RegionOutline guide

Empty Quarter

Desert in the Arabian Peninsula

Photo: Javierblas, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Overview

The Empty Quarter (Arabic: الربع الخالي‎, Rub'al-Khali) is the large, expansive desert encompassing a large part of the Arabian Peninsula. It's the largest continuous body of sand in the world.

Getting there and around

Getting around

A caravan of 4WD vehicles or camels are the only sane options for entering the soft sands of the desert.

Read in the guide

Read before you go to Empty Quarter

Articles and travel topics about Empty Quarter and Yemen.

Travel tips

Next-to-impossible destinations

Are the Galapagos Islands, Svalbard or Yakutsk not exotic enough? Perhaps then you should try to reach destinations you can be quite sure nobody you know has ever visited – places that are almost impossible to reach.

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Culture & history

Islam

Islam is one of the world's most important religions, second only to Christianity in number of adherents. Its followers are called Muslims and their houses of worship, mosques.

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Itineraries

Silk Road

For modern-day trade in China, see Shopping in China The Silk Road (丝绸之路 sī chóu zhī lù), also known as the Silk Route, is not a single road, but a network of historical trade routes across Asia from China to Europe.

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Itineraries

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Around the World in Eighty Days (French: Le tour du monde en quatre-vingt jours) is a novel by Jules Verne, described contemporaneously as taking place in the last quarter of 1872, as the historical British Empire on…

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Full travel guide

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UnderstandOne may be tempted to call the Empty Quarter "no man's land", but that's not entirely correct; various local tribes are based here. The Saudi borders with the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Yemen are situated here...

TalkIf you do encounter people here, your best bet for communication is Arabic.

Get in

Get aroundA caravan of 4WD vehicles or camels are the only sane options for entering the soft sands of the desert.

SeeThe Empty Quarter is all about nature and wildlife. Expect to see a lot of sand and many forms of wildlife.

DoYou can drive around, or, if you're feeling adventurous, you can walk around.

EatThere are no restaurants in the region. You must bring your own provisions.

DrinkYou should carry lots of water with you.

SleepLuxury hotels at the edge of the Empty Quarter can be found in Liwa Oasis, UAE.

Stay safeNever drive alone, even if you're an experienced driver. Much of the Empty Quarter is barren and you can get easily lost if you don't know what you're doing.

Sources and licences

Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Empty Quarter" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Summary from the Wikipedia article "Rub' al Khali", available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikipedia
Photo: Javierblas, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

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