Why this ride
From Al Qārah it runs 157 km to Al Qārah; allow about 2 h 33 of riding. On the way it passes Al-Asfar Lake, `Ain Qinas archaeological site and back through Al-Asfar Lake. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Jawatha Mosque and `Ain Qinas archaeological site
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 157 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 33
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. 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
Jawatha Mosque → Al-Asfar Lake
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 18 km. The line follows the shore because there is nowhere else for it to go.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 18 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Jawatha Mosque
Al-Ahsa is an oasis the size of a small country, and everything about it feels improbable. The eastern province of Saudi Arabia is mostly sand and flat gravel, yet here several million date palms stand in green groves watered by natural springs that rise from deep aquifers. The oasis is on the UNESCO list for exactly this reason: people have farmed here for thousands of years, and the system of canals and gardens is still working. Jawatha Mosque is part of that story, an old mud-brick building in a village among the groves, near the shore of Al-Asfar Lake.
Read the complete Jawatha Mosque write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Jawatha Mosque is where the day begins. Next is Al-Asfar Lake.
2. 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 comes up 23 km in. Next is `Ain Qinas archaeological site.
3. `Ain Qinas archaeological site
Ain Qinas is a spring, one of many that bubble up through the oasis of Al-Ahsa, and it is one of the reasons for the place's long life. The water emerges warm from deep rock, at a steady temperature, and has been channelled for centuries into stone-lined pools and a network of canals that irrigate the groves. For people crossing an arid peninsula, this must have seemed like a miracle, and the springs and their surroundings are part of the oasis's World Heritage listing. The site is a pleasant, shaded corner where palm trees lean over the water and the sound of running water is constant.
Read the complete `Ain Qinas archaeological site write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
46 km in you reach `Ain Qinas archaeological site. Next is back through Al-Asfar Lake.
4. back through 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
back through Al-Asfar Lake, late in the day. Next is Jawatha Mosque.
5. Jawatha Mosque
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Jawatha Mosque write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Jawatha Mosque. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Jawatha Mosque to Al-Asfar Lake
Jawatha Mosque → Al-Asfar Lake is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Al-Asfar Lake to `Ain Qinas archaeological site
Al-Asfar Lake → `Ain Qinas archaeological site is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
`Ain Qinas archaeological site to back through Al-Asfar Lake
`Ain Qinas archaeological site → back through Al-Asfar Lake is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Al-Asfar Lake to Jawatha Mosque
back through Al-Asfar Lake → Jawatha Mosque is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.