Qaryat al-'Ulyā

Qaryat al-Ulya lies east of the al-Suman plateau in the dry interior of eastern Arabia. Its name distinguishes the higher of two neighbouring places called Qaryah from the lower Qaryat al-Sufla. The surrounding plateau is a region of rocky ground and depressions that gather water after rain, with seasonal pastures used by the people who move through the country with their herds.