter. As anecoregion, the Rub' al Khali falls within theArabian Desert and East Saharo-Arabian xeric shrublands.TheAsiatic cheetah, once widespread in Saudi Arabia, is extirpated.
TheShaybahoil field was discovered in 1968. SouthGhawar, discovered in 1948, is the largest oil field in the world and extends southward into the northernmost parts of the Empty Quarter.
A road between Oman and Saudi Arabia,through the Empty Quarter, was completed in September 2021.Measuring between 700 and 800 kilometres (430 and 500 miles), it extends fromIbriin Oman toAl-Ahsaineastern Saudi Arabia. A 160 km (99 miles) stretch of the road is on the Omani side and 580 km (360 miles) on the Saudi side.The road also goes through thearchaeological sites of Bat, Al-Khutm and Al-Aynin Oman.
The inhabitants of the Empty Quarter are members of various local tribes: for example, theAl Murrahtribe has the largest area mainly based betweenAl-AhsaandNajran. TheBanu YamandBanu Hamdan(in Yemen and the Najran region of southern Saudi Arabia), and theBani Yas(in the United Arab Emirates). A few road links connect these tribal settlements to the area's water resources and oil production centers.
Desertificationhas increased through recent millennia. Before desertification made thecaravantrails leading across the Rub' al Khali difficult, the caravans of thefrankincensetrade crossed now virtually impassable stretches of land, until about 300 AD.It has been suggested thatUbar or Iram, alost city, region or people,depended on such trade.The archaeological remains ofIraminclude a fortification/administration building, walls and bases of circular pillars. The traces of camel tracks, unidentifiable on the ground,appear in satellite images.
The first documented journeys by non-resident explorers were made by British explorersBertram ThomasandSt John Philbyin the early 1930s. Between 1946 and 1950,Wilfred Thesigercrossed the area several times and mapped large parts of the Empty Quarter including the mountains of Oman, as described in his 1959 bookArabian Sands.
In June 1950, aUS Air Forceexpedition crossed the Rub' al Khali fromDhahran, Saudi Arabia, to central Yemen and backin trucks to collect specimens for theSmithsonian Institutionand to test desert survival procedures.
In 1999,Jamie Clarkebecame the first Westerner to cross the Empty Quarter of Arabia in fifty years. His team of six, guided by threeBedouins, spent 40 days crossing the desert with a caravan of 13 camels.
On 25 February 2006, a scientific excursion organized by theSaudi Geological Surveybegan to explore the Empty Quarter. The expedition consisted of 89 environmentalists, geologists, and scientists from Saudi Arabia and abroad. Various types of fossilized creatures as well as meteorites were discovered in the desert. The expedition discovered 31 new plant species and plant varieties, as well as 24 species of birds that inhabit the region, which fascinated scientists as to how they have survived under the harsh conditions of the Empty Quarter.
In February 2013, a South African team including Alex Harris, Marco Broccardo, and David Joyce became the first people to cross the border close to Oman of the Empty Quarter unsupported and on foot,in a journey which started inSalalahand lasted 40 days, ending inDubai. The team only made use of three water stops along the journey and pulled a specially designed cart that housed all the supplies necessary for the entire expedition.
In 2013, British adventurer Alistair Humphreys released his first documentary film, Into the Empty Quarter, documenting his walk through the Empty Quarter desert with Leon McCarron.
In 2013, from 18 February to 28 March, South Korean explorer Young-Ho Nam led a team (Agustin Arroyo Bezanilla, Si-Woo Lee) on a crossing through the Empty Quarter on foot fromSalalah, Oman, toLiwa Oasisin theUAEEmirate ofAbu Dhabi. The crossing was performed with permission from the governments of Oman and UAE. Dewan Ruler's Representative for Western Region, Emirate of Abu Dhabi recognized it as the world's first on-foot crossing of the Empty Quarter following the border of Oman and ending in UAE.
In 2018, the first all-female walking expedition named "her faces of change" led by Briton Janey McGill who was accompanied by the first Omani women in modern times to walk the Oman Empty Quarter, Baida Al Zadjali and Atheer Al Sabri, set off on 22 December 2018 after receiving formal approval from the government of Oman.The team was supported by two cars for supplies driven by Tariq Al Zadjali (Omani) and Mark Vause-Jones (British) and filmmaker Matthew Milan from the United States. The expedition started from Al Hashman in the Dohafar Governate of Oman crossing through Burkana, Maqshin, and Al Sahma in Al Wusta Region continuing through Abu Al Tabool, Um Al Sameem ending at Ibri fort in the Al Dhahira region of Oman. The total distance walked by the team was 758 km (471 mi) in 28 days, ending the expedition on 18 January 2019.
In 2018, Deidre O'Leary and Kyle Knight crossed the Rub' al Khali from the South (the Saudi-Omani border) to the North (the Saudi-UAE border) on foot.This was the first known crossing within Saudi Arabia from south-north on foot through the highest sand dunes of the Rub Al' Khali. The pair crossed 300 km (190 mi) in nine days 12 hours and 59 minutes.
In 2020, Italian extreme desert explorer Max Calderan completed a Rub' al Khali exploration on foot for the first time ever from west to east. He crossed 1,100 km (680 mi) in 18 days, crossing the widest area of Rub' al Khali.
In 2023, an Austrian-German expedition completed a southwest-to-northeast crossing of the Rub-al-Khali region on the Saudi Arabian side. The route was planned by Austrian Thomas Brandl-Ruttner, leading a team of eight experts in navigation, expedition logistics, and engineering. The team included geo-archaeologist Rudolf Dellmour, who was responsible for scientific documentation. Covering a 1,500-kilometer route through largely unexplored terrain, the team gathered and documented new geological and archaeological findings. Locations that had previously only been studied via satellite imagery were explored on site for the first time.
In 2024, Richard Midwinter walked alone from Salalah, aiming to cross via Muqshin to Al Ain and on to Dubai, to raise awareness for women missed by the NHS breast cancer screening programme. He was carrying a rucksack and had no supply caches or support team. He was detained by Royal Oman Police at Abutubul, south of the Umm al Samim and interrogated under suspicion of espionage by the Internal Security Service, removed from the Rub al Khali and left to continue his journey from Qarn al Alam. He walked under observation for two more days before deciding to hitchhike out, having walked circa 800km in 29 days.
In 2025 Gavin Booth MBE and Adam Wilton MBE completed the first self-sufficient foot crossing of the Saudi Arabian Rub' al Khali, travelling circa 780km from As Sulayyil to Haradh, via Ash Shalfa in 22 days. They hauled all their food, supplies and water necessary for the journey in self built carts, without any support or resupply caches.