Qaryat al Asba - The "Graffiti Rock"

 Located about 140 kilometers from Riyadh near the Mecca road, this trail offers an easy and short walk. While the views may not be as striking as those from the Tuwaiq Mountains’ edge, they are impressive, offering a sense of the vastness of the desert. There are also historic sites, most importantly a small inselberg (isolated hill) known as Qaryat al-Asba, or Graffiti Rock. You find ancient inscriptions and petroglyphs on its rock faces. They feature ostriches, ibexes, dogs, lions, camels, but also hunters, warriors, a human skeleton, horsemen, and even Thamudic inscriptions. (Birds of SA) The trail, established by Saudi hiking association Darb, starts behind the Graffiti Rock, leading up to a small plateau named Khasm Musayqirah. You’ll encounter prehistoric ruins and spectacular vistas on the top. You can walk across the plateau and return via a path running along its side. The hike itself takes around 2 hours. 

The hike in Google Maps 

Open the menu to turn waypoints on and off.

Hikes around Riyadh: Edge of the World | Camel Trail | Graffiti Rock ; Abha: Jabal Soudah | Wadi Lajab | Jabal Ferwa ; Najran: Raoum ; Bisha: White Mountain ; Taif: Kara Heritage Trail | Harithi Escarpment | Al-Waba Crater ; Medina: Mount Sela | Mount Uhud ; Al-Ula: Wadi al-Naam | Mahash Viewpoint | Dadan Trail ; Tabuk: Wadi al-Deesah | Jabal Shayban | Wadi al-Aqlah | "Real Mount Sinai" 

The hike in photos




















































Hikes around Riyadh: Edge of the World | Camel Trail | Graffiti Rock ; Abha: Jabal Soudah | Wadi Lajab | Jabal Ferwa ; Najran: Raoum ; Bisha: White Mountain ; Taif: Kara Heritage Trail | Harithi Escarpment | Al-Waba Crater ; Medina: Mount Sela | Mount Uhud ; Al-Ula: Wadi al-Naam | Mahash Viewpoint | Dadan Trail ; Tabuk: Wadi al-Deesah | Jabal Shayban | Wadi al-Aqlah | "Real Mount Sinai" 

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