Al Elb Dam

Photo Credit: www.touristlink.com

Back in February 2012 there was an  article published on Saudi Aramco World about Wadi Hanifa's restoration and within the text was mention of Al Elb dam.  I have no idea why, out of the entire article, Al Elb got me all excited, but I decided that going to find Al Elb dam had to be on our list of 'Things to do in Riyadh'.

It wasn't until late on a Friday afternoon in June that we called Mr Noor and asked him if he knew the dams whereabouts as the only directions we had were "Al Elb dam in Wadi Hanifah 35 kilometers north of downtown Riyadh".   Noor began driving North and then, as we explained the article to him, he had an aha! moment.  He turned off the main highway, drove through an older part of town, wound through a few side streets and, soon, we were heading down into the wadi.  Rounding a corner the roadside landscape changed to wide, tree lined, stoned hedged footpaths, and there, spanning the wadi was Al Elb dam.

When Kiwi folk think of dams this is the sort of picture that usually springs to mind...

Waipouri River Dam.  Photo credit: wikipedia.org

That's not quite what we found.
Often times I have to do an 'Oh, that's right, I live in Saudi' re-think about the things I come across here.  Why I expected to find a giant lake held back by the large concrete structure was, possibly, wishful thinking.

What we found was this...

It's more of a puddle really.  Not that we were disappointed.  Oh no.  It is obvious that a lot of work has been done here and, quite frankly, getting out of the closed confines of a Riyadh living space is always a pleasant experience.

It was about four in the afternoon but, being June, it was still warm so there weren't a lot of people around.   A few kids were riding bikes along the footpath, a number of people were strolling down to the waters edge or standing on the causeway taking in the view.  On the other side of the wadi are steps leading up to a ridge and, from there, you can sit and contemplate life in Saudi - or whatever it is you like to contemplate.

We decided to go for a stroll.  As water is always an attraction in Riyadh we also ended up down by the little pond that had formed behind the dam surprising a duck that went quacking and flapping further into its center.  It had been so long since we'd seen or heard a duck we had to laugh at how strange, yet bizarrely comforting it was to be in a desert dam, with a duck.

The wide path across the causeway provides ample room, and height, for looking back up the wadi.  Sunset was drawing more families out to the numerous picnic spots offered by the tree growth and boys were kicking footballs about.  Looking over the edge there appeared to be a watermark slightly higher up the structure so, at some point, there must be a bit of water held in here.  Just not this day.

Hubster carried our small chilly bin up to the ridge and, as the sun set, we sat overlooking Al Elb dam with Mr Noor, drinking green tea with mint and nibbling on Mahmoul and thinking how lovely the dusk was and whether this large dam will ever be full of water.

That was in June last year.
In January this year, to celebrate the New Year, we went back to El Alb.  Again it was late afternoon but this time, being winter, the temperature was much cooler and El Alb's reputation as a great family picnic spot had spread.  The place was jumping.

Loads of families filled the picnic bays and bar-b-q smoke filled the air.  Finding a spare car park close by wasn't easy.  In fact, we were about to give up and drive someplace else before Hubster spied a spot we could just squeeze into.

The little pond had disappeared which was surprising as there had recently been a bit of rain.  Not only had the number of people increased who were taking advantage of the facilities at Al Elb dam, but even the tress and shrubbery seemed to have grown.  Here's a few pics.

The pond has gone.

The steps were leading up to a beautiful blue sky.

Picnickers downstream

As the picnic bays were all full we decided to drive to a less populated spot just down the road from Al Elb to have our news years picnic.  It was nice to see that the Wadi Hanifah restoration project, started all those years ago, is providing places like Al Elb Dam and that they are being well utilized.

Here's my Kiwi In Saudi Map with Al Elb Dam marked.
Google co-ordinates are 24.774968,46.53019
Happy trails.

View Kiwi In Saudi: Tiki Tour in a larger map


Ka Kite,
Kiwi

Cycling in Riyadh.

Cycling in Riyadh is beginning to take off.

It wasn't hard to notice the increase of cyclists amongst the populace given that for the first two years of living in the country bicycles in Riyadh's great outdoors were virtually nowhere to be seen. (Bikes ridden by kids on compounds is, of course, a different story).

The first bicycle I saw being ridden down a Riyadh footpath in the central city was by one of the city's many workers (you can read more about them on my post Worker Bees). It was an old bike, a classic one gear beauty, but it was peddling along just fine.   This bloke obviously started a new trend because he is no longer a lone cyclist in the city.  Not that the numbers are excessive, but of late there is more than 1.

In fact, on our walk through the city last night we were passed by six Worker Bee blokes on bicycles in the space of five minutes and spotted more bikes chained to posts and poles along the street.  Perhaps having a Wheels bike shop recently locate to the vicinity, on Sulamaniya-Thalateen, has pushed up cycling interest
.

Do Saudi's cycle?
I would say generally speaking - no. 
Why  not?  No idea.  Perhaps the heat.  The thobe isn't really conducive to cycling either.  Whatever the reason Saudi boys aren't really into cycling.  Football yes.  Cycling no.  (Not yet, anyway - perhaps the bike shop will change all that).

Surprisingly the bike shop stocks a few bikes for women, although only males were cycling about the street.  Hubster was less than happy for me to haul out one of the women's bikes and give it a try.  Apart from the fact he didn't want to attract attention he had an opinion on the cost (too much) but mostly he wanted to know where, exactly, I intended to ride the bike should I purchase it given that, just as women can't drive in this country, the general consensus is they should also not ride bikes - not in public anyway.

Cycling isn't encouraged for Saudi girls due, mostly, to the cultural value placed on the status of a females' nether regions, more specifically her hymen.  The importance of being a virgin bride is one of the reasons given for restricting girls in this country from participating in numerous sporting and exercise activities that would benefit their physical and mental well-being.  Obviously, being a bright, happy and healthy female is less attractive to the Saudi psyche than being virginal.

Living in the 21st century one could argue the archaic-ness of this belief and call it Saudi nonsense but it pays to remember that before the Wicked West became wicked (or is that educated and enlightened) tradition preferred Pure as Snow brides at the alter.  And Saudi isn't the only country around the globe that still likes their brides to be innocent flowers.

What's confounding about Saudi is the conservatives continued stance of discouraging female involvement in sport or exercise even after the marital sheets have been bled on and long after offspring have sprung forth.  What is their rational?  Principal!   If you aren't already aware of what those principles may be this article, Two Steps Forward, by Eman al Nafjan on the Foreign Policy website, gives a little insight.

Of course, even without cultural and religious restrictions not all Saudi girls are intent on rushing out to go bike riding though one does wonder how many would, if they could.

My friend recounted a story about a Saudi family on holiday outside of  Saudi Arabia.  The father was trying to teach his daughter (14years) how to ride a bike.  He was teaching her on this holiday because he would be frowned on for teaching her in his own country.  My friend thought this was a sad story.  I had to disagree.  What a great Dad!  What a fabulous thing for him to do!  By all accounts she was determined to keep trying and he was perfectly happy to keep teaching.  Definitely a story with a lot more positives than negatives.

I have often wondered whether this young lady mastered her bike riding while on holiday and, if so, whether she continued her riding after returning to Saudi.   "Where would she ride?" I hear you say.

Two places I have seen youngsters, boys and girls, enjoying the great outdoors on their bikes in Riyadh are out in the desert on family picnics and along the wide walk ways beside Al Elb Dam on a balmy Saudi evening. 

Granted these kids were quite young (pre-teen), but it was heartening to see the parents didn't restrict their young daughters from the enjoyment that cycling can bring.  And I have to admit that, though these families (my vast experience is drawn from meeting both of them) were of Middle Eastern origin, neither of them were Saudi.

What do you do in Riyadh if you're a serious cyclist just itching to get on ya bike?  One expat I know throws his mountain bike in the back of his truck and heads for the hills outside of Riyadh with a couple of his friends.  He is, admittedly, a little bit crazy.

Keen cyclists (including a couple of women) have also been seen pedaling the walking tracks around the DQ though, be warned, it's not a smooth ride by any means.

If you're looking for a cycling club in Riyadh then this site - Riyadh Wheelers - may be of interest to you.  According to their website the club, which consists mostly of expats, has been in existence since 1992 and there is a raft of other information about what they offer as well.

For those looking for a more leisurely ride there is a walkway that runs through Wadi Hanifa that a few cyclists (mostly men I gather) are known to ride along.  It has cross my mind to cycle through Wadi Hanifah with Hubster one weekend and I even contemplated designing an abaya specifically for the purpose.  However, Mr Noor may have to come along too, as wheel man, in case we need a quick exit due to locals unhappy with feminine-ness cycling in public in Riyadh.




Ka Kite,
Kiwi