Liwa Oasis

File:Liwa oasis location.jpg

Location in the United Arab Emirates

File:Liwa NASA.jpg

The satellite image shows the location of the belt of oases along the northern reaches of the Rub al Khali dune fields. The unmarked border with Saudi Arabia is shown as a red line. To the north, irrigated areas along the highway to Tarif on the coast of the Persian Gulf are visible.

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Highway connecting the villages of the Liwa Oasis

The Liwa Oasis (Arabic: واحة ليوا‎‎, Wāḥḥat Līwā) is a large oasis area in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Geography

Liwa Oasis is about 100 km south of the Persian Gulf coast and 150 km SSW of the city of Abu Dhabi in the Al Gharbia (Western) Region, on the northern edge of Rub' al Khali desert. It is centered around and stretches about 100 km east-west, along an arch curved to the north. It consists of some 50 villages. The geographic and economic center of the oasis is Muzayri`, where the highway from Abu Dhabi enters the oasis and then divides to the east (65 km to the easternmost village, Mahdar Bin `Usayyan) and west (45 km to the westernmost village, `Aradah).

According to the census of population of 2005, the population was 20,196. Earlier estimates judging from satellite images which gauged the population at 50,000 to 150,000, were too high.

The villages of Liwa Oasis are the southernmost settlements of Abu Dhabi and of the United Arab Emirates. The southern border of Abu Dhabi with Saudi Arabia, which runs at a distance between 16 and 35 km to the Oasis, is a straight line in the Rub al Khali desert, which is largely uninhabited. Mahdar Bin `Usayyan is the southernmost village of the Emirates, and also the easternmost of the oasis. 10 km south of the border, and 40 km south of the eastern part of the oasis is the Saudi oil facility Shaybah. However, there is no road linking Liwa Oasis and Shaybah, and no border crossing.

A modern, multilane highway connects the oasis area to the capital, Abu Dhabi.

Economy

An important traditional branch of the economy is date farming. There is a widespread use of drip irrigation and greenhouses. The importance of tourism is on the rise. Liwa Hotel in Muzayri` boasts three stars. Liwa Rest House, in the same village and run by the government of Abu Dhabi, is the second establishment in the oasis. It is primarily aimed at minor officials and businessmen, there is 5 star, resort operated by the Anantara Hospitality Group (named Qasr Al Sarab). The nearby Moreeb dune, 22 km south of Muzayri` on a small road (15 km as the crow flies), with 300 meter height one of the largest dunes in the world, attracts every year during the Liwa festival a large number of international and local visitors coming to see the offroad and camel racing events.

History

The oasis is the place of birth of the ruling families of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. In 1793, the ruling family Al Nahyan moved their residence from Liwa to the city of Abu Dhabi.

Traditionally, men from Liwa (Bani Yas tribe) were pearl divers on the coast during the summer months. Pearl diving offered an additional source of income.

Villages

The USGS Geographic Names Database lists 39 populated places in the area of the oasis, which are listed from west to east in the following table. Some of the more important villages are printed in bold.

Village	Arabic	Coordinates
`Aradah	عرادة
Milqatah	ملقطة
Al `Idd	العيد
Al Mariyah al Gharbiyah	المارية الغربية
Humar	حمار
Khannur	خنور
Hamarur	حمرور
Taraq	طرق
Mujib	مجيب
Kayyah	كية
Zuwayhir	ظويهر
Wafd	وفد
Umm al Qurayn	أم القرين
Qutuf	قطوف
Al Atir	العاطر
Al Mariyah	المارية
Zafir	ظفير
Jayf	جيف
Muzayri`	مظيري
Nafir	نافر
Huwaylah	حويلة
Qurmidah	قرمدة
Hafif	هفيف \ حفيف
`Attab	عتاب
Shah	شاه
Huwaytayn	حويطين
Sabkhah	سبخة
Al Hadhi	الهذي
Tharwaniyah	ثروانية
Al Mashrub	المشرب
An Nashshash	النشاش
Dahin	داهن
Wadhil	واظل
Mawsil	موصل
Al Khis	الخيس
Qu`aysah	قويسة
Hamim	حميم
Jurayrah	جريرة
Mahdar Bin `Usayyan	مهدر بن عصيان

External link

Media related to at Wikimedia Commons

Liwa Desert Activities