Why is the Rub al Khali
Rub' al Khali
The Rub' al Khali desert is the largest contiguous sand desert in the world, encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula. The desert covers some 650,000 km² including parts of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. It is part of the larger Arabian Desert.
What is the meaning of RUB Rub al Khali?
Rubʿ al-Khali, (Arabic: “Empty Quarter”)also spelled Al-Rabʿ al-Khali, vast desert region in the southern Arabian Peninsula, constituting the largest portion of the Arabian Desert.
Is there oil in the Rub al Khali desert?
One of the driest regions in the world, the Rubʿ al-Khali is virtually uninhabited and largely unexplored. However, vast reserves of petroleum are present beneath its sands. In 1948 Al-Ghawār, the world’s largest conventional oil field, was discovered in the northeastern part of the desert.
What is the significance of Rub'al Khali?
Much of the SIGMA Force book Sandstorm by James Rollins takes place in the Empty Quarter. The Empty Quarter serves as the setting of the fictional "Ocean of Fire" horse race in the 2004 film Hidalgo. In the Japanese light novel series The Familiar of Zero, Rub' al Khali is thought to be the place of origin of the main character, Hiraga Saito.
How much water does Rub al Khali get?
Anyone visiting the Rub Al Khali needs to remember to bring plenty of water. The Empty Quarter receives just 1.2 inches of rain a year. This is a desert that makes Death Valley and its annual 2.4 inches of rainfall look positively wet! The area is one of the driest places you can find on earth and subsequently one of the most sparsely populated.
How long did it take Max Calderan to explore Rub al Khali?
He crossed 1,100 kilometres (680 mi) in 18 days, crossing the widest area of Rub' al Khali from west to east.
How long did the Mundafen lakes last?
However, lakes in the Mundafen area in the southwest of the Rub' al Khali show evidence of lasting longer, up to 800 years, due to increased runoff from the Tuwaiq Escarpment. Evidence suggests that the lakes were home to a variety of flora and fauna.
How many species of birds are there in the Rub al Khali?
The expedition discovered 31 new plant species and plant varieties, as well as 24 species of birds that inhabit the region, which fascinated scientists as to how they have survived under the harsh conditions of the Empty Quarter. In March 2012, Hajar Ali made the first known crossing of the Rub' al Khali by a woman.
What is the fauna of the Rub al Khali?
Fauna includes arachnids (e.g. scorpions) and rodents, while plants live throughout the Empty Quarter. As an ecoregion, the Rub' al Khali falls within the Arabian Desert and East Saharo-Arabian xeric shrublands. The Asiatic cheetahs, once widespread in Saudi Arabia, are regionally extinct from the desert.
How long have the desert lakes been around?
These lakes existed during periods from 6,000 to 5,000 years ago and 3,000 to 2,000 years ago . The lakes are thought to have formed as a result of "cataclysmic rainfall" similar to present-day monsoon rains and most probably lasted for only a few years. However, lakes in the Mundafen area in the southwest of the Rub' al Khali show evidence of lasting longer, up to 800 years, due to increased runoff from the Tuwaiq Escarpment.
What is the name of the book that includes scenes in the Rub al Khali?
Tim Powers ' 2001 novel Declare contains scenes in the Rub' al Khali, as well as mentioning St. John Philby's expedition to the same.
When did the caravans of the Frankincense trade cross the Rub al Khali?
Before desertification made the caravan trails leading across the Rub' al Khali so difficult, the caravans of the frankincense trade crossed now virtually impassable stretches of wasteland, until about 300 AD. It has been suggested that Ubar or Iram, a lost city, region or people, depended on such trade.
Why is Rub al Khali called that?
The Arabic name Rub al Khali means “empty quarter.” The name was given to it because it’s a huge stretch of unbroken sand desert that has bested kings, adventurers, and nomads for thousands of years. In a region defined by deserts, the Rub al Khali came to be known for being especially daunting and inhospitable. But while it might not be the place to build a town, it has become an attraction for adventurous travelers who want to experience a real natural wonder.
What is the desert in Star Wars?
One of the words most commonly used when describing this desert is “otherworldly.” After moving beyond the buildings, powerlines, and streets, you are left facing an untouched landscape that feels like something out of a science fiction movie. The desert has been used as the backdrop for Star Wars and Matrix films. Authors like H.P. Lovecraft, Frank Herbert, and Clive Barker have also drawn inspiration from the desert when creating their own fantasy worlds. If you want to leave the earth you know behind, without having to become an astronaut, then a trip to Rub Al Khali is the next best thing.
How many square miles is Rub al Khali?
It covers a quarter of a million square miles or 650,000 square kilometers. To put that in context it means that Rub al Khali is forty thousand square miles larger than the country of France! That staggering comparison makes it easy to see how the Empty Quarter earned the title of the largest uninterrupted desert on Earth!
How much rain does the empty quarter get?
The Empty Quarter receives just 1.2 inches of rain a year. This is a desert that makes Death Valley and its annual 2.4 inches of rainfall look positively wet! The area is one of the driest places you can find on earth and subsequently one of the most sparsely populated. This makes it the perfect place to be if you want to find peace and quiet.
Has anyone ever found the Rub Al Khali?
Although, a legend tells of a city lost within the sands of The Empty Quarter. Known as 'Atlantis of Sand', Ubar, and Iram, many have searched for it, but no one has ever found it. Logic says that no lasting settlement could have been built without the use of modern technology, but adventurers still keep an eye out for signs of a civilization swallowed by the desert sands.
Is the desert an oasis?
The desert is, ironically, an oasis of nature in a world dominated by concrete and modernity. Stepping outside of ordinary life and into the Empty Quarter is a transcendent experience. However, traveling through the largest desert in the world is not something that should be taken lightly.
Overview
The Rub' al Khali is the sand desert (erg) encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula. The desert covers some 650,000 km (250,000 sq mi) (the area of long. 44°30′−56°30′E, and lat. 16°30′−23°00′N) including parts of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. It is part of the larger Arabian Desert.
Description
The desert is 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) long, and 500 kilometres (310 miles) wide. Its surface elevation varies from 800 metres (2,600 ft) in the southwest to around sea level in the northeast. The terrain is covered with sand dunes with heights up to 250 metres (820 ft), interspersed with gravel and gypsum plains. The sand is of a reddish-orange color due to the presence of feldspar.
History
Desertification has increased through recent millennia. Before desertification made the caravan trails leading across the Rub' al Khali so difficult, the caravans of the frankincense trade crossed now virtually impassable stretches of wasteland, until about 300 AD. It has been suggested that Ubar or Iram, a lost city, region or people, depended on such trade. The archaeological remains includ…
In fiction
• Josephine Tey's novel The Singing Sands (1952) investigates the murder of a young man who believes he has discovered the fabled city of Wabar while flying over the Rub' Al Khali.
• Carl Barks wrote McDuck of Arabia in 1965, an Uncle Scrooge comic book in which Scrooge and his nephews search for the "lost gold mine of the Queen of Sheba" in the Rub' al Khali.
Additional images
• Astronaut photograph highlighting a part of Ar-Rub' al-Khali near its south-eastern margin, in the Wusta Governorate of Oman
• Sunset in Saudi Arabia
See also
• Ad-Dahna Desert
• Ramlat Khaliya
• Rub' al Khali Basin
• Sharqiya Sands in Oman
External links
• Lost city under the Rub' Al-Khali, Saudi Life.
• Rub' al-Khali Encyclopædia Britannica
• Empty Quarter: Exploring Arabia's Sea of Sand National Geographic, May 2005 (interactive edition) (archived)