The Empty Quarter
Shaybah is one of the most remote, desolate, and inhospitable areas in Saudi Arabia. It is situated in an isolated desert area known as the Rub‘ al-Khali (Empty Quarter) among towering rust-colored sand dunes. Dune heights of more than 200 meters (660 feet) are common. Summer temperatures can reach 56 C (133 F). Not surprisingly, the area is very dry. Occasionally, sandstorms pushed by 75-mph winds scour the area, reducing visibility, grounding aircraft, and blanketing access roads.



  shaybah's red sand dunes