Jebel Hafeet

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The Jebel Hafit (Arabic جبل حفيت, DMG Ǧabal Hafit ), also Jebel Hafeet, Jabal Hafit or similarly named, is a mountain on the border between the UAE and Oman, about 30 km from Al Ain. The mountain rises 1240 meters above the surrounding countryside and is situated at 1,350 meters above sea level.

The Jebel Hafit is a popular tourist destination. At the foot of the mountain, the Green Mubazzarrah is. Here are thermal springs, which flow together to a lake. The Jebel Hafit itself is traversed by a system of caves, he is also the natural habitat of bats, snakes, foxes and many more.

Geography

General

The Jebel Hafit is an approximately 26 km long and 4-5 kilometers wide, extending in a north-south direction ridge. He is asymmetric, in the eastern part it is much steeper than in the West, where the slope about. Is 25 to 30 °.

Geology

Through many distortions in the mountain, the individual layers of rock can be very well understood. The rock is rich in plankton fossils, and at the foot of the mountain you can find various marine fossils (eg, coral or crabs).

The Jebel Hafit is crossed by a cave system. The caves have been explored only partially to a depth of 150 meters and contain excellently preserved stalagmites and stalactites. Access to the caves is partly natural, partly by the municipality of Al Ain, blocked.

Flora and Fauna

Although rich in rare wildlife, the area is not designated as a nature reserve. The lizard Acanthodactylus opheodurus, the Arabian Tahr (which until 1982 was considered extinct in the United Arab Emirates ) and the yellow flowering plant Acridocarpus orientalis live here together with foxes, bats and the rodent -like hyrax. Bird lovers will find the greatest biodiversity of the whole country, a study counted 119 species of birds. Furthermore, about 200 different insects and 23 species of butterflies live in the mountains.

Height

The Jebel Hafit is often referred to as the highest mountain in the United Arab Emirates. Certainly he is the most famous mountain in the country, in fact, a survey near the Omani Jabal Bil Ays with 1,910 meters higher. The highest named peaks of the Emirates is the Jabal Yibir.

Name

Jabal means mountain, Hafit empty. The area around the mountain is also known as the Empty Quarter ( Empty Quarter ).

Archeology

At the foot of the mountain more than 500 tombs have been found, which is about to the years 3200 - go back to 2700 BC. While the graves were on the north side partially destroyed by construction projects, the southern graves are checked regularly. Only a few skeletons were found, but bronze objects and a lot of younger, suggesting that the tombs were used repeatedly. Furthermore pottery was found in Mesopotamia, an indication of early trade relations.

Facilities

At the top there is a Mercure hotel and a radar station.

Jabal street Hafit

The road to the summit is 11.7 kilometers long and covers 1,219 meters in altitude. Two tracks lead up the hill and down, after 21 turns to get to the summit. On distinctive viewpoints parking is created. The road was built in the 1980s by the company Strabag International of Cologne. For cyclists, the road is a challenge and a popular training route. Annually in January, at the Jebel Hafeet Mercure Challenge with cyclists from all over the world instead.