Ad-Dahna Desert

{{Short description|Desert in Saudi Arabia}} {{Redirect|Dahna|the villages in Azerbaijan|Dəhnə (disambiguation)|the village in Iran|Dahna, Iran (disambiguation){{!}}Deh Nowiyeh}} {{Refimprove|date=October 2013}} {{lowercase}} right|thumb|Satellite view of Al-Dahna desert thumb|A caravan in Ad-Dahnā'

'''Ad-Dahna Desert''' is the central division of the Arabian Desert.<ref>{{Cite Nuttall|title=Dahna Desert}}</ref> It is a corridor of sandy terrain forming a bow-like shape that connects an-Nafud desert in the north to Rub' al-Khali desert in the south. Its length is more than {{convert|1,000|km|mile|abbr=on}} bordering Twaik Mountains from the east and does not exceed {{convert|80|km|mile|abbr=on}} in width. It is also considered the geographical margin separating Al-Ahsa Province of Saudi Arabia from the country's Najd region. Al-Dahna Desert is therefore the string that connects the great deserts of Saudi Arabia.

The desert is a series of seven successive deserts, separated from one another by plains.<ref name="Al-Dahnā">{{cite web |title=Al-Dahnā |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/149769/Al-Dahna|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=5 February 2013}}</ref> Roads pass through Al-Dahnā, linking Kuwait with Al-Zilfī and Riyadh and connecting Riyadh with Hasa.<ref name="Al-Dahnā"/>

Ad-Dahna desert is formed of high sand dunes spreading horizontally which are called ergs ({{langx|ar|عِرْق|ʿirq}}), mostly red in color since it contains Iron Oxides.

== Caves == Beneath the harsh deserts of Saudi Arabia lie dark chambers and complex mazes filled with crystalline structures, stalactites and stalagmites. The limestone floor of the Summan plateau, a karst area to the east of the ad-Dahna desert, is riddled with such caves, known locally as ''Dahls''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2020-06-03 |title=Over 1,800 caves and 'duhool' dot the Kingdom's landscape |url=http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/593814 |access-date=2024-06-19 |website=Saudigazette |language=English}}</ref> Some have tiny entrances which open into caves, others lead into a maze of passages which can be several kilometers long. Local Bedouin have always known these caves and some were used as water supplies.<ref name=":0" /> They were first systematically studied in the 1981, and later explored and reported by the Saudi Geological Survey.

== References == {{reflist}}

== External links == {{Portal|Saudi Arabia}}

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Category:Deserts of Saudi Arabia Category:Ergs Category:Najd