Musandam Peninsula

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Musandam Peninsula [1] [2]
جَزِيْرَة مُسَنْدَم
رَأْس مُسَنْدَم
Musandam Peninsula, Oman.jpg
The peninsula as seen from space. Al-Khasab to the north (top) shown in green, is contrasted between the more subtle rainbow tones of the surrounding rock in this false-colour image. The term Khasab refers to the fertility of the soil.
Musandam Peninsula
Interactive map of Musandam Peninsula [1] [2]
Governorates of Oman and Emirates of the United Arab Emirates Musandam Governorate (Oman)
Ras Al Khaimah (UAE)

The Musandam Peninsula [a] or Ruus Al Jibal [b] [3] is a mountainous, northeastern extension of the Arabian Peninsula, lying between the Persian Gulf to the west and the Gulf of Oman to the east; the connecting Strait of Hormuz lies to the north. Political control is divided between the United Arab Emirates and Oman.

Contents

Geography

The peninsula lies to the south of the Strait of Hormuz, between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. [4] It is inhabited by the Shihuh tribe and is mainly governed by Oman as the Musandam Governorate with certain parts governed by the United Arab Emirates, including Ras Al Khaimah and parts of Dibba. [1] [2]

Land features include the Western Hajar Mountains. Since these are the northernmost of the Hajar range, they and the peninsula are referred to as Ruʾūs al-Jibāl (Arabic : رُؤُوْس ٱلْجِبَال, romanized: Capes of the Mountains). [1] [2] The largest wadi in Mussandam is Wadi Bih, which forms the central drainage basin. [5] [6] The highest Mountain in Mussandam, and Ru'us al Jibal, is Jebel Harim.

Climate

During winter, the region can be fairly cool, particularly the mountains of Jais, Yanas and Mebrah. [7] [8]

Environment

Fauna include the Ruus al Jibal fan-footed gecko, [9] Arabian tahr and caracal. It is unknown if the Arabian leopard is still present. [1] [2]

Important Bird Areas

The mountainous northern end of the peninsula has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports significant populations of bird species, whether resident, breeding, wintering or on passage. These include pallid scops-owl, plain leaf-warbler, hooded, variable, Hume's and red-tailed wheatears, and pale rockfinch. [10]

The islands scattered around the tip of the peninsula are in a separate IBA because of their importance for seabirds, including red-billed tropicbird, Persian shearwater, Socotra cormorant and bridled tern. [11]

History

In the past, the region was an unstable region, and was repeatedly invaded by Persian empires such as the Achaemenid Empire and the Sassanian Empire. Then these empires declined until the Islamic era arrived.

Modern era

In the modern era, the occupation of the region continued. In the 17th century, the Portuguese began using Khasab as a supply point for the dates trade as well as a safe passage for their ships in the region. In the 18th century, the area was mostly forgotten, and the Portuguese colony floundered. Eventually, the Ya'rubids, the ruling house of Oman, occupied the Musandam Peninsula region.

In the late 18th century, the British occupied the area as part of the Trucial States; however, the region, considered a backwater, was not developed. In the late 20th century, the UAE was formed, with most sheikdoms in the area joining, except notably Ras Al Khaimah. However, in 1972, the Emirate entered the UAE, leading to discussions on the Emirati-Omani border eventually settling into the Musandam Peninsula being granted to Oman.

Notes

  1. ↑ Arabic: جَزِيْرَة مُسَنْدَم \ رَأْس مُسَنْدَم, romanized: Jazīrat Musandam / Raʾs Musandam
  2. ↑ Arabic: رُؤُوْس ٱلْجِبَال, romanized: Ruʾūs al-Jibāl Capes of the Mountains

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Edmonds, J.-A.; Budd, K. J.; Al Midfa, A. & Gross, C. (2006). "Status of the Arabian Leopard in United Arab Emirates" (PDF). Cat News (Special Issue 1): 33–39.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Spalton, J. A. & Al-Hikmani, H. M. (2006). "The Leopard in the Arabian Peninsula – Distribution and Subspecies Status" (PDF). Cat News (Special Issue 1): 3–47.
  3. ↑ Thomas, B. (March 1927). Travels in Oman. Visit of B. Thomas to the Musandam Peninsula. 1928. Notes on Shihuh dialects & people, also Kumzaris' [10r]. British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers. p. 9.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  4. ↑ Diba, B. A. (2011). Is Iran legally permitted to close Strait of Hormuz to countries that impose sanctions against Iran's oil?. Cupertino, California: Payvand Iranian-American Website.
  5. ↑ Lancaster, Fidelity; Lancaster, William (2011). Honour is in Contentment: Life Before Oil in Ras Al-Khaimah (UAE) and Some Neighbouring Regions. Berlin, New York: Walter de Gruyter. pp. 3–598. ISBN   978-3-1102-2339-2.
  6. ↑ Allen, Calvin H. Jr. (2016-02-05). "1: Land and People". Oman: the Modernization of the Sultanate. Abingdon, New York: Routledge. pp. 1–8. ISBN   978-1-3172-9164-0.
  7. ↑ Al Serkal, Mariam M. (2019-03-10). "UAE to see cold days ahead, temperatures drop to 2.6°C". Gulf News . Retrieved 2019-03-17.
  8. ↑ Al Serkal, Mariam M. (2019-02-28). "UAE to get 5 days of rain and "significant drop in temperature"". Gulf News . Retrieved 2019-03-17.
  9. ↑ Simó-Riudalbas, M.; Metallinou, M.; De Pous, P.; Els, J.; Jayasinghe, S.; Péntek-Zakar, E.; Wilms, Thomas; Al-Saadi, Saleh; Carranza, Salvador (2017-08-02), "Cryptic diversity in Ptyodactylus (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) from the northern Hajar Mountains of Oman and the United Arab Emirates uncovered by an integrative taxonomic approach", PLOS ONE , 12 (8) e0180397, Bibcode:2017PLoSO..1280397S, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0180397 , PMC   5540286 , PMID   28767644, e0180397
  10. ↑ "Musandam (mainland)". BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International. 2024. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
  11. ↑ "Musandam islands". BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International. 2024. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
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