Liwa Oasis

{{Infobox settlement

| name = Liwa Oasis

| native_name = {{lang|ar|وَاحَـة لِـيْـوَا}}

| settlement_type = Oasis

| translit_lang1_type =

| translit_lang1_info =

| image_skyline = File:Canal - panoramio (17).jpg

| image_caption = A falaj in Qasr Al Sarab, Liwa Oasis.

| image_flag =

| image_coat =

| pushpin_map = UAE

| pushpin_map_caption = Location of Mezairaa, UAE. Considered the largest town in Liwa Oasis

| government_type = Absolute monarchy

| subdivision_type = Country

| subdivision_name = {{UAE}}

| subdivision_type1 = Emirate

| subdivision_name1 = {{flag|Abu Dhabi}}

| subdivision_type2 = Municipal region

| subdivision_name2 = Al Gharbia

| parts_type =

| parts =

| leader_title = Emir

| leader_name = Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan

| leader_title1 = Ruler's Representative of the Western Region of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi

| leader_name1 = Hamdan bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan

| area_magnitude =

| area_metro_km2 =

| area_total_km2 =

| population_as_of = 2019

| population_total = 20,192{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f9l90XsF5-sC&pg=PA167|title=The Report: Abu Dhabi 2010|date=21 March 2019|publisher=Oxford Business Group|isbn=9781907065217|via=Google Books}}

| coordinates = {{coord|23.13231|N|53.79662|E|name=Mezairaa|display=inline,title}}

| population_density_km2 = auto

| utc_offset = +4

| timezone = UAE Standard Time

| elevation_m =

| footnotes =

}}

The Liwa Oasis ({{langx|ar|وَاحَـة لِـيْـوَا|Wāḥat Līwā}}) is a large oasis area in the Western Region of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates.{{cite book |publisher=Oxford Business Group |title=The Report Abu Dhabi 2010 |chapter=Al Gharbia |page=171 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f9l90XsF5-sC&pg=PA167 |isbn=978-1-9070-6521-7 |year=2010}}

Geography

File:Liwa NASA.jpg dune fields. The border with Saudi Arabia is shown as a red line. To the north, farms along the highway to Madinat Zayed are visible.]]

File:Liwa oasis location.jpg

File:Liwa شيا - panoramio.jpg trees in Liwa Oasis]]

Liwa Oasis is about {{convert|97.6|km|mile|abbr=on}} south of the Persian Gulf coast and {{convert|150|km|mile|abbr=on}} southwest of the city of Abu Dhabi, on the northern edge of Rub' al Khali desert. It is centered around {{coord|23|08|N|53|46|E}} and stretches about {{convert|100|km|mile|abbr=on}} east-west, along an arch curved to the north. It consists of some 50 villages. The geographic and economic center of the oasis is Muzayri`, where the highway from Abu Dhabi enters the oasis and then divides to the east ({{convert|65|km|mile|abbr=on}} to the easternmost village, Mahdar Bin `Usayyan) and west ({{convert|45|km|mile|abbr=on}} to the westernmost village, `Aradah). According to the census of population of 2005, the population was 20,196. Earlier estimates judging from satellite images which gauged the population at 50,000 to 150,000, were too high.{{cite web|url=http://lexicorient.com/e.o/liwa_o.htm|title=Liwa Oasis|access-date=2012-07-05|publisher=Lexiorient}} The villages of Liwa Oasis are the southernmost settlements of Abu Dhabi and of the United Arab Emirates. The southern border of Abu Dhabi with Saudi Arabia, which runs at a distance between {{convert|16|and|35|km|mile|abbr=on}} to the Oasis, is a straight line in the Rub al Khali desert, which is largely uninhabited. Mahdar Bin `Usayyan is the southernmost village of the Emirates, and also the easternmost of the oasis. {{convert|10|km|mile|abbr=on}} south of the border, and {{convert|40|km|mile|abbr=on}} south of the eastern part of the oasis is the Saudi oil facility Shaybah. However, there is no road linking Liwa Oasis and Shaybah, and no border crossing. A modern, multi-lane highway connects the oasis area to the capital, Abu Dhabi.

= Villages =

File:Dune ranges (4184948167).jpg in Liwa Oasis.]]

The USGS Geographic Names Database{{Cite web|url=http://earth-info.nga.mil/gns/html/namefiles.htm |title=Complete Files of Geographic Names for Geopolitical Areas from GNS (ISO/IEC 10646 [Unicode UTF-8] |publisher=Earth-info.nga.mil |access-date=2012-07-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120709181017/http://earth-info.nga.mil/gns/html/namefiles.htm |archive-date=2012-07-09 }} lists 39 populated places in the area of the oasis, which are listed from west to east in the following table.

class="wikitable" ! Village ! Arabic ! Coordinates
`Aradah	عرادة	{{coord\|22\|59\|00\|N\|53\|26\|00\|E}}
Milqatah	ملقطة	{{coord\|23\|04\|00\|N\|53\|32\|00\|E}}
Al-`Idd	العيد	{{coord\|23\|04\|48\|N\|53\|33\|02\|E}}
Al-Mariyah al-Gharbiyah	المارية الغربية	{{coord\|23\|06\|12\|N\|53\|34\|48\|E}}
Humar	حمار	{{coord\|23\|05\|04\|N\|53\|35\|03\|E}}
Khannur	خنور	{{coord\|23\|06\|14\|N\|53\|36\|05\|E}}
Hamarur	حمرور	{{coord\|23\|06\|00\|N\|53\|36\|31\|E}}
Taraq	طرق	{{coord\|23\|06\|50\|N\|53\|36\|41\|E}}
Mujib	مجيب	{{coord\|23\|07\|00\|N\|53\|41\|00\|E}}
Kayyah	جيه	{{coord\|23\|09\|30\|N\|53\|41\|05\|E}}
Zuwayhir	ظويهر	{{coord\|23\|08\|22\|N\|53\|41\|36\|E}}
Wafd	وفد	{{coord\|23\|06\|20\|N\|53\|42\|50\|E}}
Umm al Qurayn	أم القرين	{{coord\|23\|06\|00\|N\|53\|43\|00\|E}}
Qutuf	قطوف	{{coord\|23\|06\|36\|N\|53\|43\|29\|E}}
Al-Atir	العاطر	{{coord\|23\|09\|50\|N\|53\|44\|07\|E}}
Al-Mariyah	المارية	{{coord\|23\|08\|30\|N\|53\|44\|30\|E}}
Dhafeer	ظفير	{{coord\|23\|07\|50\|N\|53\|45\|37\|E}}
Jayf	جيف	{{coord\|23\|09\|44\|N\|53\|46\|28\|E}}
Muzayri	مظيري	{{coord\|23\|08\|19\|N\|53\|47\|14\|E}}
Nafir	نافر	{{coord\|23\|06\|00\|N\|53\|48\|00\|E}}
Huwaylah	حويلة	{{coord\|23\|09\|19\|N\|53\|49\|26\|E}}
Qurmidah	قرمدة	{{coord\|23\|07\|08\|N\|53\|49\|42\|E}}
Hafif	هفيف \ حفيف	{{coord\|23\|08\|52\|N\|53\|50\|29\|E}}
`Attab	عتاب	{{coord\|23\|09\|14\|N\|53\|52\|46\|E}}
Shah	شاه	{{coord\|23\|08\|33\|N\|53\|54\|51\|E}}
Huwaytayn	حويتين	{{coord\|23\|06\|51\|N\|53\|55\|52\|E}}
Sabkhah	صبخة	{{coord\|23\|07\|50\|N\|53\|59\|11\|E}}
Al-Hadhi	الهذي	{{coord\|23\|06\|57\|N\|53\|59\|48\|E}}
Tharwaniyah	ثروانية	{{coord\|23\|05\|00\|N\|54\|01\|00\|E}}
Al Mashrub	المشرب	{{coord\|23\|04\|00\|N\|54\|01\|00\|E}}
An-Nashshash	النشاش	{{coord\|23\|05\|00\|N\|54\|02\|00\|E}}
Dahin	داهن	{{coord\|23\|04\|00\|N\|54\|05\|00\|E}}
Wadhil	واظل	{{coord\|23\|03\|00\|N\|54\|08\|00\|E}}
Mawsil	موصل	{{coord\|23\|01\|00\|N\|54\|09\|00\|E}}
Al-Khis	الخيس	{{coord\|23\|00\|00\|N\|54\|12\|00\|E}}
Quwaysah	قويسة	{{coord\|22\|59\|00\|N\|54\|14\|00\|E}}
Hamim	حميم	{{coord\|22\|58\|00\|N\|54\|18\|00\|E}}
Jurayrah	جريرة	{{coord\|22\|57\|00\|N\|54\|19\|00\|E}}
Mahdar Bin `Usayyan	مهدر بن عصيان	{{coord\|22\|56\|00\|N\|54\|19\|00\|E}}

Economy

File:Liwa Desert Road in Abu Dhabi.jpg

An important traditional branch of the economy is date farming. There is a widespread use of drip irrigation and greenhouses. The importance of tourism is on the rise. There are several hotels in the area including the Liwa Hotel in Muzayri`, Tilal Liwa Hotel, the Liwa Rest House in the same village and run by the government of Abu Dhabi, and the resort Qasr Al Sarab.{{Cite web|url=https://www.anantara.com/en/qasr-al-sarab-abu-dhabi|title=Qasr Al Sarab Abu Dhabi|website=www.anantara.com|accessdate=May 9, 2023}}

The nearby Moreeb dune ({{coord|22|59|N|53|47|E}}), {{convert|22|km|mile|abbr=off}} south of Muzayri`, is {{convert|300|m|ft|abbr=off}} high, and is one of the largest dunes in the world. It attracts people every year during the Liwa festival,{{cite web |url=https://visitabudhabi.ae/en/see.and.do/leisure/events/liwa.international.festival.moreeb.dune.aspx |title=Liwa International Festival / Moreeb Dune |access-date=2019-06-19 |publisher=Abu Dhabi Tourism Office |location=Abu Dhabi }} where a large number of international and local visitors come to see the off-road and Liwa Moreeb Dune Festival, camel racing events.

History

The oasis is the place of birth of the ruling families of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. In 1793, the ruling family Al Nahyan moved their residence from Liwa to Abu Dhabi.{{cite journal|last=Motohiro|first=Ono|title=Reconsideration of the Meanings of the Tribal Ties in the United Arab Emirates: Abu Dhabi Emirate in Early ʼ90s|journal=Kyoto Bulletin of Islamic Area Studies|date=March 2011|volume=4-1|issue=2|pages=25–34|url=http://www.asafas.kyoto-u.ac.jp/kias/kyodo/pdf/kb4_1and2/05ono.pdf|access-date=17 April 2013}}

Traditionally, men from Liwa (Bani Yas tribe) were pearl divers on the coast during the summer months. Pearl diving offered an additional source of income.

The British explorer Wilfred Thesiger first arrived in Liwa around mid December 1946 in his first crossing of the Rub' Al Khali (Empty Quarter) desert.{{Cite web |title=Journey biographies {{!}} Thesiger's Journeys in Arabia - Second Empty Quarter Crossing 1947-8 |url=https://web.prm.ox.ac.uk/thesiger/index.php/thesigers-journeys/15-thesigers-journeys-in-arabia-second-empty-quarter-crossing-1947-8.html |access-date=2024-01-15 |website=web.prm.ox.ac.uk}}{{Cite web |title=Agosto Foundation :: Wilfred Thesiger - Journeys |url=https://agosto-foundation.org/node/3130 |access-date=2024-01-15 |website=agosto-foundation.org |language=en}} This was followed by a second visit by Thesiger in early March 1948 during his second crossing of the Rub' Al Khali (Empty Quarter) desert.{{Cite book |last=Thesiger |first=Wilfred |title=Arabian Sands |publisher=Penguin Group |year=1959 |isbn=978-1-101-16066-4 |publication-date=1959 |pages=260–262}}

In popular culture

Desert scenes of East of Liwa Oasis, in the Rub' Al Khali desert, was the set of in the 2015 film Star Wars: The Force Awakens and it was used to represent Jakku, a desert planet.{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/herocomplex/la-ca-hc-star-wars-filming-abu-dhabi-20151206-story.html|title=The harsh reality of building a 'Star Wars' fantasy in Abu Dhabi|newspaper=LA Times|date=3 December 2015}}

Desert scenes in the 2020 film Sonic the Hedgehog were filmed in Liwa Oasis.{{cite news|url=https://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/film/watch-key-sonic-the-hedgehog-scenes-were-filmed-in-abu-dhabi-s-liwa-desert-1.997142|title=Watch: Key 'Sonic The Hedgehog' scenes were filmed in Abu Dhabi's Liwa desert|publisher=The National|date=25 March 2020}}

Desert scenes of the desert landscape of Liwa was filmed to represent the planet Arrakis in the 2021 film Dune{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2021/09/denis-villeneuve-shot-dune-hottest-months-abu-dhabi-1234667710/|title=Why Denis Villeneuve Shot ‘Dune’ During Abu Dhabi’s Hottest Months: ‘Strange Haze in the Air’|publisher=IndieWire|date=27 September 2021}} and 2024 film Dune: Part Two.{{cite web|url= https://www.timeout.com/news/where-was-dune-2-filmed-all-the-stunning-locations-revealed-030524|title= Where was ‘Dune 2’ filmed? All the stunning locations revealed |publisher=Timeout|date=5 March 2024}}

Gallery

File:Desert ripples (4184941765).jpg|The desert in the outskirts of Liwa Oasis

File:Desert - panoramio (6).jpg|Sand dunes overlooking Liwa Oasis

File:Further still (4184933045).jpg|Desert around Liwa

File:Liwa Desert.JPG| Liwa desert

File:Road to Tal Moreb (4185679430).jpg|Road to Tal Moreeb

File:Castle - panoramio (22).jpg|Qasr Al Sarab in Liwa

File:Mezairaa Fort.jpg|Mezairaa Fort

File:Sand Gazelle 2.jpg|Arabian sand gazelle in Liwa

References

External links

Category:Western Region, Abu Dhabi

Category:Oases of the United Arab Emirates