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DataPulseنبض البياناتالعربية

Where is the spring in Northern Borders Region?

No visible spring in Northern Borders Region right now; its season is usually from January to March.

Original Arabic page: وين الربيع في منطقة الحدود الشمالية؟

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No spring right now in Northern Borders Region; its season is usually from January to March.
2002now
0 km² of spring now0 km² of it strong0 km² starting to green0 rawdahs, shaibs and wadis with spring

Latest image: the best reading in 26 September – 3 October 2026 · 15–22 Rabi' al-Akhir 1448 AH. How far can you trust these numbers?

Layers and map key
Layers:
Base:
Full map key Starting to greenSpringStrong spring

On the map:Your locationA point you choseRegion boundaryReserve (approximate boundaries)Camping site in the Center’s guide (layer off)

Site data are from the 2025 Camping and Caravan Guide issued by the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification, reorganised by us and not endorsed by the Center. Permits are issued by the Center alone through the Nabati platform; DataPulse is a private entity that does not issue permits and is not affiliated with the Center. Check the site’s availability and conditions before you go.

Desert landmarks:Cities, villages and hijrahsWadis, shaibs, rawdahs and qa’asMountains and plateausWells and water sourcesNafuds, dunes and sand ridgesLocal namesArchaeological sitesLandmark with no spring nowSpring around itDesert tracks

Excluded:Farms and permanent greenery (layer off; not counted as spring)

Tap anywhere on the map to see the nearest spring to it. Your location stays on your device and is not sent to us.

Before you go: cars, reserves and camping
  • Do not drive into a rawdah or faydah (meadow); leave your car on the road and walk. Some of the reserves drawn on the map require a permit for all or part of them (such as As-Summan and Ad-Dahna in King Abdulaziz Royal Reserve), so check the reserve’s conditions before you go.
  • Bringing cars and quad bikes into protected rawdahs and faydahs (meadows) is prohibited, and the fine doubles with repeat violations. Fine: SAR 500 the first time, SAR 1,000 the second time, SAR 2,000 the third time (per vehicle). Official source (in Arabic)
  • Driving off the designated tracks inside protected areas is a serious violation, and the fine is set according to the reserve and the extent of the damage. Fine: SAR 200 to SAR 10,000. Source: Umm Al-Qura gazette (in Arabic)
  • Entering or crossing a protected area without a permit is a violation, and the warning principle applies to it. Fine: SAR 3,000 to SAR 5,000. Source: Umm Al-Qura gazette (in Arabic)
  • Camping inside a protected area without a licence is a violation, and the warning principle applies to it. Fine: SAR 200 to SAR 10,000. Source: Umm Al-Qura gazette (in Arabic)
  • Camping in the open desert on vegetation-cover land is allowed only with a prior permit from the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development, requested online. Fine: Camping in forests or national parks without a licence: SAR 500 the first time, SAR 1,000 the second, SAR 3,000 the third (per camp). Request a permit · Official source (in Arabic)
  • A short individual camp permit (from 1 to 10 days) has no fee but is mandatory, and a season permit (3 months) has a fee of SAR 300, under the regulatory rules for desert camps (Decision Q/T/5/2025). Source (press report) (in Arabic)

We checked these rules on 3 October 2026 (22 Rabi' al-Akhir 1448 AH). Regulations may change, and the authority’s website is the reference. The decision and its responsibility rest with you.

Spring sites in Northern Borders Region now

No visible spring in Northern Borders Region in the latest image. This page updates every night. Its season is usually from January to March. Guide to rawdahs and wadis · Spring in numbers: this week’s figures, ready to quote

Camping sites in Northern Borders Region in the guide of the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development

For families, from the Camping and Caravan Guide 2025

No sites in Northern Borders Region in the Camping and Caravan Guide 2025; the guide covers 9 regions, listed in full on the Kingdom page.

Site data are from the 2025 Camping and Caravan Guide issued by the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification, reorganised by us and not endorsed by the Center. Permits are issued by the Center alone through the Nabati platform; DataPulse is a private entity that does not issue permits and is not affiliated with the Center. Check the site’s availability and conditions before you go.

Competent authority: National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification. Camping permit for each site: Request a permit from the Center (Nabati platform). Source: Camping and Caravan Guide 2025 — National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification (PDF, in Arabic) · Last checked: 4 October 2026 (23 Rabi' al-Akhir 1448 AH).

This year compared with past years

From satellite imagery since 2002

No new place turned green in the region within the last 16 days (since 17 September 2026 (6 Rabi' al-Akhir 1448 AH)).

No spring right now in Northern Borders Region; its season is usually from January to March.

20022025now
Spring area (km²) in October 2002 (Rajab – Sha'ban 1423 AH), then the same month of every year to October 2025 (Rabi' al-Akhir – Jumada al-Ula 1447 AH); the orange bar is now.
The numbers
Spring area in the same month of every year
MonthSpring area (km²)
October 2002 (Rajab – Sha'ban 1423 AH)0
October 2003 (Sha'ban – Ramadan 1424 AH)0
October 2004 (Sha'ban – Ramadan 1425 AH)0
October 2005 (Sha'ban – Ramadan 1426 AH)0
October 2006 (Ramadan – Shawwal 1427 AH)0
October 2007 (Ramadan – Shawwal 1428 AH)0
October 2008 (Shawwal – Dhu al-Qa'dah 1429 AH)0
October 2009 (Shawwal – Dhu al-Qa'dah 1430 AH)0
October 2010 (Shawwal – Dhu al-Qa'dah 1431 AH)0
October 2011 (Dhu al-Qa'dah – Dhu al-Hijjah 1432 AH)0
October 2012 (Dhu al-Qa'dah – Dhu al-Hijjah 1433 AH)0
October 2013 (Dhu al-Qa'dah – Dhu al-Hijjah 1434 AH)0
October 2014 (Dhu al-Hijjah 1435 – Muharram 1436 AH)0
October 2015 (Dhu al-Hijjah 1436 – Muharram 1437 AH)0
October 2016 (Dhu al-Hijjah 1437 – Muharram 1438 AH)0
October 2017 (Muharram – Safar 1439 AH)0
October 2018 (Muharram – Safar 1440 AH)0
October 2019 (Safar – Rabi' al-Awwal 1441 AH)55
October 2020 (Safar – Rabi' al-Awwal 1442 AH)0
October 2021 (Safar – Rabi' al-Awwal 1443 AH)0
October 2022 (Rabi' al-Awwal – Rabi' al-Akhir 1444 AH)0
October 2023 (Rabi' al-Awwal – Rabi' al-Akhir 1445 AH)0
October 2024 (Rabi' al-Awwal – Rabi' al-Akhir 1446 AH)0
October 2025 (Rabi' al-Akhir – Jumada al-Ula 1447 AH)0
Now (3 October 2026 (22 Rabi' al-Akhir 1448 AH))0

The comparison is approximate: today’s image is a snapshot of the last 8 days, while past years are the average of the whole month of October on 1 km cells; so “now” is calculated here the same way, and differs slightly from the map figure above.

Spring by region

In square kilometres
Spring area in each region
RegionSpring nowOf it strongStarting to greenAverage for the same month, 2016–2025
Asir عسير4,424 ●2,1812,7095,827
Jazan جازان2,773 ▼1,1442,0003,084
Makkah مكة المكرمة1,480 ▲2564,7604,480
Al-Baha الباحة313 ▲451,4581,029
Madinah المدينة المنورة1 ●01721
Najran نجران1 ●0450
Riyadh الرياض0 ●064
Eastern Province الشرقية0 ●01,9507
Qassim القصيم0 ●000
Tabuk تبوك0 ●000
Hail حائل0 ●000
Northern Borders الحدود الشمالية0 ●000
Al-Jouf الجوف0 ●000

The arrow compares with a reading 8 days earlier. The average is for the same month in 2016–2025, and a single exceptional year can raise it; the ranking between years is in “This year compared with past years”.

How far can you trust these numbers?

We say what we know and what we do not
Accuracy of the tool’s data
WhatHow we know itIts limits
Spring on the mapTwo independent satellites (Terra and NOAA-20) must agree on each cell, and we exclude farms, the surroundings of villages and land that is green all year.The cell is 500 m, so a narrow shaib does not show; we have not yet compared it with field photos.
Excluding farms and built-up areasLand cover at 10 m resolution from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), with farm and oasis masks from satellite imagery.Very small fields in the mountains or a new farm may slip through.
Landmark namesDesert Maps (maps_ksa@) and GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Latin spellings: known forms where they exist, otherwise automatic transliteration (*).The local name or its position may differ by hundreds of metres.
ReservesBoundaries from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)), and entry conditions from the websites of the reserve authorities and the National Center for Wildlife, checked on 3 October 2026 (22 Rabi' al-Akhir 1448 AH).The boundaries are approximate and not the official boundaries, and for some reserves we have not verified the conditions, so we say so. Conditions may change; the authority’s website is the reference.
Access by carStraight-line distance to the nearest paved road and the nearest dirt track drawn on OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)), data of 6 May 2026 (19 Dhu al-Qa'dah 1447 AH).Open maps draw few desert tracks, so “no dirt track drawn” does not mean there is none. It does not mean the road suits your car.
Camping sites (Center’s guide)The list, governorate and capacity from Camping and Caravan Guide 2025 — National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification as published, reorganised by us and not endorsed by the Center, with the location from the guide’s map link for each site; checked on 4 October 2026 (23 Rabi' al-Akhir 1448 AH). Competent authority: National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification.Site data are from the 2025 Camping and Caravan Guide issued by the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification, reorganised by us and not endorsed by the Center. Permits are issued by the Center alone through the Nabati platform; DataPulse is a private entity that does not issue permits and is not affiliated with the Center. Check the site’s availability and conditions before you go. The guide is for 2025 and may change, and the capacity is the authority’s figure, not our count. The site Mutanazzah Tur Al Yazid* متنزه طور آل يزيد has no coordinates because its link in the guide duplicates another site’s, so we list it in the table and do not draw it on the map.
Meteorological informationWe publish no meteorological information of any kind. Official meteorological information and alerts come from the National Center for Meteorology.The Meteorology Law restricts publishing it to licensed parties.

How accurate are we?

Of 120 spots (cells of about 500 m) picked at random from what the map showed as spring in four images from different seasons, we checked the land type with satellite imagery: 119 were natural open land, and one was something else.

We capture about half of the natural spring only (64 of 117 rawdahs and shaibs that really greened in satellite imagery): we miss very small rawdahs (under about 1 km²) and the surroundings of villages and hijrahs (about 1.5 km).

The full measurement and its limits are in the tool’s methodology; land cover is from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0).

How we know, and the limits

Sources: the NDVI greenness index from the Terra and Aqua (NASA MODIS) and NOAA-20 (VIIRS) satellites and true-colour imagery (Sentinel-2 and Landsat) through the NASA GIBS imagery service; monthly images since 2002 (MODIS/Aqua) for the comparison with past years; landmark names from Desert Maps (maps_ksa@) and GeoNames (CC BY 4.0); land cover to exclude farms and built-up areas from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0; © ESA WorldCover project, Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2021) processed by ESA WorldCover consortium); region boundaries and the base map © OpenStreetMap contributors; approximate reserve boundaries and the distance to paved roads and dirt tracks © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL); reserve entry conditions from the websites of the competent authorities (each authority’s link in the reserve window); camping and caravan sites and their capacity from Camping and Caravan Guide 2025 — National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification (with each site’s location from the map link in the guide; reorganised by us and not endorsed by the Center). The classification, areas and comparisons are DataPulse calculations, not official figures.

The information is analytical to support decisions; it is not financial or investment advice. The decision and its responsibility rest with the user.