As of today, out of season, returns ~February. Earth Exhibit tracks the live conditions and flags it the moment it is on.
Across the northern deserts of Saudi Arabia, an uncultivable underground fungus stages one of the region's most quietly remarkable seasonal events.
Desert truffles of the genera Terfezia and Tirmania — known locally as faqa or kamaa — lie dormant until the autumn-and-winter rains of Al-Wasm arrive, often with thunderstorms.
Bedouin tradition, now partly borne out by science, holds that the lightning and heavy rain trigger the fruiting; over the following five to six weeks the truffles swell underground, finally heaving and cracking the bare desert crust above them in tell-tale humps and fissures.
Foragers read these cracks across the gravel plains, then dig the pale tubers by hand — a tradition stretching back millennia and a delicacy that commands high prices in Gulf markets.
This is not a showy floral scene: the 'bloom' is a fruiting underground, witnessed as cracked ground and the slow, knowing hunt across the desert.
Its abundance swings wildly with the rains, making bumper years a genuine event.
Where to see it
A taste of where to see it. The full map, exact coordinates and the best timing for each spot live in the app.
| Viewing spots |
|---|
| Northern Deserts near Arar |
| Deserts near Hafr Al-Batin |
This is the short version
This page shows a taste. The app has the full list of where to see this, the exact timing, and live conditions for 1,000+ natural phenomena worldwide, so you know the moment one is genuinely worth the trip.