A freestanding rock formation shaped, unmistakably, like a mushroom. Wind erosion has carved the softer base stone faster than the harder caprock above, leaving a broad, flat top balanced on an improbably narrow stem. It looks like it should topple at any moment, and it has looked that way for thousands of years.
Mushroom Rock sits in the eastern part of the protected area and is a common stop on full-day jeep tours. There is not much to do here beyond admire the formation and take photographs — the rock is only about three metres tall — but it is a satisfying example of the desert's patient sculpture. The Bedouin call it various things depending on which guide you ask; the English name is purely descriptive.
The area around the rock is flat open sand, and on a windy day you can watch the erosion that shaped it happening in real time as sand blasts against the base. Give it another few thousand years and the stem will snap. For now, it stands.