Al Muhtarqah

{{Short description|Village in the UAE}}

{{Infobox settlement

| official_name = Al Muhtarqah

| native_name = {{native_name|ar|المحترقة}}

| other_name = Al Mihtarqah

| motto =

| image_skyline = Al Muhtarqah - Old and new constructions.jpg

| image_caption = Old and new constructions

| image_seal =

| image_map =

| map_caption = Location of Al Muhtarqah

| pushpin_map = UAE#Persian Gulf#Middle East#West Asia

| pushpin_label_position = left

| pushpin_relief = 1

| pushpin_map_caption = Location of Al Muhtarqah in the UAE

| subdivision_type = Country

| subdivision_name = {{UAE}}

| subdivision_type1 = Emirate

| subdivision_name1 = {{flag2|Fujairah}}

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| area_total_km2 = 0.33

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| timezone = UTC+04:00

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| coordinates = {{coord|25|32|28|N|56|07|50|E|region:AE|display=inline,title}}

| elevation_footnotes =

| elevation_ft = 984

| elevation_m = 300

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}}

Al Muhtarqah or Al Mihtarqah ({{langx|ar|المحترقة}}) Jāmiʻat al-Imārāt al-ʻArabīyah al-Muttaḥidah. Geoprojects (U.K.) Ltd., The National atlas of the United Arab Emirates, Al Ain : United Arab Emirates University - 1993{{Cite news|url=|title=Al Muhtarqah: A Land of History and Greenery An Oasis Living Peacefully Among the Mountains - 8-06-2012 المحترقة أرض التاريخ والخضرة واحة تعيش بهدوء بين الجبال |website=www.alkhaleej.ae|language=ar|access-date=2025-05-09}} is a small agricultural and livestock town in the Emirate of Fujairah, northeastern U.A.E.

Toponymy

Alternative names: Al Muḥtarqah ({{lang|ar|ٱلْمُحْتَرْقَة}}), Mahtarraqah, Muhtarqah, Mukhtaraja, Al Mihtarqah, Al Mihtaraqah, Muhtarraqah, Al Mihtirqah, Al Muhtarqah, Mukhtaraqah.

The name of Al Muhtarqah (spelled Mukhtaraqah), its wadis, mountains and nearby towns, were recorded in the documentation and maps produced between 1950 and 1960 by the British Arabist, cartographer, military officer and diplomat Julian F. Walker, during the work carried out to establish the borders between the then so-called Trucial States,FCO 18/1969 - 1959 - Sketch map drawn by Julian Walker for boundary delimitation: Dibba - The National Archives, London, England later completed by the UK Ministry of Defence, with 1:100,000 scale maps published from 1971 onwards.Map FCO 18/1787 - 1972 - Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE): Dibba, with handwritten annotations - Scale 1:100,000 - Published by D Survey, Ministry of Defence, United Kingdom (1971) - Edition 3-GSGS - The National Archives, London, England

In the National Atlas of the United Arab Emirates it appears as Al Miḥtarqah ({{langx|ar|المحترقة}}).

Geography

{{See also|Geography of the United Arab Emirates}}

The village is located near the sources of the Wadi Al Fay. It lies on the drainage divide, which separates the wadis that drain their waters into the Gulf of Oman, and those that drain into the Persian Gulf.

Adjacent to the village of Al Muhtarqah is the mountain pass of Al Qaliddi (Aqabat al Qaliddi),Mindat.org - ‘Aqabat al Qaliddī, Al Fujayrah, United Arab Emirates an important crossing for caravans that followed the historic Qaliddi route, which connected the city of Ras Al Khaimah and other towns on the coast of the Persian Gulf to the city of Dibba on the coast of the Gulf of Oman,Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf. Vol. II. Geographical and Statistical. J. G. Lorimer. 1908', British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/20/C91/4, p. 1444, in Qatar Digital Library making it a strategic reference and supply point.

File:Al Muhtarqah - Wadi crossing the village.jpg|Agricultural and livestock tradition

File:Al Muhtarqah - Palm groves and cultivated fields-2.jpg|Palm groves and cultivation areas

History

{{See also|History of the United Arab Emirates}}

Historically, Al Muhtarqah relied on agriculture, animal husbandry, and honey collection, due to the abundance of wild beehives in the caves of the surrounding mountains. The region was, and still is, known for its numerous palm and fruit tree plantations, as well as its crops of wheat, millet, barley, corn, sorghum, and tobacco. Firewood was also collected and charcoal was produced.

Today, many former inhabitants of the Al Muhtarqah area have moved their permanent homes to the outskirts of Tawiyean ({{langx|ar|الطويين|Aṭ-Ṭawyīn}}), but some old farms have been transformed into second homes, mainly occupied by younger generations wishing to maintain their roots and preserve their family heritage and ancestral traditions.

Population

{{See also|Demographics of the United Arab Emirates}}

The area around Al Miḥtarqah / Al Muhtarqah was populated mainly by the Sharqiyin tribe, a tribal section of Jamāmaḩah.{{Cite book|last=Lancaster, William, 1938-|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/763160662|title=Honour is in contentment : life before oil in Ras al-Khaimah (UAE) and some neighboring regions|date=2011|publisher=De Gruyter|others=Lancaster, Fidelity.|isbn=978-3-11-022340-8|location=Berlin|pages=|oclc=763160662}}Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf. Vol. II. Geographical and Statistical. J G Lorimer. 1908', British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/20/C91/4, pg. 1769, in Qatar Digital Library Tribes of Trucial States coast - 1958- Ref. FO 371/132894

Archaeological remains in the vicinity of Al Muhtarqah and Wadi Al Fay indicate human presence in this area from very early times.Britton, Georgia. “An Archaeological Survey of Northern Fujairah, United Arab Emirates.” Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy - 2004. <:https://www.academia.edu/48243045/An_archaeological_survey_of_northern_Fujairah_United_Arab_Emirates>

See also

References

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