Tayma or Tema is a large oasis with a long history of settlement, located in northwestern Saudi Arabia at the point where the trade route between Medina and Dumah (Sakakah) begins to cross the Nafud desert. Tayma is located 264 km (164 mi) southeast of the city of Tabuk, and about 400 km (250 mi) north of Medina. It is located in the western part of the Nafud desert.
Old Town of Tayma
Aramaic inscription from Tayma Known as the Tayma Stones. (6th century BC.)
Stele with dedicatory Aramaic inscription to the god Salm. Sandstone, 5th century BC. Found in Tayma by Charles Huber in 1884. Now in the Louvre.
In ecology, an oasis is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment that sustains plant life and provides habitat for animals. Surface water and land may be present, or water may only be accessible from wells or underground channels created by humans. In geography, an oasis may be a current or past rest stop on a transportation route, or less-than-verdant location that nonetheless provides access to underground water through deep wells created and maintained by humans.
The desert oasis city of Jubbah in Saudi Arabia as photographed from space.
Irrigation canal within the Figuig Oasis in eastern Morocco
Oasis in Oman
Djerid Oasis, Tunisia