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.
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]
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]