Hofuf is the main town of Al-Ahsa, in eastern Saudi Arabia, and Al-Ahsa is not what you picture when you think of the Arabian desert. It is a vast oasis, one of the largest in the world, with some two and a half million date palms fed by natural springs that rise from deep aquifers and flow through channels and canals. The green of the palms against the sand around it is striking, and UNESCO listed the oasis in 2018 as a cultural landscape that has been inhabited since the Neolithic era.
Qasr Ibrahim is an old fortress and palace in the middle of Hofuf, a thick-walled complex of mud brick and stone from the Ottoman era, with a mosque, a tall tower and barracks. It served as a garrison, a governor's seat and later a centre of regional power, and its position beside the springs and caravan routes was strategic. Close by, the Suq al-Qaysariyah is a covered market of arched passages where traders have sold spices, textiles, copper goods and traditional robes for generations.
Al-Asfar Lake, on the edge of the oasis, is a body of water with a different story. It is fed by the drainage from irrigated farmland, and in winter it attracts flocks of migratory birds, including flamingos, which stop on their journey between Africa and Asia. To the south of town, Jebel Qarah is a sandstone hill pierced with cool caves that have been a popular escape from the summer heat for generations, and the rock is carved by wind into strange shapes.
Roads around Hofuf are wide and fast, with long straight dual carriageways and roundabouts, and traffic is heavy and sometimes aggressive in town. Summer heat is severe, often above forty-five degrees, so ride early or in the evening, and winter is pleasant. Hofuf and neighbouring Al Mubarraz are big cities with plenty of fuel stations, workshops, hotels and restaurants. Try local dates, which are famous across the kingdom, with Arabic coffee. Dress modestly and check entry rules and visa requirements for riding in Saudi Arabia before you travel.