Short Trip to Tumair, Saudi Arabia

I was browsing the net for some nice places to visit near Riyadh and I chanced upon Tumair or Tumayr where people say wild iris flowers bloom during spring time, for just a few hours between January to March.

6th Feb 2021 and off to Tumayr we went. We left at 10:20am with packed lunch, coffee and chips. It started raining midway so I didnt keep my hopes high. It was also my first time to drive north of Riyadh so I drove slowly. We reached Tumayr at 12:10pm.
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​From wikiloc, our landmark is a dam so when we found it, we parked nearby and walked around the area. The rain has stopped but it was still gloomy.

We found the iris plants scattered in between weeds, rocks and thorny desert plants. The onion-like leaves were a bit plentiful. The area was wadi-like (same like the Wadi Hanifa -Irqah part where we bike). The pale lavender bulbs looked like small cocoons. I wondered if we’ll be lucky to see them bloom today.

​We decided to explore a bit more around Tumayr since it was our first time to visit. We took some photos around town and had a quick lunch. Shortly after 1pm we decided to go near the dam area again hoping to see if the iris bloomed. It felt like the sun was teasing us, showing itself for a minute and then hiding behind the clouds. I thought the iris would bloom if only the sun could be more generous.

​Half past one, the field started to look lovelier. Finally the iris buds started opening to astonishing lavender and purple flowers. It was indeed a delight to see. It’s hard to imagine such beautiful flowers could grow out from mix sand and rocks amidst the harsh conditions of the desert. Some flowers opened up en masse while some remained closed until around 2pm.

The sun was still not shining through and thinking it might rain again, we decided to leave a few minutes past 2. There were still some unopened irises, reminding me of how some beautiful things in life take their time to happen, of how patience always pays of.

​The pandemic since last year has hindered us to go out and travel as much as we wanted to. This short trip to Tumayr has been a breath of fresh air. Hoping to visit more places locally while we’re still here in Saudi Arabia, our second home.