How Many People Can Say They Have Snorkelled in the Desert?

In August 2012, my friend Ali (with whom it seems I have most of my adventures) told me that he had discovered a cave near Riyadh, that not only went deep underground, but that also had a mysterious underground lake at the bottom. His suggestion was that after our Eid break with his family in Bahrain, we should drive back and explore this interesting phenomenon.

We researched the spot online and found that the place had previously been explored by a number of people, but the last recorded visit seemed to be around 10 years ago. The cave was supposedly made up of several chambers, the first of which was a steep decline down to a point at the bottom where there was a small opening in the rock, through to a secondary chamber. Passing through this chamber into a third, brought the explorers to an underground lake around 100m wide, by 30m deep. The cave had been explored and dived before, but this only slightly deflated our desire to go and explore what we initially thought may have been a previously unexplored area.

Myself, Ali and Mido drove through the night from Bahrain and arrived in Riyadh in the early morning, where we met Tariq, who had been visiting family there. After some early morning tea, we hit the road again to find the cave.

The cave was called Ain Heet, 'ain' being the Arabic for eye. We had found the coordinates but as we drove, it seemed like we possibly wouldn't find it, until, as we turned a corner, we saw a magnificent cliff face in front of us. Excitedly, we got out of the car and jogged over to take a closer look. Sure enough, as we looked down towards what should have been the base of the cliff, we saw that it didn't meet the sand, but instead curved inwards to form a large, wide opening, shaped, interestingly, like an eye.

Apparently the cave had been subject to quite a number of geological surveys as it contains a layer of the rock (ahyndrite) that is commonly found when looking for evidence of oil. My understanding is that it is this kind of rock that provides a kind of 'cap' that seals the oil underneath, so if you find it, even without there being actual oil present, it is likely that there will be other areas where oil can be found in the locality.

Oil had already been discovered in other nearby parts of Saudi, but the discovery of the ahyndrite reignited the search for further deposits, leading to more discoveries.

We climbed down over a lot of loose rock, taking notice of the garbage around us. Mostly old plastic water bottles, and the graffiti on areas that just seemed unreachable. How do people manage to spray pain areas that seem humanly impossible to reach? It was sad to see, but thankfully did not deprive us of the sense of adventure that had been building up in anticipation of the trip. We could not see the bottom of the cave as the descent was so steep that the roof of the cave obscured our view.

As we continued on, we noticed that many pigeons seemed to have made this cave their home. We were hoping for bats, but it was nice to see that the cave was not entirely devoid of life. They seemed to have a pretty localised roosting section because we passed an area that was covered in bird faeces. We navigated around it and continues our descent.

Eventually we reached a point where we noticed that things were much darker and we could tell that there was a flat, black surface below us. We could see the water and negotiated our way down to its edge.

We were surprised to find it so soon however. The information had said that the water was to be found through several chambers, but we were still in the first. We considered that if you can find an underground lake in the middle of the desert, then it isn't at all impossible that the water may have risen. It was also possible, we thought, that cave had collapsed slightly, opening a way to the lake without having to negotiate the chambers.

The first thing that we noticed was that the surface of the water was covered in what looked like a fine dust. We couldn't be certain what it was and at first it deterred us from continuing further. If the roof had collapsed, then it wasn't impossible, we reasoned, that this could be left over from such an event.We also noticed man made debris floating on the surface of the water. As we discussed it, we were anxious that this meant that the water was not as pure as we had expected. We managed to clear some of the 'dust' to discover that below, the water looked crystal clear. Ali and I made the decision to go in.

We quickly changed into our swimming gear and got our masks, fins, and underwater torches ready. Ali was first in and he took the gradual route, wading from the shallower end. I sat, perched on the edge and pushed myself forward into the cool water. Tariq stood by the side debating with himself as to whether to join us as he was suspicious of the dust layer on top.

What we saw below was incredible. The water seemed to disappear down for a surprising depth. Our torches could not shine light so far. The area that I accessed the water from was a massive boulder that was perched against the wall at the side. It was an inviting route for exploration but required us to return with diving gear and an experienced cave diver. There is no way we would have risked free diving down and underneath, with the possibility of being trapped under the rock.

Tariq's resolve soon gave in as we told him that the water was so clear beneath. He was keen to join us and quickly was swimming around and gazing at the fascinating sights below, all anxiety gone.

We swam around for 10 minutes, had our photos taken by Mido who stayed on the side. We talked about ways we could go back to explore some more, finding a cave diver friend and taking some equipment to clean the place up. We were truly fascinated and we were excited about our return visit.

At this point we dressed again (well most of us), and began the climb back out of the cave to make our return trip to Jeddah, a 9 hour drive away. We talked and joked about the return visit.

Prior to making the trip we conducted some online research, however there was apparently very little information on the cave. Saudi people, in general, do not explore terribly much, unless it is to find a camping spot to stop and eat. This is a huge generalisation, but what it means is that there is not a lot of information on places such as this, and what there is, seemed hard to find.

We talked about taking water samples, but didn't know who we could find to analyse them. We discussed caving safety and took some ropes with us, but in the end did not need to use them as we remained in the main chamber. We were simply a group of friends, interested in trying new things and looking for adventure. The experience has made me keen to look into caving as a potential pass time. There are apparently a number of places in Saudi that are ready to be explored. The challenge now is to find the people who can help me make this a reality.

What I have also discovered now though, is that research is invaluable. I must say however, that I was not expecting what I found, when I was looking for the previous sources of information to list in my blog.

It turns out that in 2011, a team explored the cave, having heard about the rise in water level themselves, and keen to find out more for themselves. They discovered that the water had risen about 27m. Apparently a lake had been formed, 7km away to the North, on the outskirts of Riyadh. It seems that water from the lake has found its way into the cave, through something called a karst, resulting in the rising of the water level and what it turns out was not a dust layer, but rather a bacterial slime as the lake near Riyadh is in fact filled with sewage.

Needless to say, that it is unlikely that we will ever be diving in this fascinating underwater lake again. It adds to my sense of dismay, that beautiful, unique places like this however, are subject to such destruction by man.

http://www.saudicaves.com/hitvideo/index.html

http://www.splendidarabia.com/location/riyadh/heet/

http://www.sgs.org.sa/English/earth/Pages/CavesExploring.aspx

http://www.saudicaves.com/sewage/index.html

The Land Between Two Sea

I never knew much about Bahrain before I came to Saudi. I knew it was a relatively rich country in the Gulf, but that was about the extent of my knowledge. Once I got here I learned that it is a popular bolt hole for Expats and Saudis who are looking for a drink or perhaps a night out of partying. I did neither of these things while there but left with a strong desire to go back and learn more of this quite unique place.

Meeting my friend, Ali, helped me to learn of a different side of Bahrain yet again. A place that in so many ways is like Saudi Arabia, but in many more ways stands apart as a nation in its own right. Ali invited myself and our friend, Mido, to visit there during Eid, after Ramadan, and the weekend before my return to work after the summer break.

Traditional Bahraini bread oven

Bahrain is located off the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia, about an hour's drive from Dammam. It is made up of an archipelago of islands. It is often seen as simply being one island, but in fact there are 3 main islands and many smaller ones, making 49 in total. The main island is home to the capital city, Manama, and a number of smaller cities and towns. A large area of this island remains unpopulated, however a reasonable proportion of the coast line is subject to land reclamation. The next island, Muharraq Island, contains the city of Al Muharraq, and is also home to the Airport. On the other side of the main Island is a smaller one yet again, which I am told belongs to one of the Sheiks and is not accessible to the general public. A section of it however does provide a base for the 25 km (16m) causeway that links Bahrain to the Arabian Peninsula and Saudi Arabia. The other Islands host a few resorts, or are home to sea birds and other local fauna. Some of these islands are tidal as well, so are only accessible or visible at low tide.

The name Bahrain literally means Two Seas (Bahr - Seas; ain (ithnain)- two). There is some debate as to whether this refers to the different waters surrounding it, or to the mixture of fresh and salt water caused by the natural underground springs.

Looking back towards Manama from the archeological site beneath the fortress

What struck me most about Bahrain is the eagerness to hold on to and celebrate its past. It openly acknowledges its pre-Islamic past and is home to a world heritage site, upon which over 4000 years of human civilisation can be traced. Old and new sit comfortably side by side, and the city, with its towering buildings provides an impressive backdrop to ancient ruins.

Even when visiting some of the smaller towns it was bizarre, yet encouraging to see that houses are built amongst ancient burial mounds. While not all of these mounds remain intact, it is now illegal to destroy or steal from them. Even more impressive about this is that there are over 180,000 of these mounds which are home to the remains of the ancient Dilmun (Dilmoon) People.

These people worshipped very differently and offered snake sacrifices, which are now often displayed in small pottery jars.

The land of Dilmun was famous throughout the ancient world as a place of great bounty. It is even considered a site of the original Garden of Eden. Even today, fresh water springs are used to water farms where a great quantity of crops are grown. These springs, under the sea bed, have been crucial in the pearling industry also. The land of Dilmun also features in the Epic of Gilgamesh, a story about a man on his search for immortality.

A section of the Portuguese fortress

The islands have been occupied many times over the centuries, and each brought a taste of its own culture and built over the remains of what was there before. This is why, under the mound where the large Portuguese fortress is built, there are the remains of no less than another 3 cities to be found, one on top of the other.

Looking back through time.
The layers of cities built on this one site.

Bahrain, while an Islamic State, ruled by a Sunni Muslim Royal Family, is home to people of many religions and they are free to worship as they choose. The largest proportion of Muslims on the island are Shia, however in general, there seems so be a good relationship between both sects. While the Arab Spring has affected the area, the complaint is not against the fellow Muslim walking down the street, but to the autocratic nature of the Government, and the desire to choose, or be represented as the majority people group in the area. While I am not fully familiar with the ins and outs of the situation or political status of the country, or the Arab Spring I am unqualified to make comment. I can relate in some way however to how some back home may feel about being in a nation ruled by a political party they did not choose.

Mosque and Church side by side

Inside the Church

The fact seems to be that people can worship as they like. We visited a Church building where services were held daily, in multiple languages, and regardless of denomination. The Church Building was beside a Mosque. I am told that Bahrain has a Christian Ambassador and a Jewish one also. It is great to see that in this nation, people are able to live side by side in peace, with respect for one another. We pride ourselves in this in the Western World, but I do not think I have seen it working in quite the same way as it does here. It was quite beautiful.

The Grand Mosque

We visited the Grand Mosque and were given a tour, which was a fascinating experience. This incredible building which had clearly been build to the Glory of God was a place of intense peace, and was a sign again, of Bahrain's ability to bring the world together. Each of the materials had been sought out from across the globe. Hundreds of glass lights from France, a huge carpet from Scotland, and stained glass from Iran I believe, with many materials from other countries also.

Calling the Addan

We were guided by a lady who was very keen to help us to understand the reason and the purpose for what we saw, and was eager that I left with a deeper understanding of Islam, though not in a pressurised way, simply out of a desire to inspire unity. She encouraged us to take photographs and to walk around and explore. Up until this point, I had not been into a Mosque (though having lived in Saudi for a year). There has always seemed to be a sense of forbidding, that I wasn't seen as clean enough. This Mosque went to great lengths to make sure I felt welcome.

Breathtaking Chandelier

Elsewhere, it was also great to find artists' and craftsmen's cooperatives. There is a great desire to hold on to traditional skills. Pottery, chest making, weaving, amongst other things. Bahraini people seem proud of these skills while in Saudi Arabia it often seems (though I could be wrong) that many of these tasks are beneath them. It was even great to see some beautiful art work and paintings. There is a real recognition of the creative gifts and talents that we have been given, and a desire to use them to enhance our lives.

Local Pottery

In Bahrain, people dress as they choose, worship as the choose, pray as and when they choose, and nobody is offended. People live with a mutual respect for one another and their beliefs and choices. It was great to simply go for coffee and not be afraid that we might be asked to leave, or be locked in at prayer time, and it was encouraging to see women, wearing abaya and niquab, walking down the street with women in jeans and a tshirt or blouse. Women making the choice to cover their hair but dress comfortably, yet modestly in conventional clothes.

It was great to be driven by a Bahraini taxi driver (as you have to be Bahraini to drive a taxi there), and to see Bahrainis washing cars and waitering in restaurants. People realising that for their economy and national identity to flourish as the oil diminishes, they need to all pull together and play their parts.

After a year in Saudi Arabia I must say that I love the country. I think there is so much potential here, and that the hospitality and friendship I have received has been outstanding. When I visited Bahrain, I realise it was for a brief moment, and that the country is not with out its problems (yet neither is Scotland). But what I did see, was a people who are willing to reflect, see another point of view, and who realise that diversity and different opinions are not a threat, but are in fact, a strength.

Bahrain are proud of their ancient past, their Islamic past, their cultural heritage and their vibrant, modern nation. It was a pleasure to visit and I fully intend to return to learn more about this fascinating place.

Polarised Lenses are Not a Joking Matter

To read about our amazing experience on the wreck, scroll down to the red heading The Wreck. However I encourage you to read the entire post to hear all about our amazing adventure.

As I wondered round Al Balad with Ali, we joked away as usual. We enjoyed the sights of the old town, the bustle of so many nationalities and hunted for somewhere to find some food. Preferably not somewhere where the flies would outnumber the plates, and where it looked like the food would leave us with a pleasant taste in our mouths without a strange rumbling in our bellies.

As we sat, enjoying our food. I picked up Ali's polarised sunglasses and joked that I could see headless people wondering around in the street, knowing that polarised lenses can sometimes change how you see things, I took this one step further and suggested that, like in 'The Sixth Sense', they gave the power to see dead people.

Driving along Route 5 out of Jeddah to a popular spot the next morning, I made the same joke. This time about seeing dead camels with three legs, walking along beside the road. It was stupid joking, but kept us amused as we drove along the barren landscape, before hitting the sea line.

We arrived at our general destination. We were looking for some friends we had met before. Most weekends they are to be found in a small, shallow bay, mostly cut off from the sea, kite surfing, and Ali and I were keen to speak to them about kite surfing, while the other guys were looking for a chance to swim and enjoy the sunshine, perhaps having a paddle in the water at the same time. As we drove around looking for our friend we passed an old wreck sitting, perched half out of the water. It looked to be fairly modern, but it had certainly been sitting there for quite some time. It looked fascinating, and was also a dead giveaway to the reef that lay beneath. We stopped and photographed it before driving on again. The Al Fahad was a pretty big boat and an impressive sight so close to shore.

We continued our exploring and found some interesting spots. This part of the coast is peppered with small bays cut in off the sea, mostly shallow, leaving the water a beautiful vibrant blue colour. Normally the entrance to these bays, has been bridged over, restricting some access from the sea, but also creating some little inlets where people have built small communities. There are little tin mosques, many fishing dhows, and makeshift buildings.Sadly also, amidst such beauty, there are still acres of litter, from left over shisha heads, to dirty nappies, plastic bottles dead fish and so forth. Thankfully looking into the middle distance, the eyes can block out this sight to take in the stunning colours of the water against the golden sand.

Turning around, we drove back towards the first little bay and as we looked to our left, saw the kites flying in the sky, about half a dozen of them weaving back and forth from the sand. We drove over and were glad to meet a few friends and acquaintances who were glad to tell us a little about what was happening and who could help us. Since the people we wanted to talk to were either on the water, or not yet arrived, we decided to take a look back over at the sea to avoid getting in the way of the boards, and to have a chance to have a look in the deeper water where we were in no doubt of finding some reefs.

As we climbed into the water, Ali and I agreed to stick together as we made our way through the breakers as the waves were pretty strong. We also knew that it was beyond this line that we would see the most interesting coral and fish. To be honest, I was hoping we might come across a sea turtle or two, and would not have been disappointed to see a shark either (though exactly how I would have reacted to this, I do not know). We decided that first of all we should go and take a swim around the wreck and as we made our way over we accustomed our eyes to the water and began to see schools of brightly coloured fish darting around under the waves across a sandy sea bed.

The Wreck

As we reached the wreck we discovered that the front end of the ship was in the air, lifted up well above the reef, with fish darting around underneath. We inspected the side to find the hull covered in barnacles and crabs scurrying around, just above the waterline, clinging on as the waves battered against it. It was hard to believe that such a hulk could remain there, balanced above the water. But it was. It was clear that it hadn't moved in many years, so although there was the constant thought that at any second in may topple over, we knew that this would not happen. We began to swim along the near side of the ship which was tilted towards the land. We could glance over and see the others back near the car and wondered why Mido had climbed out the water, but realised he had gone back to get his fins.

Under the water the reef was beautiful and I realised I was pretty disappointed that I hadn't brought diving gear and was already formulating a plan in my mind to return and explore more. I lifted my head out of the water to talk to Ali, to make this suggestion and looked quickly over at the ship, and that is when I got a sudden fright. There, on the side of the ship, looking straight at me, was a large pair of very white eyes, surrounded by a gaunt, black face, and accompanied by a row of white teeth. That he waved at me was immaterial as I began flapping my feet wildly and cried to Ali to look. For a moment I had to check myself. I realised I wasn't wearing any polarised lenses and that I wasn't seeing a ghost. Images of Pirates of the Caribbean came rushing into my head and I half expected a skeletal monkey to come swinging past my face. Across the water from Saudi Arabia is Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and not far away either, is Somalia, renowned for its pirates.

Surprised, Ali looked round and spotted them, and greeted him. Asalam Alaykum. He quickly established that he and his friend were fishing, but that, to be honest, that was all that we learned at that point. There was no sign of a small boat anywhere. It seems that Ali asked if was possible to get onto the boat and it turned out that we could. To our left was a large opening in the side of the vessel.

"Will it be safe to get on?" Was my question.

"Well it's not safe, but it is interesting." Ali replied.

"Remember I'm white!" was my response, thinking of how there has been so much trouble in the world recently, over this film. My Muslim friends had joked about people trying to fast track to heaven already, but now it seemed so much more possible. At the same point, to go on board was an opportunity I didn't want to miss.

It reminded me of a time when my sister and I investigated an old derelict shop in the village we grew up in. We were playing around in the area behind it and noticed an open door. We snuck in and climbed up the stairs and as we got to the top had discovered some men in there. I don't think I have ever shirt-tailed it so fast in my life, and we ran, unthinkingly back to our house to tell our parents, oblivious to the telling off we would get for doing something so stupid.

We swam to the opening and noticed that the floor of that particular deck sloped into the water so it provided quite a natural little jetty for us and we slid up , clutching the barnacles while trying to avoid putting our hands on the crabs, or scrape our knees. Once we reached a secure spot, we removed our fins and gingerly stood up, using a metal ridge, which at some point must have supported a wall, to press our feet against to avoid us tumbling back into the water.

As we turned to our left we began to enter a small corridor and could see into the rooms which were dirty and full of dust and grime. It was hard to know whether the mess was a result of the crash, or due to people ransacking the vessel at some point. In one room there were maps, evidently unharmed and not even wet. We reached a corner and turned to our right and found a corridor in complete darkness. We debated whether we should walk along the corridor or whether to turn and find another route, but establishing that there was a glint of light at the other end we pressed on into the darkness.

We soon came out into an open area and discovered the medical room and a flight of stairs. By this time we were beginning to get quite dizzy. There was at least a 30 degree tilt to the floor and walking along with all of the floors and walls at an angle was quite disorientating. We turned around and ascended the stairs, coming out in what was like a lounge where there had been a catering booth and rows of once plush chairs where families would have sat and enjoyed a meal. The seats were now in disarray, grey with grime and mould.

We heard some voices coming towards us and through an opening the two men appeared. They spoke to Ali, as my contribution was rather limited, "Ismee Dawud." They acknowledged me before turning and urging us to follow them. We stepped out onto the deck where we had initially seen them, and were glad of the rusted metal floor which gave us better grip than the linoleum  tiles we had been slipping and sliding on already.

Ali quickly established that these men lived on the ship. We could see a sack of potatoes, and onions hanging, and there were bottles and bottles of water lined up also. We set down our snorkelling gear and got chatting.

It turns out thatthe boat has been wrecked for 12 years. They spend a month on the boat at a time, with occasional trips to the shore to collect supplies. They are employed by the ship owners to man the vessel as they cannot leave it unattended at sea until it is removed. I guess it must be cheaper to pay these men to stay on board than it is to have the vessel removed. The owners employ people in 6 month blocks, recruiting from Sudan. Each month they get few hours trip to Jeddah, but other than that they are not permitted on land. This is a stipulation of their visa. They live in squalid conditions, constantly surrounded by the sea, and never have a flat floor to walk on. They fish from the reef to feed themselves and have limited communication with the mainland. They have an old mobile phone and I think that they get some kind of portable power system with which to charge it, however this was needing replaced and they had very little charge left on their phone.

They offered us tea and while we were waiting, one of the guys took us on a tour further up. His name was Ibrahim it turned out, and as we followed him we slipped and slid on the sloping deck while he walked with little difficulty, at an angle which just looked odd, but for him had become completely natural. We climbed some stairs, though to be honest they were more on the level than the floors were, and reached the top deck.  We looked out to the open ocean and over at the land which was sitting at an odd angle it seemed. As we looked to the shore we saw Mido, standing, staring out to sea and we called and whistled and waved until it seemed like he heard us, as he waved back. We realised he must have been worried about us  so were glad that he at least knew where we were, if not slightly perplexed by the situation.

At this point, the other guy, Mohammed, came with the tea. As usual around here, the cups were almost half full with sugar. He led us as we stumbled and staggered back to the deck where they spend most of their time, by a different route. He carried a tray with a flask of hot tea, with 2 tea glasses on it, and no apparent difficulty as we clutched on to anything we could to stay upright, while making sure it was not overly rusted. We didn't want it to give way were we to put too much strain on it.

He led us through another lounge area where they had set up a plank of plywood, like a ramp of the floor, and covered with a brightly coloured rug. This was the prayer room and the carpet was pointed towards Makkah. It seems difficult to understand how they prepare for prayer in such a place. How do you stay clean? How do you wash? Even now I wonder about where they must go to the bathroom.

We sat and drank the hot, sweet tea and began to make plans to meet with them when they returned to Jeddah for their next visit in around 10 days. We hope to go for shisha with them. As we looked back to shore however, we saw the car begin to move off. We quickly realised that perhaps Mido hadn't seen us at all, and that they were starting to get really worried and were possibly going to find help from the coastguard.

We debated as to how we could contact them to let them know that things were OK. Mohammed offered us the use of his almost dead mobile phone to call. He had to switch it on and enter a top up voucher before we could finally call. Our phones were back in the car so we called Ali's first, with no response, but on attempting my phone, Mido answered. It is hard to know what to say about his response. Firstly I didn't speak to him, but judging by Ali's responses he found it difficult to understand what was going on. How could we be sitting having a cup of tea on a shipwreck? He asked Ali to repeat the story in Arabic to make sure he wasn't hearing things and eventually believed us, and a few minutes later we saw the car making its way back to our spot on the shore. With relief, we finished our tea and made plans to leave.

They guys were sad to see us go, and invited us to stay for lunch, waving a large, freshly caught fish at us, but we explained that we had probably caused our friends enough worry and should probably get back to them. It took some convincing but when we agreed to return in two weeks, and reminded them we could also meet for shisha in Jeddah, they agreed this would be a good plan.

They kindly led us back down to the sea, carrying our snorkelling gear for us. Down the stairs, past the medical room, the map room, the dark corridor, and out onto our little jetty. As we put our masks and fins back on we continued to smile at the strange experience we had just had, and mused on the strange places one can pick up new friends. We shook their hands and slid back in the water to return to our friends.

On the return I struggled to keep the water out of my mask because of the huge grin on my face, and the constant need to chuckle about what had just happened, and the thought of two potentially very angry friends on the shore. We decided that on our return we will also dive, exploring the reef below.

We were glad to see that on the shore, our friends were mostly amused at the story, having recovered from the initial concern of not being able to find us. Hopefully they will join us next time as we repeat what was a truly odd adventure.