Dark Sky Places in Saudi Arabia: What’s Certified?
Not every “dark sky” claim is an official certification. Saudi Arabia now has different categories of DarkSky International certification, and it’s important not to mix them up.
AlUla Dark Sky Parks
Certification of AlUla Manara and AlGharameel began in 2024, then expanded in 2025 to include Sharaan National Park and Wadi Nakhlah. Together the four areas form the AlUla Dark Sky Parks network, covering a total of 6,146 km².
AlNufud Dark Sky Park
AlNufud was certified in December 2025 as an International Dark Sky Park covering 13,416 km² in the Great Nafud desert. DarkSky described it at the time of the announcement as the largest Dark Sky Park in the Middle East and North Africa region.
A different category: DarkSky Approved Resorts
On 3 August 2026, Desert Rock Resort and Nujuma, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve became the first two sites to receive the new DarkSky Approved Resort certification. This certifies hospitality, responsible lighting and the sky experience; it is not an International Dark Sky Park designation.
Why don’t we label every desert “Bortle 1”?
Because light levels vary across place and time, and external maps have different licences and methodologies. The current version does not claim live Bortle measurements and does not republish any third-party database.