Wadi Asimah is a seasonal watercourse in the
Hajar Mountains
The Hajar Mountains ( ar, جِبَال ٱلْحَجَر, Jibāl al-Ḥajar, ''The Rocky Mountains'' or ''The Stone Mountains'') in northeastern Oman and also the eastern United Arab Emirates are the highest mountain range in the eastern Arabian ...
of
Ras Al Khaimah
Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) ( ar, رَأْس ٱلْخَيْمَة, historically Julfar) is the largest city and capital of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. It is the sixth-largest city in UAE after Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ain ...
in the
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
. It runs broadly westward from the village of
Asimah to join the
Wadi Fara
Wadi Fara is a seasonal watercourse, or wadi, in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. It runs from the confluence of the Wadi Asimah and Wadi Sidr, to the village of Ghayl.
A wide and fertile wadi, its rich wildlife includes a novel species of d ...
, its confluence forming the locus between Wadi Fara and
Wadi Sidr
Wadi Sidr is a seasonal watercourse, or wadi, in the Hajar Mountains of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. It runs in a south-westerly direction from the village of Wadi Sidr, where it is dammed by the Wadi Sidr Dam, constructed in 2001, to the confl ...
.
A popular location for day trippers and offroading, Wadi Asimah is notable for its lush greenery and agriculture. It is the site of the 'Sultan's Gardens', an area of abundant oleander, grasses, palm groves and pools that often (and unusually) harbours water year-round, as well as providing a nesting ground for
heron
The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 72 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genera ''Botaurus'' and ''Ixobrychus ...
. In winter, the mountainous
wadi
Wadi ( ar, وَادِي, wādī), alternatively ''wād'' ( ar, وَاد), North African Arabic Oued, is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some instances, it may refer to a wet (ephemeral) riverbed that contains water onl ...
will receive heavy rainfall, leading to
flash flood
A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice or snow flowing o ...
s, and has even seen hail on occasion.
The villages of Asimah and
Mawrid
Mawrid ( ar, مورد) is a settlement in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is located in the Wadi Asimah
Wadi Asimah is a seasonal watercourse in the Hajar Mountains of Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates. It runs broa ...
and the course of the Wadi Asimah were traditionally settled by members of the
Mazari tribe.
Geology and archaeology
Wadi Asimah is both a geologically and archaeologically rich area, with thick fluvial deposits and archaeological sites. Wadi Asimah has lent its name to the 'Asimah Window', an area of isoclinally folded metacherts formed by metamorphic events.
The archeology of the area of Wadi Asimah yields signs of human habitation from the Neolithic to the present. Prehistoric incised arrowheads have been found in the area, which is also the site of an
Umm Al Nar settlement, with finds including a bronze goblet, socketed spear-heads and dagger blades. A number of tombs from the late Umm Al Nar period were located at the edges of the wadi.
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
finds have also been made in the wadi.
Gallery
File:Wadi Asimah Falaj.jpg, Falaj Ghayli, a surface irrigation waterway in a palm grove on the edges of the Wadi Asimah
File:Oleander in the Wadi Asimah 2.jpg, Oleander in the Wadi Asimah
File:Wadi Asimah Water.jpg, The 'Sultan's Gardens' in the Wadi Asimah is an area of year-round water, unusual in the wadis of the Hajar Mountains
File:Wadi Asimah trippers.jpg, Day trippers pass abundant water in the Wadi Asimah in the summer months
See also
*
List of wadis of the United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates does not have any permanent rivers, but does have wadis, a permanently or intermittently dry riverbed. This is a list of wadis in United Arab Emirates arranged by drainage basin.
Persian Gulf
*Dubai Creek is sometimes cal ...
References
{{Ras Al Khaimah
Rivers of the United Arab Emirates
Geography of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah
History of the United Arab Emirates