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DataPulseنبض البياناتالعربية

Wadi al-Khitan* وادي الخيطان

Wadi (valley) in Makkah Region · 38 km southeast of Al-Baha الباحة

Spring there now

Spring area within about 5 km of it: 24 km².

From the latest satellite image: the best reading in 26 September – 3 October 2026 · 15–22 Rabi' al-Akhir 1448 AH. This page updates every night.

Open it on the mapDirections in Google Maps

Original Arabic page: وادي الخيطان

When does Wadi al-Khitan usually green?

From satellite imagery since 2002

It usually greens from September to March, and it greened around it in 21 of the last 24 years in these months.

In October alone: it greened around it in 15 of 24 years since 2002.

20022025
Each bar is a season: how many of the months September to March greened around the place, from September 2002 – March 2003 (Jumada al-Akhirah 1423 – Muharram 1424 AH) to September 2025 – March 2026 (Rabi' al-Awwal – Shawwal 1447 AH). The tallest bar = greened in every month, an empty one = did not green. The orange bar is the latest season.
The numbers
Green months in each season
SeasonMonths it greened
September 2002 – March 2003 (Jumada al-Akhirah 1423 – Muharram 1424 AH)5 of 7
September 2003 – March 2004 (Rajab 1424 – Safar 1425 AH)7 of 7
September 2004 – March 2005 (Rajab 1425 – Safar 1426 AH)7 of 7
September 2005 – March 2006 (Rajab 1426 – Rabi' al-Awwal 1427 AH)0 of 7
September 2006 – March 2007 (Sha'ban 1427 – Rabi' al-Awwal 1428 AH)6 of 7
September 2007 – March 2008 (Sha'ban 1428 – Rabi' al-Awwal 1429 AH)0 of 7
September 2008 – March 2009 (Ramadan 1429 – Rabi' al-Akhir 1430 AH)5 of 7
September 2009 – March 2010 (Ramadan 1430 – Rabi' al-Akhir 1431 AH)4 of 7
September 2010 – March 2011 (Ramadan 1431 – Rabi' al-Akhir 1432 AH)6 of 7
September 2011 – March 2012 (Shawwal 1432 – Jumada al-Ula 1433 AH)1 of 7
September 2012 – March 2013 (Shawwal 1433 – Jumada al-Ula 1434 AH)0 of 7
September 2013 – March 2014 (Shawwal 1434 – Jumada al-Ula 1435 AH)6 of 7
September 2014 – March 2015 (Dhu al-Qa'dah 1435 – Jumada al-Akhirah 1436 AH)4 of 7
September 2015 – March 2016 (Dhu al-Qa'dah 1436 – Jumada al-Akhirah 1437 AH)5 of 7
September 2016 – March 2017 (Dhu al-Qa'dah 1437 – Rajab 1438 AH)4 of 7
September 2017 – March 2018 (Dhu al-Hijjah 1438 – Rajab 1439 AH)1 of 7
September 2018 – March 2019 (Dhu al-Hijjah 1439 – Rajab 1440 AH)3 of 7
September 2019 – March 2020 (Muharram – Sha'ban 1441 AH)6 of 7
September 2020 – March 2021 (Muharram – Sha'ban 1442 AH)6 of 7
September 2021 – March 2022 (Muharram – Sha'ban 1443 AH)7 of 7
September 2022 – March 2023 (Safar – Ramadan 1444 AH)7 of 7
September 2023 – March 2024 (Safar – Ramadan 1445 AH)7 of 7
September 2024 – March 2025 (Safar – Shawwal 1446 AH)7 of 7
September 2025 – March 2026 (Rabi' al-Awwal – Shawwal 1447 AH)5 of 7

We calculate “greened around it” from a monthly image (MODIS, NASA) on 1 km cells within about 5 km of the point, using the same definition of spring as the map. A year missing more than a third of its monthly images is not counted.

Access and the rules of the place

Nearest road: paved road 0.7 km awayA straight-line estimate from open data that may not match reality; it does not mean the road suits your car. The decision and its responsibility rest with you.

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 reserves 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.

Nearby destinations

Straight-line distance

All destinations · Spring in Makkah Region now · The «Where is the spring?» map

Sources and the limits of the numbers

Sources: the NDVI greenness index from NASA MODIS (Terra and Aqua) and NOAA-20 imagery through the NASA GIBS service, and monthly images since 2002 for the comparison with past years; landmark names from Desert Maps (maps_ksa@); approximate reserve boundaries and road distances © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) (data of 6 May 2026 (19 Dhu al-Qa'dah 1447 AH)); city names from DataPulse. The classification and areas 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.