Why this ride
A 206 km round trip from Al Markaz - roughly 2 h 55 in the saddle. It goes by way of Suq al-Qaysariyah, Al-`Oyun village, As-Seef and back through Al-`Oyun village.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Al-Asfar Lake and As-Seef
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 206 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 55
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Al-Asfar Lake → Suq al-Qaysariyah
Slow enough to look. The surface follows the shoreline, so the corners arrive where the water decided, not where an engineer did. Water arrives beside the road and stays for 36 km. The line follows the shore because there is nowhere else for it to go.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 49 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Al-Asfar Lake
The Al-Ahsa oasis in eastern Saudi Arabia is a green island in a very large desert. Under the sand lie huge aquifers, and springs rise to the surface to feed an area of about eighty-five square kilometres of date palms, said to be the largest oasis in the world, with perhaps two and a half million trees. It lies not far from the Gulf coast, near the city of Hofuf, and it has been settled for thousands of years, from the Bronze Age through the ancient Dilmun culture and into Islamic times. UNESCO listed it in 2018 as an evolving cultural landscape.
Read the complete Al-Asfar Lake write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Al-Asfar Lake is where the day begins. Next is Suq al-Qaysariyah.
2. Suq al-Qaysariyah
The Qaysariyah is Hofuf's old covered market, and it has the layout of a bazaar that grew in the days when caravans crossed the desert to reach the oasis. Long, shaded passages run between rows of small shops, with arched ceilings, thick walls and shuttered entrances, and the air inside is noticeably cooler than the street. The oasis of Al-Ahsa has been a trading crossroads for centuries, the place where the desert people of Arabia met merchants from the Gulf coast, Iraq and India, and the market was built to serve them.
Read the complete Suq al-Qaysariyah write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Suq al-Qaysariyah comes up about 49 km into the recorded legs. Next is Al-`Oyun village.
3. Al-`Oyun village
Al-Uyun means the springs, and this village in the Al-Ahsa oasis is named for the water that has made life possible here for centuries. Rising from deep aquifers, the springs fed channels that ran through the palm groves and gave Al-Ahsa the reputation of being one of the greenest places in Arabia. Travellers who crossed the desert described the sound of running water and the smell of damp earth as a kind of miracle, and the village still has an air of coolness and shade even when the sun beats down on the surrounding sand.
Read the complete Al-`Oyun village write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 79 km into the recorded legs you reach Al-`Oyun village. Next is As-Seef.
4. As-Seef
Al-Ahsa is the biggest natural oasis on the planet, and it looks like a mistake in the middle of the Eastern Province: a dark green carpet of date palms, millions of them, spread across a flat plain of pale desert. The oasis exists because springs rise from deep underground and water the whole area. Hofuf, the main city, and Mubarraz, its neighbour, sit within the palms, and the two together hold close to six hundred thousand people. UNESCO listed the oasis in 2018.
Read the complete As-Seef write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
As-Seef, about halfway. Next is back through Al-`Oyun village.
5. back through Al-`Oyun village
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Al-`Oyun village write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Al-`Oyun village sits at 139 km, about halfway. Next is back through Suq al-Qaysariyah.
6. back through Suq al-Qaysariyah
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Suq al-Qaysariyah write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Suq al-Qaysariyah comes up about 170 km into the recorded legs. Next is Al-Asfar Lake.
7. Al-Asfar Lake
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Al-Asfar Lake write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Al-Asfar Lake closes the day.
Leg by leg
Al-Asfar Lake to Suq al-Qaysariyah
Al-Asfar Lake → Suq al-Qaysariyah is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Suq al-Qaysariyah to Al-`Oyun village
Suq al-Qaysariyah → Al-`Oyun village is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Al-`Oyun village to As-Seef
Al-`Oyun village → As-Seef is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
As-Seef to back through Al-`Oyun village
As-Seef → back through Al-`Oyun village is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Al-`Oyun village to back through Suq al-Qaysariyah
back through Al-`Oyun village → back through Suq al-Qaysariyah is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Suq al-Qaysariyah to Al-Asfar Lake
back through Suq al-Qaysariyah → Al-Asfar Lake is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Al-`Oyun village and Al-Asfar Lake · 191 km
- Qasr Khuzam and Al-Asfar Lake · 150 km
- As-Seef and Al-`Oyun village · 77 km
- Suq al-Qaysariyah and Al-`Oyun village · 75 km