Al-Ghada Park, Unaizah

Al-Ghada Park is a desert park set among the sand dunes near the city of Unaizah, in the Qassim region of central Saudi Arabia. It is a broad natural area covered with ghada shrubs rather than a planted garden in the usual sense.

Ghada is a long-lived desert shrub that grows in sand. It has fine green branches that are almost leafless and roots that reach deep and help to stabilise the dunes. The Arabs have prized it since ancient times for the quality of its firewood and the long life of its embers, and it is mentioned frequently in Arabic poetry. The name of Unaizah became so closely linked with the shrub that it serves as a symbol of the city. As plant cover declined through woodcutting and grazing, the authorities and local residents moved to protect this area, ban the cutting of its shrubs and set it aside as a public park.

People go out there to camp, sit in the open air and prepare coffee and food, especially in winter and after rain. The seasonal Ghada Festival is held in the park. The park has environmental value as a protected habitat for a native plant.