Giant Mysterious Circles In Saudi Desert Baffle Internet – What’s Going On Beneath The Sand?

These satellite images, shared by the European Space Agency, actually show farmland.

Riyad (Saudi Arabia): Something unusual has begun to appear in Saudi Arabia’s northern desert. Satellite images show vast green and circular patches in the desert that stand out like alien markings on a golden canvas of sand. These are not ancient symbols or signs of extraterrestrial life, but something far more earthly – fields of crops, which are designed in giant circles.

The images came from space. The European Space Agency’s Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite caught them while scanning the desolate terrain earlier this year. To the untrained eye, the pictures are puzzling. Dozens of glowing and geometric rings scattered across the otherwise barren expanse. The kind of images that light up online speculation and ignite wild theories.

But behind the visual mystery lies an engineered ambition. These circles are a glimpse into Saudi Arabia’s agricultural experiment, one where desert becomes farmland.

​The satellite captured them from nearly 700 kilometres above the earth. Taken in October 2024, January 2025 and again in May, the photos document subtle changes over time. Each of these circular fields spans nearly a kilometre in diameter. At the center of each circle lies a deep well, tapping into aquifers far below. Long arms, fitted with rotating sprinklers, spiral around the central point, showering the soil evenly.

This is precision farming, adapted to one of the world’s most extreme climates. In a country where rain is rare and summer temperatures often soar beyond 50 degree Celsius, these green rings offer a rare sight. Wheat, vegetables and alfalfa pushing through dry ground.

The location is near the city of Tabarjal, inside the Wadi as-Sirhan basin. It is a place once defined only by its dust and rock. Now, it is part of an ambitious transformation. From above, it looks like a surreal and psychedelic art installation. On the ground, it is the outcome of carefully managed irrigation systems, relentless sunlight and underground water reserves being pumped upward to sustain life.

But scientists are raising a warning. The underground aquifers feeding these fields are not being replenished. With every rotation of the sprinklers, the water table drops a little lower. Over time, without new sources of water or more sustainable techniques, these green miracles could fade.

In the satellite images, the contrast is clear. The glowing circles stand surrounded by dark patches – bare earth, dry sand and land without vegetation. Among them, Tabarjal shines as a modest yet vital hub. It keeps the region alive, supplying food, supporting rural communities and now, drawing the world’s gaze.

From orbit to oasis, this patch of Saudi Arabia is telling a story of human determination, natural limits and a desert slowly reimagined.