JEBEL FIHRAYN, Saudi Arabia: As Saudi Arabia suspended international flights and shuttered entertainment venues this weekend over coronavirus fears, locals and residents once again turned to wide-open desert spaces for recreation, including the breathtaking ‘Edge of the World’. The conservative kingdom only recently lifted bans on public entertainment, including cinemas and concerts, as part of social and economic reform efforts, but the virus’s spread has prompted authorities to pause such activities again. Getaways to the rugged desert just outside the capital Riyadh are witnessing a surge of interest, guides say.
Those seeking isolation away from home can make the two-hour drive northwest from the capital Riyadh to ‘The Edge of the World’ site, where 300-metre-high cliffs offer expansive desert vistas. “I came to enjoy trail hiking because many places are closed: cinemas, public spaces and we cannot travel,” Khalid al Harbi, a Saudi from the Eastern Province, said. Sarah, a Briton living in Riyadh, said the metropolis had gone quiet nowadays. “But here is an incredible place to come, lots of fresh air, you’re outside. There are lots of people here but there’s such a lot of space,” she said. — Reuters
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