Where the paved road through Wadi Bani Awf ends, a magnificent stand of trees comes into view. These are Ziziphus spina christi, or 'Christ thorn trees' – a tree associated with the biblical crown of thorns. These gnarled and knotted old specimens are a welcome sight in the middle of an arid section of the wadi and are thought to be hundreds of years old. Near the junction for Hatt, they are perfectly located for a shaded picnic.