The drive towards Jabal Bil’um is a mixture of mountain scenery and arid, weatherworn plains that stretch endlessly into the horizon, giving a real sense of remoteness. After exiting the tarmac and crossing a rugged plain, the passage into the foothills follows a graded track that passes an outdoor Eid prayer ground.

  Unique Rock

Aside from conquering the peak of Jabal Bil’um, the real delight of this route might just be a small slice of quiet desert nestled at the south-west base of the mountain, where a bulbous sandstone rock emerges from the sand like a monolith. Known as Unique Rock, the surface of this curious sandstone edifice is marked by hollow openings, intriguing Arabic inscriptions and even a few climbing footholds. There are more footholds chiselled into nearby rock faces, enabling even flat-landers to have a go at scaling the nearby hills and buttresses.

TUWAYQ LIMESTONE

Much of the Najd plateau in Saudi Arabia is composed of sedimentary rock, and the most famous of all is Tuwayq Mountain Limestone from the eponymous Jabal Tuwayq. Riyadh’s legendary Tuwayq escarpment is composed of strong white, grey and even light-brown limestone that can be up to 1,100m thick in some areas. The unyielding limestone inspired the motto ‘mettle to the top’ for Saudi Arabia’s 90th National Day, as His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, likened the formidable rocky mountain to the spirit and stamina of the Saudi people.

  White Sands

As for driving, the white sand around the formations in this area isn’t too soft and is easily traversable by disengaging stability control. Camping in this sheltered patch of sand, which offers views over the wide plains, is a superb choice for those planning to spend the night. Pitch your tent and start a campfire in time for sunset. The flickering firelight illuminating shadows on Unique Rock’s surface and nearby trees creates the right atmosphere for a night beneath the stars, with fun to be had the following morning exploring the various low-rise hills.

  Quarry Rock

The track continues, albeit in a rather rutted fashion, past a natural well and to a flat ledge beneath a cavernous overhang near an abandoned quarry. Here, you can park and walk the rest of the way to the summit, which is composed of a mixture of wind-eroded sandstone and white limestone. An extension of this track appears to be underway; once complete, it should allow drivers to ascend further.

DRIVING DIRECTION

This route has a mixture of terrains, with some paved roads and gravel tracks in the area around Jabal Bil’um as well as sand around Unique Rock.

  1     Take a right at the roundabout and drive 400m. After the sand wall crossing, take a left and keep driving straight for approximately 5.5km.

  2     Take either fork and follow the track as it loops around Unique Rock.

  3     From here you can head out on foot to explore Unique Rock and then take a left to Quarry Rock and hike to the summit of Jabal Bil’um.