Jabal Qidr

Jabal Qidr is a black, cone-shaped volcano in Harrat Khaybar, a large volcanic field north of Medina in western Saudi Arabia. Its summit is about 2,000 metres above sea level. It rises clearly above the surrounding surface of the lava field and has a deep, regularly shaped crater at the top.

The mountain is a stratovolcano built of layers of basaltic lava and volcanic ejecta that accumulated through successive eruptions. In geological terms it is one of the youngest volcanoes in Harrat Khaybar. Dark lava flows spread out from its flanks and extend for long distances over older lavas. Harrat Khaybar is part of the chain of lava fields that runs through the west of the Arabian Peninsula, and its vents are arranged along a line running from north to south.

Close to Jabal Qidr are Jabal Abyad and Jabal Bayda, two light-coloured volcanoes of a different composition. The black cone beside the pale ones forms an unusual geological landscape. The area is visited by off-road travellers and by people interested in volcanoes, who reach it in four-wheel-drive vehicles along rough tracks.