It wouldn’t have been more than 10 minutes since the person who lit the bonfire left. We rushed to it and got branches from desert shrubs to keep the bonfire burning. Lighting the bonfire, which was the tough part, was already done. So we just had to regularly feed the glowing ember with planks of wood and whatever we could find that burns. of which look like they’ve been crafted by humans, but when you look closely there are no signs of chisels or pastels being used on these rocks. They have naturally formed over millions of years in such mind-boggling shapes.
When I looked up at the sky, there was a dazzling mass of stars, a truly unforgettable spectacle. I’d never seen anything like it on my travels around Saudi Arabia. It was the kind of place where one could almost see a 360° panorama of the sky.
What was even more surprising was that despite being located so close to Jeddah, the sky here was so clear, whereas in Jeddah we’d consider it a lucky day if we could count around 10 of them in the night sky. There was hardly any light pollution whatsoever. It was completely dark. Perhaps that is what makes this area so extraordinary. The night was moon-less, making it even darker. Everyone started sharing whatever little knowledge they had of astronomy. From spotting the Sirius to Mars – well at least thought we saw them; and our group seemed
I expected it to be an actual valley considering its name. I found it to be a plain desert with unique rock formations protruding out and mountains bordering the stretch of desert. There is a narrow road that runs through it. After hovering on this road from one end to the other we found a spot that still had the last few remains of a bonfire still burning. Those glowing embers in the dark night were such a beautiful sight to see. DESTINATIONRYD.COM 83