Elephant Rock sandstone formation sunset, AlUla, Saudi Arabia
© Lubo Ivanko/Shutterstock
A petrified pachyderm?
It's hard to fathom the forces of wind and water that created this elephantine formation, especially in the driest country outside the Sahara. Jabal Al-Fil, one of the world's many 'elephant rocks,' is proof that even Saudi Arabia once received enough rain to sculpt impressive stone shapes—even if it took millions of years. Nearby, other carven chunks of sandstone got a little help from humans: The Nabataean society once held a presence here, leaving behind several signature rock-hewn tombs like those found in their old capital, Petra (which has its own much smaller elephant rock).
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