Hofuf and the Al Qara Mountain Caves

Middle East » Saudi Arabia » Dammam » Hofuf
October 15th 2009

Published: October 15th 2009

Today eight of us headed two hours south of Dhahran to a town called Hofuf. It's about an hour south of Abqaiq, which is another Saudi Aramco facility. We rented two large Suburbans and two drivers for the day. It was an amazing experience and yet another "I'm not in Kansas" moment for me. Hofuf used to be the capital of the Eastern Province (the area along the Persian Gulf) until 1953. At t... Read Full Entry

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Ted

TedTravel

I traveled to Saudi Arabia in February, April, May, and October 2009 and in February and April 2010. I have now returned in 2012. This blog was written as a journal of my experiences and as a way of keeping in touch with family and friends. Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and for your interest. I welcome your comments, even if you don’t know me. As salam alaykum - Peace be upon you. Scroll down on this page to see my blog entries. Click the link below to see the entire blog entry (with a larger font). To see photos that are large... full info

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Tending to the flock

This guy did the hard work

The black sheep of the family

(Sorry, couldn't resist saying that!)

Everyone wanted their photo taken

OK, which is the person who is not Saudi? Can you tell? Hmmmm.

Ah, the life of a shephard...

Ram tough

Must be a Dodge truck! (Think about it.)

Sarah, the blonde Saudi from Australia

This is what you wear if you are a Western (or Australian) woman in Saudi. (Sarah is Tom's wife.)

The town of Hofuf

This is typical. Right on the edge of the desert is the town.

Ruins

This is also typical. Old ruins with a satilite dish on top.

Tom and Sarah Negociate

Sarah bought two of these beaded head dresses (two for about $80 US).

Old Fort, circa 17th Century.

Peng and Pat on the lookout for invaders. The walls shown date from the 17th century. The mosque inside the walls, the Quba Mosque, is older. It was built in 1571.

Ted and Glyn at the Fort

This is the stangest photo. There were two sofa chairs in front of the fort. Don't ask me why.

Inside the fort

There was a one half inch peephole in the one wooden door to the fort (which was locked). This is through the peep hole.

Working on the fort

He was either restoring the fort or tearing it down. It was hard to tell.

Werner and Wolf go shopping

Inside one of the antique stores. That's one big pot!

Mud and straw walls of the fort.

Hal and his dagger

Hall really wanted to buy this, but it was too expensive.

Wall of coffee pots

Now you know why I buy so many (but I resisted this time).

Old Painted Wooden Door

This was for sale in the shop

Paul Bunyon's Coffee Pot

This would look great next to Paul Bunyon and the blue ox (inside Minnesota joke).

Remains of an old mud house

15th October 2009

ellen
non-member comment

Excellent Blog Pix
Loved these.

15th October 2009

TedTravel
Ted

PB & J
They thought the orange marmelade was strange to have with peanut butter. However, I thought it was good. Go figure. If I don't agree to another cat, I'm sure she won't agree to a camel. Fair is fair.

15th October 2009

Tiner
non-member comment

The shepherd with a stick
Could have been a picture of me last week trying to herd my pack of dogs (and break up fights). Great pix -- looks like fun!

15th October 2009

Cathy
non-member comment

Chevy?
Isn't it Dodge that's Ram tough? Or did i just miss the joke? :-) great story and photos! thanks for sharing.

16th October 2009

TedTravel
Ted

Dodge - Ram Tough
Oops. I've fixed it. You didn't miss the joke, I just missed the point of the commercial (the name of the manufacturer). Sorry Dodge people.

16th October 2009

TedTravel
Ted

Hofuf photos
Thanks, Sherri. Yes, those sheep guys were really fun. And why there was a sofa outside the fort, Im not sure. Perhaps its Saudi hospitality: you can come into my fort, but at least I can make you comfortable.

26th December 2009

Marie
non-member comment

great
just a silly q..are women allowed to go and have a tour on these spots? lol..

28th December 2009

TedTravel
Ted

Women and Hofuf
Yes, women can tour these spots. It's probably not something you'd want to do on your own, but certainly women are welcome. In fact, you'll see the wife of one of my co-workers in the photos.

11th June 2011

Ahmed from khubber
non-member comment

A comment
Great blog !!

3rd November 2011

Ciriaco David Villafuerte
non-member comment

Inquiry
My inquire id like to go in Hofuf in Gara mountain this coming dec 1-2 id like to know how to get visa,hotel and tourism tour for this cave please let me know what to do. thanking you

6th November 2011

TedTravel
Ted

Hofuf and the Al Qara Mountain Caves
Thanks for your inquiry. I stayed in Saudi Arabia on a business visa and I know that it is difficult to get a tourist visa unless you travel as part of a group. I will respond with more information in a separate email. Best regards, Ted

15th January 2012

Kelly Eades
non-member comment

Past Blast!
Whoa! I lived in Abqaiq from 1978-80. Most of these pics could have been taken back then! Hofuf and the caves have not changed much in 32 years! What fond memories of the people and land. Thank you for sharing.

4th June 2012

Brendan D'Arcy
non-member comment

A friend
Hi, I like your blog. I graduated from from Georgetown University's FLL where among other things I became fluent in Arabic. Someone mistook me as someone who lived Saudi Arabia several days ago. One of my best friends grew up in Abqaiq

15th July 2012

naseemkhan
non-member comment

desert hafuf
hafuf is dry desert,one can find not a single green plant or bush, it is hottest place, i wonder how tourists survive here, anyway winter is proper time of photography in hafuf desert.

15th July 2012

naseemkhan
non-member comment

lot of dates
i like eating dates, dry or fresh, saudi arabia is dates growing area,dates trees are common here saudi are very hostile, saudi love to share fresh dates with guests and travellers, above photo of dates in the sun look good,naseem khan karachi/pakistan

15th April 2014

nasrin
non-member comment

Do you know why it is so cool inside ? Your fotos are amazing. !

19th April 2014

TedTravel
Ted

Hohuf and the Al Quara Mountain Caves
Nasrin, thank you very much for your kind words. I'm glad that you like the photos. All caves are cool inside, regardless of where they are in the world. The cave walls insulate the inside from the outside air. In very cold climates, such as where I live, the caves are the same temperature, but they feel warm to us because it is cold outside. This is a wonderful place to visit. Thanks for reading my blog.

11th July 2018

DORAL A ALLEN
non-member comment

Abqaiq
I grew up in Abqaiq the first 10 years of my life and then spent the rest of my years with Dhahran as my home base, returning to Dhahran in the summers from high school and college. It would be great if you could give us an idea where in Abqaiq these shots were taken.

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Hofuf and the Al Qara Mountain Caves

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