An Nafud
A red sand desert in the north of the Arabian Peninsula, about 290 km long. Its crescent dunes and sand filled basins turn deep red at sunset, and in places they hide ancient lake beds.
- Where
- Hail, Saudi Arabia
- Grade
- Well known
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site, plus 1 for its grade
- Coordinates
- 28.3000, 41.0000
Get the An Nafud stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at An Nafud. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Hail volume with your photos and a note.
Near An Nafud
Rock Art of the Hail Region 35 km
Two sites of rock engravings in the Ha'il region, at Jabal Umm Sinman near Jubbah and at Jabal al-Manjor and Raat near Shuwaymis. Carved over some 10,000 years, they show people, animals and inscriptions, and the area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Ajā and Salma Mountains 107 km
Granite ranges of the Shammar Mountains rising around the city of Ha'il in the northwest of the country. They have old Bedouin camping grounds, stone ruins and rock carvings, and the Ajā range is the larger of the two.
Dumat Al-Jandal 201 km
An ancient walled oasis city in the Al-Jouf region, about 37 kilometres from Sakaka, and the historical capital of the area. Its ruins include old stone houses, a defensive wall and the early Omar ibn al-Khattab Mosque with its square minaret.
Marid Castle 201 km
A fortress on a hilltop in Dumat al-Jandal, about 50 km from Sakaka, built in the first century AD according to Roman and Nabataean pottery found in excavations. Its dark stone walls overlook the old city and have been repaired many times over the centuries.
Al Naslaa Rock 267 km
A huge sandstone boulder about 50 km south of Tayma, split almost exactly down the middle into two blocks. Ancient engravings of horses and people decorate its faces, and the sharp cut is a puzzle to geologists.
Hegra 344 km
Nabataean tombs cut into sandstone outcrops in the desert near AlUla, the first site in Saudi Arabia to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Also known as Mada'in Salih, it was the southern city of the Nabataeans, who also built Petra, and holds more than 100 monumental tombs.
Jabal Al-Fil 347 km
Elephant Rock, a freestanding sandstone formation near AlUla in northwestern Saudi Arabia, rising 52 metres at its highest point. Rain, wind and sand have eroded it over millions of years into the shape of an elephant with a raised trunk.
Jabal Ikmah 355 km
An open air library in stone, a sandstone mountain in the AlUla area covered with ancient inscriptions and rock carvings. Most were left by the Dadanite and Lihyanite civilisations, and the texts include prayers, dedications and records of local life.
Questions
Where is An Nafud?
An Nafud is in Hail, Saudi Arabia. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Rock Art of the Hail Region (35 km), Ajā and Salma Mountains (107 km), Dumat Al-Jandal (201 km).
How do I get the An Nafud stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at An Nafud and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Hail volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to An Nafud before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Hail volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 40 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.