‘Uruq Bani Ma’arid World Heritage Site

Official name

‘Uruq Bani Ma’arid | UNESCO

Country

Saudi Arabia | Map

Continent

Asia

Location

19.3638° Lat, 45.5983° Lon | Map

Code

1699

Time Zone

Asia/Riyadh (+03, +0300)

Current Time

Category

Natural

Description

Inscribed 2023. The property encompasses the western part of the greatest expanse of windblown sand on Earth, known as Ar Rub' al-KhaIi, and conserves a portion of one of the Earth’s most spectacular desert landscapes. The varied topography of the property creates a wide range of ecosystems. The site is globally notable due to the reintroduction of iconic desert animals, including the Arabian Oryx ( Oryx leucoryx ) and Arabian Sand Gazelle ( Gazella marica ). In the case of the oryx, this was after decades of extinction in the wild. The mobile dunes also provide an excellent and well-oxygenated habitat for sand-diving invertebrates and reptiles, while incised wadis in the limestone plateau harbor rare relict plants. The area has also been used for generations by pastoral, nomadic Bedu.