Three reserves made one
A Royal Order in June 2018 merged the protected areas of al-Khunfah, at-Tubayq and Harrat al-Harrah, with the land between and around them, into the King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve. It spreads across four regions, al-Jouf, Hail, Tabuk and the Northern Borders, and reaches north to the Jordanian border near Wadi Rum. Saudipedia counts 14 geographical formations within it, from volcanic craters and plateaus to canyons and sand dunes.
Each of the original three keeps its own character. Harrat al-Harrah is a volcanic plateau of black basalt, with low volcanic mountains rising to between 800 and 1,150 m. At-Tubayq is rugged country of mountains, valleys and canyons, while al-Khunfah, north of Tayma on the western edge of the Great Nafud, is mostly sandstone.
Gazelles, ibex and birds of passage
More than 282 animal species and more than 450 plant species have been recorded here. Reem gazelles graze al-Khunfah, Nubian ibex keep to at-Tubayq, and the Arabian wolf, sand cat and houbara bustard are among the residents. In 2022, 65 reem gazelles were released in al-Khunfah and the Arabian oryx returned, with the first calf born that June after an absence of about 90 years.
Birds give the reserve much of its weight. SPA reports more than 290 species, about 88% of them migratory, together 58% of all bird species recorded in the Kingdom. For birds arriving from Asia and Europe in autumn it is the first Saudi landfall, and for those coming up from Africa in spring, the last.
Traces of older peoples
More than 400 archaeological sites lie within its bounds, among them Kalwa, Kaf Palace and Jubbah in Hail, whose rock art is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In the al-Tawil mountains, ancient Arabic inscriptions and rock drawings of people, animals and plants sit beside prehistoric stone structures.