Nefud
The Nefud (also Nafud ; Arabic صحراء النفود Sahara 'an-Nefud , DMG Ṣaḥrāʾ an-Nafūd ) is a desert in the northern part of the Arabian Peninsula , in Saudi Arabia . It is about 300 km long and 250 km wide and thus reaches an area of 78,000 km². Due to the trade winds , it is a typical tropic desert .
The desert, which is covered in red sand, is enclosed in deposits of sandstone that have eroded into bizarre shapes. The Nefud is known for its strong, sudden winds that lead to heavy dune formation . These dunes reach heights of up to 180 meters. There is precipitation once or twice a year. In some lowland basins near the Hejaz Mountains, there are oases in which cereals, fruits or vegetables are grown. Otherwise there is no surface water, as precipitation from winter storms seeps into the sand immediately. The Nefud is connected in the south with the Rub al-Chali desert by the Dhana in the Najd region, a 1290 km long and up to 80 km wide corridor made of sand and pebbles. The delimitation is relatively clear due to the pelvic structure.
This desert gained fame above all through Lawrence of Arabia and the film adaptation of his life of the same name . Lawrence had crossed this desert with some Bedouin fighters in a forced march in 1917 in order to take the port city of Aqaba (in southern Jordan) from the north in a surprise attack by the Ottomans .
Coordinates: 28 ° 30 ' N , 41 ° 0' E