Why do we need to explore the Empty Quarter Road?
Published: 10:02 AM,Feb 21,2023 | EDITED : 02:02 PM,Feb 21,2023
Muscat: With the opening of the Empty Quarter Road, the Sultanate of Oman is the closest international tourist destination for Saudi citizens and even residents as it reduced the road travel time between two countries to six from 18 hours.
Prior to the opening of this new road, travelers to and from Saudi Arabia had to travel via UAE.
The road starts from the Ibri roundabout in Al Dhahirah Governorate and it ends at the Saudi Batha intersection, covering a length of 725 km, passing through the Empty Quarter desert - 161 km in the Sultanate and the rest 564 kilometers in Saudi Arabia.
With the Empty Quarter easily accessible via the new road, travelers between Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman can now enjoy desert scenes, especially sand dunes whose heights range between 50 and 250 meters, transverse and linear dunes.
The desert has many forms, such as sabkha (not coastal), sandy, rocky, and in some cases with a limited number of temporary water bodies of ponds and lakes.
The total cost of constructing the road was RORO1.9 billion and it is considered an engineering marvel due to the rugged terrain and harsh climate in the Empty Quarter.
It is one of the most important projects between the two countries for its role in facilitating the movement of tourists and pilgrims, in addition to promoting trade exchange between the two countries.
Safety
The road, which has been also provided with all safety features, including lighting on the last stretch of 30 km, to facilitate the movement of road users with ease and safety, is part of the network linking the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and all countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, with roads of a high level of quality and safety.
Riyadh also, through the new project, achieved the objectives of the Saudi strategy for transportation and logistics services.
The positive impact of the new road was reflected in the increase in the number of hotel guests in the Sultanate from January to November 2022, as they increased by 418.8% from 27,980 at the end of November 2021 to 145.100 guests until the end of November 2022.
Trade exchange between Saudi Arabia and Oman also increased in the first half of 2022 to SR11.4 billion ($3.04 billion), according to statements by Khaled Al-Falih, the Saudi Minister of Investment.
Prior to the opening of this new road, travelers to and from Saudi Arabia had to travel via UAE.
The road starts from the Ibri roundabout in Al Dhahirah Governorate and it ends at the Saudi Batha intersection, covering a length of 725 km, passing through the Empty Quarter desert - 161 km in the Sultanate and the rest 564 kilometers in Saudi Arabia.
With the Empty Quarter easily accessible via the new road, travelers between Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman can now enjoy desert scenes, especially sand dunes whose heights range between 50 and 250 meters, transverse and linear dunes.
The desert has many forms, such as sabkha (not coastal), sandy, rocky, and in some cases with a limited number of temporary water bodies of ponds and lakes.
The total cost of constructing the road was RORO1.9 billion and it is considered an engineering marvel due to the rugged terrain and harsh climate in the Empty Quarter.
It is one of the most important projects between the two countries for its role in facilitating the movement of tourists and pilgrims, in addition to promoting trade exchange between the two countries.
Safety
The road, which has been also provided with all safety features, including lighting on the last stretch of 30 km, to facilitate the movement of road users with ease and safety, is part of the network linking the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and all countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, with roads of a high level of quality and safety.
Riyadh also, through the new project, achieved the objectives of the Saudi strategy for transportation and logistics services.
The positive impact of the new road was reflected in the increase in the number of hotel guests in the Sultanate from January to November 2022, as they increased by 418.8% from 27,980 at the end of November 2021 to 145.100 guests until the end of November 2022.
Trade exchange between Saudi Arabia and Oman also increased in the first half of 2022 to SR11.4 billion ($3.04 billion), according to statements by Khaled Al-Falih, the Saudi Minister of Investment.