Sharqiya Sands
Wahiba Sands
TheSharqiya Sands[1](Arabic:ٱلرِّمَال ٱلشَّرْقِيَّة,romanized:Ar-Rimāl Ash-Sharqiyyah,formerly known asWahiba Sands(رِمَال وَهِيْبَةorرَمْلَة آل وَهِيْبَة)) is a region ofdesertinOman.[2][3]The region was named for the Bani Wahiba tribe.[4]Divided between thenorthernandsoutherngovernoratesinthe Eastern Region.The area is defined by a boundary of 180 kilometers (110 mi) north to south and 80 kilometers (50 mi) east to west,[5]with an area of 12,500 square kilometers (4,800 sq mi).[6]The desert has been of scientific interest since a 1986 expedition by theRoyal Geographical Societydocumented the diversity of the terrain, thefloraandfauna,noting 16,000invertebratesas well as 200 species of other wildlife, includingavifauna.[5]They also documented 150 species of native flora.
Geology
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The desert was formed during theQuaternaryperiod as a result of the forces of south-west blowingmonsoonand the northernshamaltrade wind,coming in from the east.[7]Based on the types ofdunesfound in the area, it is divided into the high, or upper, Wahiba and low Wahiba.[6][8]The upper area contains mega-ridge sand systems on a north–south line that are believed to have been formed by monsoon.[6]The dunes of the north, formed at some point after the last regionalglaciation,measure up to 100 meters (330 ft) 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 thefluvialsystems Wadi Batha and Wadi Andam.[11]Beneath the surface sands are an older layer ofcemented carbonate sand.[9]Alluviumdeposits believed to have originated from the Wadi Batha during thePaleolithicera have been disclosed in the central desert 200 meters (660 ft) beneath the interdune surface.[12]Wind erosionis believed to have contributed to the existence of a nearly level plain in the southwest.[13]
Inhabitants
[edit]The area is occupied byBedouinswho congregate at Al-Huyawah, anoasisnear the border of the desert, between June and September to gatherdates.[5]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]
Gallery
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Ghaf trees
(Prosopis cineraria) -
Wahiba Sands -
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Vehicles on the dunes near theEastern Hajar Mountains
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Travel to Oman, Visit Muscat through Oman Travel Guide for Sultanate of Oman Adventure".Ministry of Tourism, Sultanate of Oman.Archived fromthe originalon 6 November 2014.Retrieved6 November2014.
- ^"The Wahiba Sands".Rough Guides.Retrieved2014-08-16.
- ^"Sharqiya (Wahiba) Sands, Oman - Travel Guide, Info & Bookings – Lonely Planet".Lonelyplanet.com.Retrieved2013-06-09.
- ^Alsharan, 615.
- ^abcDarke and Shields, 216.
- ^abcAlsharan, 216.
- ^Alsharan, 215, 279, 280.
- ^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.doi:10.1016/S0169-555X(99)00029-X.
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.
- ^abAlsharan, 119, 316.
- ^Cooke et al., 346.
- ^Alsharhan, xii.
- ^Alsharan, 282.
- ^Cooke et al., 305.
- ^Webster, Roger (1991). "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). Cambridge University Press: 473–485.doi:10.1017/S0041977X00000835.JSTOR619056.
Sources
[edit]- Alsharhan, A. S.; IGCP Project 349 (1998).Quaternary Deserts and Climatic Change: Proceedings of the International Conference on Quaternary Deserts and Climatic Change: Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, 9–11 December 1995.Taylor & Francis.ISBN90-5410-597-6.
{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - Cooke, Ronald U.; Andrew Warren; Andrew Goudie (1993).Desert Geomorphology.Taylor & Francis.ISBN1-85728-017-2.
- Darke, Diana; Sandra Shields (2006).Oman: The Bradt Travel Guide.Bradt Travel Guides. pp. 214–217.ISBN1-84162-168-4.
External links
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