City people love to visit and spend days in desert oases away from their crowded life. Carelessness on the part of visitors harms the flora and fauna of the desert. However, the Ministry of Agriculture is trying its best to maintain oases in collaboration with other related government departments.
Most trees and plants in the oases have the capability to withstand the rigors of desert summers and winters including droughts. They become lush green in the spring and rainy seasons. Desert dwellers use the oases for pastures and seasonal crops. Trees are felled for fuel, making weapons and camel howdahs.
More than 45 varieties of plants are commonly found in the more than 100 desert oases in the Riyadh province. They include palm tree, willow, acacia, lotus tree, African rue, Achillea fragrantissima, wormwood tree, grass and cactus besides many other pastoral trees and bushes, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Rawdah Al-Khoraim is an oasis 100 km northeast of Riyadh city where three valleys from the eastern side meet. Another oasis, Rawdah Al-Tanhat that is 190 km to the north has plenty of seasonal bushes and pastures besides willows and acacias. The 10-km-long and 3-km-wide oasis is declared a reserve area to preserve its desert plant and animal diversity. A number of streams flow to the area from the Aramah Mountain during the rainy season and keep the valley green for many months.
Other oases include Rawdah Al-Khafas, 75 km away from the city, Umm Al-Quta south of Khuraim, and nearby Rawdah Al-Masoudi.
