There are dozens of caves across Saudi Arabia that draw a large number of tourists and visitors. These caves are rare, natural sights that turned out to be major tourist destinations. According to officials of the Saudi Geological Survey, the total number of discovered caves, which have unique features, reached more than 130. Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) is striving to make these caves major attractions for both domestic and foreign tourists.



Some of these caves have a cool and pleasant climate, to be enjoyed even in extreme summer weather, other are of historical and religious significance. These caves contain several fossil discoveries and a wide variety of rock formations. Some of them look like underground openings full of cool air. There are caves on mountaintops and mountain slopes, in addition to desert caves. There are several caves formed of sedimentary rocks located in Al-Ahsa in the Eastern Province, according to a report in Al-Riyadh Arabic daily.



Cave of Hira

 

Hira is the most important among these caves, mainly because of its religious significance. The cave is about 3.2 km from Makkah, situated at a height of 270 meters on top of Jabal Al-Nour (Mountain of Light). This is a small cave about 3.5 meters long and 1.5 meters wide, where the first verses of the Holy Qur’an were revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).The Prophet used to go to the cave to meditate. On the 17th of Ramadan in 611, the Prophet received his first divine revelation through the Archangel Gabriel. The entrance to the Cave of Hira also faces the Holy Kaaba and the minarets of the Grand Mosque can be seen when looking out the entrance way.



Abu Qatoor Cave

 

The arch-shaped cave is situated south west of Hota Sudair city. The cave is called Abu Qatoor because of the water drops falling from its ceiling throughout the year even during the summer. There is a circular basin made of stones in one side of the cave where a water pool was formed by the falling water drops.

 

Al-Gara Cave



Al Gara Mountain and Cave is considered to be one of the most important tourist and natural landmarks in Al-Ahsa. Spreading over an area of 1,400 hectors, Al Gara consists of sedimentary rocks, where the sedimentary layers can be seen with the naked eye. It is also famous for its caves and alleys between the rocks, and therefore, has become one of the most famous natural sites in the Arabian Gulf region. The caves of the mountain are known to be cool in the summer and warm in winter. Some of these caves have steps similar to that of the ancient Roman theaters.

In the past, local residents named these caves after those who discovered them or in accordance with their types and nature. One of them is named Al-Gairan Cave, where old people in the past used to hold Qur’an memorization circles. Al-Naqa is a group of caves with pleasant cool weather in summer and warm in winter, while the temperatures at Al-Muadama Cave reach up to 20 degrees Celsius in summer. Al-Mayhoub, Abu Saleh, Aziz, Mahdi and Dahabi are other major caves. Caves in Al-Gara draw a huge number of tourists from various parts of the Eastern Province and other regions of the Kingdom as well as from neighboring GCC states.

Al-Habka Cave: The cave in Al-Habka village, situated 160 km west of Rafha region, is one of the major tourist attractions in the Northern Border Region. The roof of the cave is formed of crystal-shaped shining stones. There are short passages in the end of the cave in addition to inscriptions that date back to ancient times.



Cave of Thawr

The Cave of Thawr is 4 km south of the Grand Mosque, where the Prophet and his closest companion Abu Bakr took refuge while they were on their way to Madinah during Hijrah (migration). When Quraish came to look for them, Abu Bakr worriedly told the Prophet that they were only two people, but the Prophet assured him that Allah was their third. When the Quraish tribe reached the cave, they thought that nobody could go to a cave with a spider web spread across the mouth and birds nesting near it. Both caves have become major attractions for Haj and Umrah pilgrims, as well as for visitors to the holy city. Efforts are underway to introduce a cable car system to transport people to the historic caves of Hira and Thawr. There is a plan to introduce 12 cable car lines linking the mountain valleys with the caves with the aim of facilitating safe trips.



Ibn Shaalan Cave



This a major tourist attraction in Rawdat Sudair, 15 km from Wadi Sudair. Morat Cave is situated 8 km south west of Morat region, one of the archaeological sites in the Kingdom. The ceiling and walls of cave are sandy with inscriptions. Another important cave that draws hundreds of visitors is Areedh Al-Saer.