Sharqiya Sands Explained

The Sharqiya Sands[1] (Arabic: ٱلرِّمَال ٱلشَّرْقِيَّة|Ar-Rimāl Ash-Sharqiyyah, formerly known as Wahiba Sands (Arabic: رِمَال وَهِيْبَة|Rimāl Wahībah or Arabic: رَمْلَة آل وَهِيْبَة|Ramlat Āl Wahībah)) is a region of desert in Oman.[2] [3] The region was named for the Bani Wahiba tribe.[4] Divided between the northern and southern governorates in the Eastern Region. The area is defined by a boundary of 180km (110miles) north to south and 80km (50miles) east to west, with an area of 12500km2.[5] The desert has been of scientific interest since a 1986 expedition by the Royal Geographical Society documented the diversity of the terrain, the flora and fauna, noting 16,000 invertebrates as well as 200 species of other wildlife, including avifauna.[6] They also documented 150 species of native flora.

Geology

The desert was formed during the Quaternary period as a result of the forces of south-west blowing monsoon and the northern shamal trade wind, coming in from the east.[7] Based on the types of dunes found in the area, it is divided into the high, or upper, Wahiba and low Wahiba.[5] [8] The upper area contains mega-ridge sand systems on a north–south line that are believed to have been formed by monsoon.[5] The dunes of the north, formed at some point after the last regional glaciation, measure up to 100m (300feet) high,[9] with peaks accumulating in the areas just beyond the strongest wind speeds, where declining velocity wind deposited sand.[10] The north and west boundaries of the desert are delineated by the fluvial systems Wadi Batha and Wadi Andam.[11] Beneath the surface sands are an older layer of cemented carbonate sand.[9] Alluvium deposits believed to have originated from the Wadi Batha during the Paleolithic era have been disclosed in the central desert 200m (700feet) beneath the interdune surface.[12] Wind erosion is believed to have contributed to the existence of a nearly level plain in the southwest.[13]

Inhabitants

The area is occupied by Bedouins who congregate at Al-Huyawah, an oasis near the border of the desert, between June and September to gather dates.[6] Tribes present in the area at the time of the Royal Geographical Society expedition included, predominantly, Al Wahiba (or Yal Wahiba) for whom the region is named, Al-Amr, Al-Bu-Isa, Hikman, Hishm and Janaba.[14]

See also

References

Sources

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Travel to Oman, Visit Muscat through Oman Travel Guide for Sultanate of Oman Adventure. 6 November 2014. Ministry of Tourism, Sultanate of Oman. https://web.archive.org/web/20141106125627/http://www.omantourism.gov.om/wps/portal/mot/tourism/oman/details/!ut/p/a1/jdFdb4IwFAbg37ILbukpH4XtDrAiAwHXEbE3Cy4MSYAaYOPvryPGxMSpvTvN8ybnA3GUI94VP3VVjLXoiuav5uQjeduwZUwNgNDHEGg-TTFm2DSxBDsJPN9ZGVYEAG7oQRDSTfiurzE4-LH8GfgLU-aZFWeZSQE0_bE8_PMcuJffIj6T59CiTAMCSeRasoNshZnv6jYjJ0DiZZTSBYbExiCBvSaMeToY1h2QmCdwa0mXbV7ZwgxujPmKeNWI_XyyndPtdbtCvC-_yr7s1e9efh_G8Ti8KKDANE1qJUTVlOqnaBW4FjmIYUT5pUTHNstyqIM6bbf24Dz9Am4xk3o!/dl5/d5/L2dJQSEvUUt3QS80SmlFL1o2XzlLN0VTMjA2ME81NzEwSVNQUTBLRUwxR1A3/?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=%2Fwps%2Fwcm%2Fconnect%2Fmot_english_lib%2Fmot%2Fexperience%2Fnature%2Fdeserts%2Fsharqiah+sands. 6 November 2014. dead.
  2. Web site: The Wahiba Sands . Rough Guides . 2014-08-16.
  3. Web site: Sharqiya (Wahiba) Sands, Oman - Travel Guide, Info & Bookings – Lonely Planet . Lonelyplanet.com . 2013-06-09.
  4. Alsharan, 615.
  5. Alsharan, 216.
  6. Darke and Shields, 216.
  7. Alsharan, 215, 279, 280.
  8. Pease . Patrick P. . Gregory D. Bierly . Vatche P. Tchakerianc . Neil W. Tindaled . September 1999 . Mineralogical characterization and transport pathways of dune sand using Landsat TM data, Wahiba Sand Sea, Sultanate of Oman . Geomorphology . 29 . 3–4 . 235–249 . The Wahiba Sand Sea has been previously divided into upper (north and higher in elevation) and lower (south and lower in elevation) portions, based on dune morphology. . 10.1016/S0169-555X(99)00029-X.
  9. Alsharan, 119, 316.
  10. https://books.google.com/books?id=WOcUNbRUGtwC&dq=%22wahiba+sands%22&pg=PA346 Cooke et al., 346
  11. Alsharhan, xii.
  12. Alsharan, 282.
  13. https://books.google.com/books?id=WOcUNbRUGtwC&dq=%22wahiba+sands%22&pg=PA305 Cooke et al., 305
  14. Roger . Webster . Notes on the Dialect and Way of Life of the Āl Wahība Bedouin of Oman . Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London . 54 . 3 . 1991 . 473–485 . Cambridge University Press . 619056 . 10.1017/S0041977X00000835.