Rub' al Khali

The Empty Quarter — the largest continuous sand desert on Earth, filling the southern Arabian Peninsula.

Specifications & Metrics

area

~650,000 km²

Core Principles & Analysis

• Its dunes rise to 250 metres and stretch for tens of kilometres.
• Bertram Thomas made the first recorded crossing in 1931; Wilfred Thesiger followed on camel in 1946–50.
• Beneath its sands lie ancient lake beds and the stone tools of a greener Arabia.

Sources

• Wikipedia: Rub' al Khali