Al-Nashab cave
Cool in summer.
Richard Mortel from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — CC BY 2.0 · Aqeel Khalid — CC BY-SA 4.0 · കാക്കര — CC BY-SA 3.0 · കാക്കര — CC BY-SA 3.0 · കാക്കര — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Richard Mortel from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — CC BY 2.0 · Richard Mortel from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — CC BY 2.0 · Clemens Schmillen — CC BY-SA 4.0
A lone mesa in the Al-Ahsa oasis, about 75 metres high and 15 kilometres north-east of Hofuf, and one of the oasis's best-known natural sights. It is among the sites of the Al-Ahsa Oasis, inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2018, and is named after the village of Al-Qarah at its foot. Wind and water have carved the mountain over thousands of years into caves and straight rock corridors, 28 of them with a total length of about one and a half kilometres, plus pillars and strangely shaped formations. The best-known cave, Al-Nashab, keeps a fairly steady temperature all year, so it feels cool in summer. The «Land of Civilizations» project runs Al-Nashab cave and its trails, with coloured lighting in the corridors and a small museum at the entrance. Traditional pottery workshops, handed down through village families, sit on the slopes. The cave trail is ticketed, so check the price and hours locally. Some corridors are narrow and the ground is uneven, so wear comfortable shoes; the caves make a cool refuge on hot days.
Cool in summer.
28 straight passages.
A village craft.
Al-Qarah village, about 15 km north-east of Hofuf
Some caves, such as Al-Nashab, keep a fairly steady temperature all year, so they feel cool in the summer heat.