Saudi: Abu Al-Waul, Longest Cave, Named Geological Tourist Destination

Saudi: Abu Al-Waul, Longest Cave, Named Geological Tourist Destination

The Saudi Geological Survey (SGS) has approved Abu Al-Waul Cave, the longest cave in the Kingdom, as a new geological tourist destination, in the volcanic Khaybar Mountains, located northeast of Madinah. It will be nominated to be a tourist attraction after the completion of technical studies.

SGS spokesman Tariq Aba Al-Khail said that a specialized geological team from the authority documented the longest basalt cave in the Kingdom, extending about five kilometers in length. “The cave will be nominated to be a tourist attraction after the completion of technical studies in this regard. The name Abu Al-Waul was given due to the presence of a large number of skeletons of Ibex in the cave,” he said.

According to Aba Al-Khail, this cave is considered as a tourist wealth that feeds the geopark projects that SGS’s Geological Tourism Department is working on. In addition, it will contribute to opening a wide field for researchers and academics in this field.

The Khaybar Free Zone is considered as the largest free zone in the Kingdom, with an area estimated at 21500 square kilometres. The free zones in the Kingdom occupy about 89700 kilometres, or about 4.6 percent of the Kingdom’s geographical area. It is the largest