Place · region

Nafud

Also known as Great Nafud, An Nafud

The Nafud is a large sand desert in the north of the Arabian Peninsula, in northern Saudi Arabia. Covering some 65,000 square kilometres, it is known for its high red dunes and harsh climate. It lay across routes linking the Hejaz with Mesopotamia and Syria, and travellers such as Lady Anne Blunt described crossing it.

Nafud
Image: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Thamud

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Nafud. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/nafud
MLA
“Nafud.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/nafud. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Nafud.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/nafud.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Nafud’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/nafud (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻