Province
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Tat'aees in Al-Qassim
| Sand dunes occupy about 15% of Al-Qassim's landscape. These scenic sand dunes offer a unique opportunity for motor sport - particularly tat'aees (competitive dune driving not unlike a hill climb) and several clubs have opened up to cater for enthusiasts |
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Tat'aees dune driving is a uniquely Saudi sport, with distinctly universal appeal, combining action, noise, speed and a hint of danger. The principle of tat'aees may seem simple: four wheel drive vehicles, pickup trucks and quad bikes compete over mountainous dunes, or across vast tracks of desert in tests of endurance and speed. The hard part is doing it in mountains of fine sand.
Tat'aees combines the challenge of cross-terrain driving, with the mechanical skill involved in streamlining a vehicle. It includes a variety of events for motorcycles, quad bikes, 6 cylinder 4-wheel drive, 8 cylinder 4-wheel drive, and an open event where you can race anything you like. Competitions vary too, with contestants driving head-to-head, in single elimination, and against the clock events.
The variety of contests allows competitors to test themselves in many different ways - not only their driving skills - which is certainly the main attraction - but also their mechanical abilities to manipulate the framework or engine of the car.
With a concentration of dunes in the south eastern part of the province as an extension of the Nafud al Kabir, Al-Qassim is particularly well situated to cater for this growing sport.
Four wheel drive and desert racing events are regularly organized, with entrants traveling from other provinces and countries to attend. Enthusiasts build and modify their own vehicles for the races.
Tat'aees attracts huge audiences, eager to watch the wild action as the pared-down racing vehicles and their adrenaline-fueled drivers jockey for position.
Competitions, organized by locals, may start small, but quickly escalate. In Al-Qassim Province 10,000 visitors flocked to the Umm Hazm sand dunes outside Al Mithneb to watch drivers race; six weeks later, 30,000 attended on one day. Over four weekends, more than 160,000 spectators flocked to the dunes.
Racing is an all-day affair that often extends into the evening, and when the engines are finally quiet, the dunes glow with small tea fires as clusters of men relax on rugs on the sand. A beautiful and thrilling event in the desert.
Qassim Desert Sports Club in Buraydah train interested people and organize events, competitions and meetings with other clubs in the Kingdom and abroad. One of their most popular sports is Paramotoring (motorised parasailing) which originated here in Al-Qassim
The Al-Qassim Flying Club has links with other clubs in the Kingdom, especially Riyadh. It performs flying exhibitions at festivals and trains future pilots.
Related to this is The Zinjer Club which focuses on 'monster trucks', 'big foot cars' and freestyle motocross. This club performs shows at festivals in Al-Qassim, nationally and in Gulf countries with their customized vehicles.
A Hobbies and Skills Club in Unayzah was launched two years ago in Unayzah focusing on interests not catered for by the sports clubs under the Ministry of Youth Affairs. Activities here include carting, paragliding, model airplane flying, motorcycling and remote controlled cars. This club attracts enthusiasts from other provinces in the Kingdom can be contacted regarding future events, meeting and competitions.
Southeast of Unayzah and east of Mithnab is a place called Safiq Dunes which is particularly popular for desert sports events. It is one of the most accessible sites in the Kingdom for dune driving (tat'aees). This site is already very popular with dune drivers and special desert sports events were held here in early 1426H (2005). This site is planned to be developed as the Al-Qassim Desert Sports center, which can provide a variety of desert sports activities and training.
Um Athlaten, located near Um Dabab, has somewhat smaller sand dunes which are also suitable for dune driving.
Ariq at Tarafiyyah (northeast of Buraydah) is an attractive desert landscape that is popular for picnicking and relaxation. It has small sand dunes which attract dune drivers and has dune buggies for rent in the local tented 'isterahas' which also offer food and beverage for sale. Camel races are periodically held in the area. The area is easily accessible via a paved road from Buraydah. |
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