Jebel Hafit North Tombs and Bidaa Bint Saud

Scenic road chapters

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Jebel Hafit North Tombs

   Jebel Hafit is the lone mountain that rises out of the desert at the edge of Al Ain, in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and it is the highest point in the emirate at about 1,250 metres. It stands almost alone, a long, whale-backed ridge of pale limestone, with the Omani border running along its southern flank, and from the summit you can look out over a wide plain of sand, date plantations and the white buildings of the city. The geology is old and visibly folded, with fossils of shells and corals in the rock.

   Read the complete Jebel Hafit North Tombs write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Jebel Hafit North Tombs is where the day begins. Next is Rumailah Site.

2. 2. Rumailah Site

   Jebel Hafit rises out of the flat desert on the border between Oman and the United Arab Emirates like a long, pale whale, and the ground around its foot is dotted with small stone domes. These are the Hafit tombs, built about five thousand years ago, and they give their name to an entire period of the Bronze Age in the region. Rumailah is one of the clusters on the Omani side, a short distance from the town of Al Buraimi, and from the site you can look across the border and see the ridge standing up in the haze.

   Read the complete Rumailah Site write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Rumailah Site comes up about 15 km into the recorded legs. Next is Bidaa Bint Saud.

3. 3. Bidaa Bint Saud

   Jebel Hafit rises out of the flat gravel desert near Al Ain like a lizard's back, a bare, folded limestone ridge about twelve hundred metres high that marks the border between the United Arab Emirates and Oman. It is the best-known landmark in the area, and the scatter of ancient sites around it tells the story of the people who lived here. On the lower slopes are about five thousand years old beehive-shaped stone tombs, the first examples of a type of grave that is now named after the mountain, and the Hafit period is a recognised phase of Bronze Age archaeology in south-east Arabia.

   Read the complete Bidaa Bint Saud write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 34 km into the recorded legs you reach Bidaa Bint Saud. Next is back through Rumailah Site.

4. 4. back through Rumailah Site

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Rumailah Site write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Rumailah Site, late in the day. Next is Jebel Hafit North Tombs.

5. 5. Jebel Hafit North Tombs

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Jebel Hafit North Tombs write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at Jebel Hafit North Tombs. That is the ride.