Shaden Desert Resort

 This is where we ate and slept. Spectacular day and night.

People in Wadi al Disah

Local guide

Picnic lunch

Tour Leader Jamshid

Driving out of the valley

Wadi Al Disah Camels

 

Wadi al Disah Valley in Saudi Arabia

 Think the Grand Canyon with camels! But first, just the rocks.

NEOM, Part 4

We saw just a bit of it, but NEOM will involve water (the Gulf of Aqaba) as well as rocks in a major way, making for fine resort territory.

 

NEOM, Part 3

 Those of you familiar with Death Valley in Southern California will note the resemblance to NEOM: steep, arid, dramatically stony canyons.

NEOM, Part 2

I've chosen this set of photos to emphasize the combination of extra-planetary with industrial scenes in this beginning phase of NEOM.

NEOM

On the last day of October, nearing the  end of our tour of Saudi Arabia, we were taken to the Red Sea coast to learn about the NEOM project beginning to be developed there. To quote from the MIR daily guide: "Neom is a metropolis planned to be constructed along the Gulf of Aqaba. The name is a portmanteau of the Greek "neo" (new) and the Arabic "mustaqbal" (future), often fully capitalized as NEOM. Originally conceived of in 2017, it's intended to be a 'smart city', fueled exclusively with wind and solar power, using robotics to perform many basic tasks, and incorporating countless never-before-seen innovations. The Saudi kingdom is sparing no expense to make this vision a reality: the initial cost is $500 billion. The first section is scheduled to be completed in 2025, though construction has yet to commence."

This first set of photographs emphasizes the almost extraworldly terrain, though we are not far from the Gulf of Aqaba.

Bir Haddaj

Bir Haddaj, in the oasis town of Tayma, is one of the largest ancient wells in the world at 65 meters wide and 13 meters deep. It is believed to date from at least the sixth century BCE and during all the centuries it has been in use, has never run dry.

Portrait of a local guide