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AL-QADDIYA: More details about the Dakar Rally expected to take place in January 2020 in ����ֱ�� were released on Thursday by the Kingdom's General Sports Authority at an event in Al-Qaddiya.

The race starts on Jan. 5 in Jeddah, with the drivers set to race through Al-Madinah, Tabuk and Ha’il regions before a having a rest day in Riyadh. From the capital, the route winds its way back toward the coast through the Asir region and ends in the city of Al-Qaddiya on Jan. 12.

Speaking at the event, the chairman of the General Sports Authority (GSA) Prince Abdul Aziz bin Turki Al-Faisal announced a 10-year partnership with the Dakar Rally, saying: "We want the world to see the captivating desert of ����ֱ�� and to get to know the good and hospitable people of the Kingdom that looks forward to receiving the world.

His Royal Highness, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki AlFaisal Al Saud , chairman of the  « Dakar rally will grow farther and we will write a new chapter! We are happy that we all together witness this big event for the first time in the region!⁰

— DAKAR RALLY (@dakar)

“Our country is extremely passionate about sport and our strategic goal is to feed that appetite as we move further towards achieving Vision 2030 of which sport is a basic pillar.

“In hosting Dakar Rally we aim to produce an unbelievable and unforgettable experience for drivers as they discover the beauty of Saudi nature and a unique spectacle for motorsport fans not only in ����ֱ�� but also in the region and around the world.”

It was announced earlier this month that the race would be held in ����ֱ��, and for the first time in the Middle East.

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Discover the unknown! Here are some of the best footages of the beautiful landscapes of ����ֱ�� Thierry Sabine ”What’s amazing is that the more we look for difficult terrain, the more the landscape is outstanding.”

— DAKAR RALLY (@dakar)

The Dakar has been held in South America since 2009. The gruelling multi-stage rally was previously held in Africa but was relocated after terrorist threats in Mauritania in 2008.

Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Abdullah Al-Faisal, chairman of the ����ֱ��n Motor Federation, said when the race announcement was made: “I have always wanted to participate in Dakar Rally, while I wasn’t fortunate to achieve that ambition, I’m now part of achieving a much bigger dream for my country as Dakar comes to the Middle East region for the first time ever.”

CEO of Qiddiya project Michael Reininger said: "Qiddiya will soon become the centre of the motorsports world by virtue of an unparalleled collection of on track and off road facilities and a set of experiences and events that have never been assembled in one place before.”

Michael Reininger is welcoming us inside the project : the pre-eminent entertainment, sports and cultural future destination in the Kingdom

— DAKAR RALLY (@dakar)

The CEO of the rally's organizing company, Amaury Sport Organization, Yann Le Moenner thanked the princes for their commitment to bringing the rally to ����ֱ��, adding: “Crossing the best deserts of the world has always been in the DNA of the Dakar, to discover and share.”

Dakar Rally director David Castera said: “Following 30 years of discoveries, fateful encounters, and exploits, Étienne Lavigne rose to a new challenge when he took the rally across the Atlantic to South America and brought Dakar fever to a new continent. Now, the time has come to set a new course and enter uncharted territory with the next destination of the Dakar and its competitors in ����ֱ��.”

Meanwhile, the drivers involved in the rally have been in ����ֱ�� soaking up local culture and experiencing some of the desert landscapes they will drive through in January.

A number of Dakar Rally drivers led by Nani Roma, Carlos Sainz and Sam Sunderland visit touristic and historical monuments in Riyadh before the start of the press conference.

— General Sports Authority (@gsaksa_en)