Liwa Oasis

23.13333333333353.783333333333Koordinaten: 23 ° 8 '0 "N, 53 ° 47' 0" E

The Liwa Oasis (Arabic واحة ليوا, DMG Wahat Liwa ) is a large oasis area in Abu Dhabi, which is part of the United Arab Emirates.

Geography

The Liwa Oasis is located about 100 km south of the Persian Gulf coast and 150 km SSW of the capital Abu Dhabi on the northern edge of the Rub al Khali desert. Its center is located at 23 ° 8 '0 "N, 53 ° 46 ' 0" O23.13333333333353.766666666667 and it extends about 100 km in east-west direction, along a curved arc to the north. In essence, the oases are located between the towns Hameem in the east and in the west of Liwa. In return for other oases Liwa is not planted contiguous green, which is why this is more is a great oasis area, which consists of over 50 individual oases. The geographical and economic center of the oasis is Mezairaa where the trunk road tariff applies to the oasis and then to the east (65 km to the easternmost village, Mahdar 'm Usayyan ) and westerly direction forked (45 km to the westernmost village, Arada ).

The oasis belt is located in the Western Region (Al Gharbia ) of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The settlement area extends over 1238 square kilometers. According to the 2005 census, the population of Liwa was 20,196. Previous estimates from satellite imagery Between 50,000 and 150,000 were excessive. However, according to the Statistical Yearbook of Abu Dhabi 2009, the population of the state in 2008 only amounted to 123 438 in the entire Western Region, the population of the Liwa Oasis had to be well below this limit.

The 39 villages of the Liwa Oasis are the southernmost settlements of Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates, Umm az- Zamul in the region of Al Ain. The southern border with Saudi Arabia, which runs south of the oasis area at a distance between 16 and 35 km, is a straight line in the Rub al - Khali desert, which is largely uninhabited. Mahdar 'm Usayyan is the southernmost city of the Emirates and 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 city Shaiba. However, there is no road connection between the oasis and Shaiba and there are no border crossings.

A modern highway, the E12 connects the oasis of Mezairaa from the nearest coastal town of tariff and where it meets the coastal road E11, which leads to the capital, Abu Dhabi. Another north- south running street called E65 continues east of Al Hama'im also from the E11.

Economy

An important sector is the Dattelpalmenkultur. However, other fruits, vegetables and grasses for animal care are grown in the oases. Because the sandy soil does not spoil here, and enough ground water just a few meters below the surface is present, it is possible quickly by artificial irrigation systems such as drip irrigation to make the desert countryside. But greenhouses are widely used. Favored by good infrastructure also increases tourism. The annual Liwa Date Festival ( Liwa Dattelfest ) has ten days of the event around 75,000 visitors. Liwa Liwa Hotel and Resthouse in Mezairaa are mid-range hotels, Qasr Al Sarab in the Al Hama'im has higher standard on.

Also for sport tourists the Liwa Oasis is a tourist destination, the nearby Moreeb dune some 25 km south of the oasis center Muzairi ( Mezairaa ) at 22 ° 58 ' 47 " N, 53 ° 47 ' 10" O22.97966666666753.786222222222 attracts motorsport fans. While held annually Moreeb Hill Championship 120 -meter high dune is (206 meters above sea level) the venue for competitions.

History

Historical records mention the Liwa Oasis for the first time in the 17th century. At this time it was inhabited by the Bani Yas Bedouin, are from which the ruling family of Abu Dhabi (Al Nayan ) and Dubai (Al Maktoum ) emerged. Traditionally the men of Liwa were traveling during the summer months on the coast as pearl divers. This activity secured them extra income. Today, the rulers have their main residence in the respective capitals of their Emirates and entertain at most residences in the oasis.

Mastaba

In November 2012 the British magazine reported Observer that since 1997 by the artists Christo and Jeanne -Claude planned, an ancient Egyptian Mastaba, inspired, work of art should be started south of the oases, 2013. It is an object of 410,000 empty oil barrels with a side length of 400 meters and a height of 150 meters. The 340 million U.S. $ expensive art work about 160 km from the city of Abu Dhabi will be both the largest as well as the hitherto most expensive work of art in the world upon completion.

Villages

The geographical names database of USGS operates at 39 locations in the oasis area that are listed in the following table from west to east. Some of the more important villages are in bold.

F1 map with all coordinates of the Liwa Oasis: OSM, Google and Bing

The villages go partly into each other without a clear demarcation, such as Tharwaniyya and on - Naschschasch ( al Nashash ).

Al Dhafra Festival

Every year in mid-December takes place the Al Dhafra Festival in Liwa.

It then meet camel owners from across the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Overnight in Bedouin tents in the desert, which are built all around the camel race track. Around the festival will take place camel races, also a beauty contest for camels, where the most beautiful camel is selected. There is also a camel market and a lot of folklore performances.