Wadi Naqab

Last updated
Wadi Naqab
Wadi Naqab.jpg
United Arab Emirates relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Physical characteristics
Mouth  
 • coordinates
 25°41′41.3″N56°02′43.3″E / 25.694806°N 56.045361°E / 25.694806; 56.045361

Wadi Naqab is a seasonal watercourse, or wadi, in the Hajar Mountains of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates.

Contents

An area of outstanding natural beauty [1] and a popular hiking destination, the wadi cuts into the Yanas Mountain and has been the scene of numerous rescues of unwary and inexperienced hikers by Ras Al Khaimah Police. In the winter months it is prone to violent flash floods. [2]

Wadi

The wadi was long an agriculturally rich area, home to hundreds of fields in its upper reaches. [3] It has been dammed with a 22 metre high and 257 metre wide dam with a capacity of some 1 million cubic metres, as part of a $44.1 million package of infrastructural developments announced in February 2020. The dam's construction cost was $7.3 million. [4]

The upper reaches of the wadi are dangerous but popular with hikers, [5] with a number of rescues in the area made annually by Ras Al Khaimah Police using helicopters, [6] despite numerous warnings to inexperienced and ill-equipped hikers. [7] The 'Red Wall' hike is one of the most commonly followed routes, [8] but routes also lead to the mountain village of Sheri and the Wadi Kub and its seasonal pools. [9]

Wadi Naqab displays remarkable tectonic uplift, particularly in a stratigraphic column extended over the Triassic – Jurassic boundary dating back 200 million years. Associated with a period of mass extinction, the end of the Triassic period is thought to have triggered massive methane release and the fossil record in the wadi reflects this, with rich deposits of fossils to be found in the area. [10]

Tribal lands

Honey bee hives in the Wadi Naqab Honey Bees in the Wadi Naqab.jpg
Honey bee hives in the Wadi Naqab

The area around Wadi Naqab was traditionally held by members of the Naqbiyin tribe, from whom it derives its name, but was gradually bought up by members of the Habus tribe after the Naqbiyin fell foul of local rulers, likely pre-Al Qasimi (in the period 1695–1740) and many moved to Dibba and Khor Fakkan. The Habus made the money to buy the land from labouring in date gardens, share cropping arable land and raising livestock. [11] By about 1800, Wadi Naqab was considered to be Habus territory. [12] Cultivating wheat and dates, the Habus of Wadi Naqab traded wheat, honey, live goats, dairy products such as ghee (clarified butter) and firewood in Ras Al Khaimah town, buying metal tools, coffee, salt and clothing. [13]

Archaeology

The lower reaches of the Wadi Naqab have been found to contain burials from the Wadi Suq era, with a number of tombs destroyed by construction work around the building of the RAK Ring Road. Of the 60-odd tombs so far identified in the area, four were excavated by archaeologists from the University of Durham in the UK and the Ras Al Khaimah Antiquities Department prior to the construction work and were subsequently destroyed. Bone fragments, carnelian beads, seashell rings and stone vessels were found during the work. [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

Daftah is a village near Masafi in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wadi Qada'ah</span> Wadi in the UAE

Wadi Qada'ah is a valley or dry river, with intermittent flow, which flows almost exclusively during the rainy season, located about 10 kilometers east of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. The wadi flows into the Wadi Bih.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khatt</span> Place in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates

Khatt is a mountainous village south-east of the city of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. Famous for its hot springs, and latterly home to a spa hotel, there is evidence that Khatt has been a site of constant human settlement since the stone age – a record of over 5,000 years of occupation.

The Al Bu Muhair are a tribe of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), closely associated with the Bani Yas of Abu Dhabi but settled throughout the western coastal areas of the Emirates.

Mawrid is a settlement in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is located in the Wadi Asimah.

Maydaq is the name of a wadi and also a settlement in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates (UAE), traditionally associated with the Sharqiyin tribe. Wadi Maydaq is a popular venue for hiking and offroading.

Al Fahlain is the name of a settlement in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, traditionally mostly settled by members of the Naqbiyin tribe.

Ghayl is a town in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. Situated in the foothills of the Hajar Mountains. It lies at the mouth of the Wadi Fara and was traditionally home to members of the Mazari tribe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wadi Fara</span> River

Wadi Fara is a seasonal watercourse, or wadi, in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. It runs from the confluence of the Wadi Asimah and Wadi Sidr, to the village of Ghayl.

The Naqbiyin is a tribe of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They are mostly settled within the emirates of Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah and have long been influential in the tribal politics of both emirates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wadi Ham</span> River

Wadi Ham is a wadi, a seasonal watercourse, in the Hajar Mountains of Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wadi Maydaq</span> Place in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates

Wadi Maydaq is a seasonal watercourse in the Hajar Mountains of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. The wadi runs from the village of Marbad, through the village of Maydaq, and down to the Ajman exclave of Manama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wadi Tuwa</span> Place in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates

Wadi Tuwa is a wadi, a seasonal waterway, in the Hajar Mountains of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. The wadi is dammed by the Wadi Tuwa Dam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tayyibah</span> Place in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates

Tayyibah is a large village in the Hajar Mountains of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. It is notable for its hiking trails, its Heritage Museum and the Al Qalaa Lodge, an Emirati heritage themed guest house.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wadi Tayyibah</span> River

Wadi Tayyibah is a seasonal watercourse, or wadi, in the Hajar Mountains of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. It runs from the village of Tayyibah to join the Seih Dibba or Dibba Plain, where it fans out into the plain. Prior to 1960, Wadi Tayyibah provided the main route from Masafi to Dibba and sections of tarmac are still visible, particularly on the lower reaches of the wadi as it approaches the village of Al Hala.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wadi Sidr</span> River

Wadi Sidr is a seasonal watercourse, or wadi, in the Hajar Mountains of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. It runs in a south-westerly direction from the village of Wadi Sidr, where it is dammed by the Wadi Sidr Dam, constructed in 2001, to the confluence of the Wadi Asimah with the Wadi Fara.

The Habus is an Arab tribe of Ras Al Khaimah, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They mostly settled the area around Khatt, Fahlain and the Hajar Mountain wadis to the East of the city of Ras Al Khaimah. They are often associated with the Hajar Mountain tribes of the Shihuh and Dhahuriyiin, with whom the Habus were frequently neighbours and with whom the Habus shared a number of cultural similarities and traditions. The Habus have also adopted the distinctive Shehhi dialect of Arabic, which is thought to have Himyarite Yemeni origins dating back to the second century BCE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wadi Sal</span> River

Wadi Sal is a seasonal watercourse, or wadi, in the Hajar Mountains of Ras Al Khaimah, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shairi, Ras Al Khaimah</span> Village in the UAE

Shairi is a small agricultural and livestock town, located in the northeast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in the Hajar Mountains, Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silay Al Khatami</span> Village in the UAE

Silay Al Khatami is a small agricultural and livestock village, located in the northeast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in the Hajar Mountains, Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah.

References

  1. ↑ "WAM Feature: Valleys, dams, mountains turned RAK into beautiful oasis". wam. 29 January 2020. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
  2. ↑ EDGELL, STEWART (2016). ARABIAN DESERTS : nature, origin and evolution. [Place of publication not identified]: SPRINGER. p. 101. ISBN   978-94-024-0459-3. OCLC   981171968.
  3. ↑ Lancaster, William (2011). Honour is in contentment : life before oil in Ras al-Khaimah (UAE) and some neighbouring regions. Lancaster, Fidelity. Berlin: De Gruyter. p. 182. ISBN   9783110223408. OCLC   763160662.
  4. ↑ Warrier, Ranju (February 2020). "UAE Okays Infra Projects Including Dams and Water Canals". Construction Week. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
  5. ↑ Publishing, Explorer. "Wadi Naqab". www.askexplorer.com. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
  6. ↑ "'People are risking their lives': Safety warning after more stranded hikers rescued in Ras Al Khaimah". The National. 6 September 2020. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
  7. ↑ "'People risk their lives': safety warning after more stranded hikers were rescued in Ras Al Khaimah". Emirati News. 2020-09-06. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
  8. ↑ "Wadi Naqab". Dubai Hiking. 2019-07-22. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
  9. ↑ "Your ultimate guide to off-roading, camping and hiking in the UAE". MissionsOffroad. 2020-04-08. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
  10. ↑ "Geological trip to Wadi Naqab (RAK) with DNHG". Solar Panel & LED Light - Solar Energy & Power | Beacon Energy Solutions. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
  11. ↑ Lancaster, William (2011). Honour is in contentment : life before oil in Ras al-Khaimah (UAE) and some neighbouring regions. Lancaster, Fidelity. Berlin: De Gruyter. p. 550. ISBN   978-3-11-022340-8. OCLC   763160662.
  12. ↑ Lancaster, William (2011). Honour is in contentment : life before oil in Ras al-Khaimah (UAE) and some neighbouring regions. Lancaster, Fidelity. Berlin: De Gruyter. p. 554. ISBN   9783110223408. OCLC   763160662.
  13. ↑ Lancaster, William (2011). Honour is in contentment : life before oil in Ras al-Khaimah (UAE) and some neighbouring regions. Lancaster, Fidelity. Berlin: De Gruyter. p. 183. ISBN   9783110223408. OCLC   763160662.
  14. ↑ "Archaeologists make last ditch attempt to rescue remains of pre-historic tombs in RAK". The National. 13 April 2013. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.