The DQ was built in the 1970s on the edge of Wadi Hanifa, a dry riverbed that still sees flooding in times of heavy rain, as we have had for the past week. People from the embassy community go on wadi walks on Saturday mornings, but I haven’t yet done that as getting up at 5 or 6 a.m. is a bit early for me, especially on the weekend!

Wadi Hanifa is a wadi or valley in the Nejd region in central Saudi Arabia. The valley runs for a length of 120 kilometers (75 miles) from north to south, cutting through the city of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. The valley takes its name from the ancient Arab tribe of Banu Hanifa, who were the principal tribe in the area at the dawn of Islam, though in those days the valley was better known as al-Irdh. A string of towns and villages lie along the valley, including Uyaynah, Jubaila, Irqah, Diriyah and Ha'ir. (from Wikipedia – more info and pictures at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadi_Hanifa )