In brief: The oohs, aahs, and wows keep happening when people visit the Al-Qarah caves, part of the World Heritage oasis of the Al-Hasa.
The oohs, aahs, and wows keep happening when people visit the caves of the Al-Qarah Mountain, part of the World Heritage site of the Al-Hasa oasis in Saudi Arabia, whose palms and farms we also toured (click here to read the post).
We certainly kept gasping during our visit. From the outside, the sprawling, low-lying mountain has some interesting features. But it hardly suggests the truly wondrous parts hidden within.
Its colorful, striated limestone shifted and settled, evolving into caves over time within these rocks.
Unsurprisingly, Al-Qarah has been considered sacred, with the largest of the caves becoming a popular spot for weddings due to its resonant acoustics amid the natural beauty. The residents also tell of a more mundane advantage, as a refuge from the extreme heat of the summer due to the caves’ constant 20C (about 70F) temperatures.
The wide access to the caves…
Another part of the entryway to the caves, with especially colorful striations luring us in.
About to enter the caves. The limestone pillars loomed over us, but are probably just about 25 meters (80 feet) high.
Some of the caves are well lit, but others are eerily chiaroscuro like this passage for Nancy back to the light.
One of the loveliest passageways amid the limestone pillars as they form an arcade leading to a sliver of blue light seeping in from above.
A narrow passageway in a different section of the caves is distinguished by the bulbous shapes of the limestone formations overhead. It did not feel threatening; cosy, rather.
Our guide awaits at the end of a natural hallway of leaning columns topped by a richly colored bowl.
The exit from the cave is the last of the oh-wow moments, a set of gorgeous sentries leading to a clay watchtower, all hailing our fabulous journey through the interior.
(To enlarge any picture above, click on it. Also, for more pictures from Saudi Arabia, CLICK HERE to view the slideshow at the end of the itinerary page.)
