Why this ride
81 km from Al Qurayn to Al Qurayn, about 1 h 51 of riding. On the way it passes As-Seef, Jawatha Mosque and back through As-Seef.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Northern Oasis and Jawatha Mosque
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 81 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 51
- 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
Northern Oasis → As-Seef
19 km on Northern Oasis → As-Seef.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 19 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Northern Oasis
The northern edge of the Al-Ahsa oasis is where the groves thin out and you can see the join between farmland and desert. Al Qurayn, a town of about 12,000 people, lies right next to this point, with Julayjilah and Al Mutayrifi close behind, and the whole cluster is one continuous patchwork of date gardens, walls, irrigation channels and low flat-roofed houses. The label talks about a northern oasis, and from the ground the point is simply that the green does not stop abruptly: it frays into scrub, then dunes.
Read the complete Northern Oasis write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Northern Oasis is where the day begins. Next is As-Seef.
2. 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 comes up about 19 km into the recorded legs. Next is Jawatha Mosque.
3. 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
about 42 km into the recorded legs you reach Jawatha Mosque. Next is back through As-Seef.
4. back through As-Seef
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
back through As-Seef, late in the day. Next is Northern Oasis.
5. Northern Oasis
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Northern Oasis write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Northern Oasis. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Northern Oasis to As-Seef
Northern Oasis → As-Seef is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
As-Seef to Jawatha Mosque
As-Seef → Jawatha Mosque is 23 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Jawatha Mosque to back through As-Seef
Jawatha Mosque → back through As-Seef is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through As-Seef to Northern Oasis
back through As-Seef → Northern Oasis is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Qasr Khuzam and Al-`Oyun village · 78 km
- As-Seef and Al-`Oyun village · 77 km
- Suq al-Qaysariyah and Al-`Oyun village · 75 km
- Al-Asfar Lake and As-Seef · 206 km