Why this ride
A 75 km round trip from Al Hufūf - roughly 1 h 26 in the saddle. On the way it passes Northern Oasis, Al-`Oyun village and back through Northern Oasis. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Suq al-Qaysariyah and Al-`Oyun village
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 75 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 26
- 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.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. 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 is where the day begins. Next is Northern Oasis.
2. 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 comes up about 19 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 41 km into the recorded legs you reach Al-`Oyun village. Next is back through Northern Oasis.
4. back through 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 through Northern Oasis, late in the day. Next is Suq al-Qaysariyah.
5. 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 at Suq al-Qaysariyah. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Suq al-Qaysariyah to Northern Oasis
Suq al-Qaysariyah → Northern Oasis is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Northern Oasis to Al-`Oyun village
Northern Oasis → Al-`Oyun village is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Al-`Oyun village to back through Northern Oasis
Al-`Oyun village → back through Northern Oasis is 15 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Northern Oasis to Suq al-Qaysariyah
back through Northern Oasis → Suq al-Qaysariyah is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- As-Seef and Al-`Oyun village · 77 km
- Qasr Khuzam and Al-`Oyun village · 78 km
- Al-Asfar Lake and As-Seef · 206 km
- Al-`Oyun village and Al-Asfar Lake · 191 km