Layla, the legend

“Let me roam freely over the land, so that we may be free of the evils of a settled life”
‘Urwa bin al-ward’

The temperature at 35 degree Celsius, though not so harsh in Saudi Arabia, was brimmed with a sandstorm. It was not the right time to travel unless it is to shoot sandstorms. Anyhow, we had to start, otherwise, another five days of waiting for the next weekend.

Driving towards south from Riyadh City Center, en route Wadi Ad Dawasir along with a few enthusiastic friends, we left the city behind us to find traces of the catastrophic affair of Layla and Majnun – A journey to Layla Al Aflaj.

The city of Layla is around 300 kms south of Riyadh. Retold stories of the classic characters, Layla and Majnun (Majnun means 'mad' in Arabic. Qays, the hero of the story turns mad in loosing his passionate love), were thought to be a myth in my young ages. When I heard of Layla's remnants in the deserts of Saudi Arabia, it was something revealing. The legend turns to reality. Qays bin al-Mulawwah bin Muzahim was said to be a Bedouin poet whose passion for Layla bint Mahdi bin Sa’d and her father's rejection of the affair tuning Qays to wander in wild in madness, are flooded in the Arab, Persian, Turkish and Indian literature. The real story was said to be taken place in 7th century AD.

We were a group of four (Sajid, Ashoor, Sadar and myself) who set forth to Layla where a couple of friends were waiting in the town to guide us around.

The Tuwaiq Escarpment (Jabal Tuwaiq) that starts in the Nejd Plain near Riyadh and extends over 900 km close to the north-western edge of the Rub Al Khali (The Empty Quarter) passes through Al Aflaj area.

Layla River, as we were informed, was one of the not-to-be-missed sights in Al Aflaj.

The name of Layla bounces all around the town - shops, petrol stations and bus stations. Here Layla, the queen of the desert, gets into the people.

Quite a small town with a few people, Layla Al Aflaj is an old town. From the city of Layla, driving around 10 kilometers through an asphalted road, we reached a semi-sand desert boarder, our destination was Layla River. Almost two kilometers Ashoor's Ford Taurus wagon rolled through the desert path, genesis of the sandstorm. When it seemed safe not to drive any further, we parked the vehicle along the trodden track, taking care not to loose the way in case of sand dune transformations.

The sky dimmed, wind blew gently and in a few moment with strong currents, it carried sand. Sand crystals embraced us in a moment. The visibility reduced to a few meters. I did not allow my camera to be affected (sands are one of the worst enemies of camera) and made it rest in the bag instead of scanning the scene.

Shrank like a walnut, we waited till the sands homed to earth. The whistles went off. Visibility returned. We walked still further in the direction of the Layla River. The dust slightly escorted us though retreated after a few hundred meters. We sensed the approaching site. A surprise we could not withhold. We are at the edge of an escarpment! The river is dried and turned into a canyon!! Excessive farming (as we were told) and desert heat waves exhausted it to starve. The flesh is gone and skeleton remains. Layla River was in its glory until five years back (from the date of writing). The hearsay goes that it was here Layla used to come for a bath.

We made up our minds to go down to the once river bed. It was just afternoon. In fact, I was gradually fleeing from the thoughts of the heroine for the gorgeous sight that had something more pleasing to me. The steep walls of the canyon are beautifully carved by nature. The rock reef formations throughout the walls of the canyon are gorgeous. A dazzling array of the sight extends more than a kilometer, though part of it are buried in sands. In different shapes and sizes, the giant reefs are clinging for ages to come, while some parts of the river walls are found broken down to heaps of earth. A few portions of the ridges are cracked which can result to brush off the history of its life.

The river bed has been transformed to a trodden track. What left behind are a few rusted Pepsi cans, shattered tires and a damaged boat skeleton. Hiking till the end of the 'river' and ascending the ridge, we ended up with a line of concrete shelters for visitors. Yes, the river was in its glory until five years back. Water is life. The area is deserted. A few old pictures of the river that I came to see was so amazing that the river is flooded with fresh blue waters, with life around, Bedouins camped along the ridges with herds and youngsters with splashing water scooters, a contrasting image. All are gone. It reveals how much water could transform a land.

Two types of succulent desert plants were largely found in the area. From a handful of their small fleshy leaves and stems, you can squeeze to get a few drops of water (The process of photosynthesis-by which sunlight is converted to energy and usually conducted primarily in leaves-is taken over in the desert by the stems). Cistanche Phelypaea is a parasite which stands fresh and alive in the sands under the hot sun, largely found in the area. Its watery stems and buds were thought-provoking. A number of desert plants are succulents, storing water in leaves, stems, and roots.

We drove back to the life of the heroine, to the next destination where Layla lived. Around 40 Kilometers from the Layla River we drove towards northwest to reach Sitara. We reached a rocky valley as directed. Climbed the uphill where remnants of Layla’s dwelling lies, as the story heard from the locals. The love-laden classical Arabic stories of the characters are translated and played in different languages. No remnants were found there except a portion of a mud wall and a deserted graveyard with a few hundred tomb stones, unmarked. A lifeless kingdom of Layla?

The sun has almost prepared to settle for the day spreading golden yellow hues over the acacia valley.

Layla, a myth or reality? - a question that haunted me till I reach Layla Al Aflaj gave rise to a different answer that Layla Al Aflaj is profuse in mesmeric landscapes.