Wadi Bih |
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The Ru’us Al Jibal, which means the ‘head of the mountains’, is a range of the Hajar Mountains partially located within the borders of Ras Al Khaimah. Its highest peak Jabel Al Harim reaches 2087m above the sea level and much of the mountains area is above 1000m. The range is divided by wadis, of which Wadi Bih and Wadi Khabb Shamsi are the largest. Wadi Bih starts in Ras Al Khaimah but only partially belongs to the Emirate as the rest is owned by Oman. Wadi Khabb Shamsi, which subsequently follows Wadi Bih, fully belongs to Oman. The whole route is around 75km long and connects Ras Al Khaimah with Dibba on the East Coast. The area of Wadi Bih is considered to be of environmental, historical and cultural importance. Efforts are being made to define the west parts of Wadi Bih as a nature reserve.
Visit to Wadi Bih is one of the most spectacular trips in Ras Al Khaimah and the UAE. The whole journey takes you through dramatically twisting passages, sheer gorges and spectacular summit plateaux. The mountains are composed of various rocks and stones, which together create a mixture of colours and shapes. The first part of the Wadi Bih road, until the Emirates border post, is paved, and although in 1981 an excellent gravel path was completed further up, for the rest of the trip you need a 4WD car. Up to the border, the road is busy, often occupied by trucks going up to the construction site of the Jebel Al Jais Mountain Resort. The road to the resort is very picturesque, and if driven on Friday, it is peaceful. To get to the resort, turn left at the small roundabout before the Emirates Border post. The road takes you almost to the top of the mountains from where you can see the Persian Gulf if the weather is good. This paved road has been created only recently, and replaced a typical wadi gravel road. During the weekends, the area is popular with the local families, who come here for a picnic. In this part of Wadi Bih you can visit one of the tributary wadis or search for the remains of old stone houses and graveyards. The mountains hide many fields that especially during spring season become remarkably green. These beautiful spots are what make this area exceptional.
EMIRATES BORDER AND FURTHER
Once the tarmac road ends, you will arrive at the Emirates border post. Unfortunately, at the time of writing, the Emirates border post has been closed leaving no access to the further parts of Wadi Bih, but you can visit Wadi Bih up to that point. Rumours say it is occasionally opened and then closed again. In case it is opened, you will have to present your passport with valid residence visa or visit visa, in order to be allowed to pass.
After the border post, you will enter onto a gravel road and here the wadi appears quiet and undisturbed. In this part, you drive at the bottom of the deep wadi; the high walls of the wadi create a picturesque narrow gorge. The landscape is just spectacular. It is one of the most favourable locations for rock climbers, with the most popular climbing routes such as Ainee Wall, 90 Metre Crag or Spice World, to mention just a few. Along the way you can also notice several stone houses, some of them seems to completely blend in with the rocky walls and at first are difficult to spot. Several trekking routes start in the area, some going to the further located old abandoned settlements of stone built houses. Actually, the entire way, and the side wadis, shelters a number of old villages. Although, at first, their appearance is unexpected, soon they fit perfectly into the scenery. You can choose to take a break and climb to one of the villages. It is well worth the effort.
OLD STONE SETTLEMENTS
The villages, although small in size, make a big impression surrounded by the marvellous landscape. The houses are all similar, being mostly one room, single story structures with a tiny yard surrounded by a wall for privacy and safety. They were constructed from stone and some are covered with an outer layer of mud or mortar. The roofs consist of soil laid over a framework of wooden beams, giving isolation from heat in the summer and cold in the winter. Near the huts small storage rooms, often using a natural cleft in the rocks were constructed. Some everyday life equipment including grinding stones, agricultural tools and pieces of storage jars can still be seen today. Usually, within a settlement there are water collection cisterns and a graveyard. There might also be a free standing palm tree; now looking slightly out of place, but in the past provided a supply of sweet dates.
The villages’ agricultural fields demarcated by substantial walls are always visible in the distance. Cultivation carried out on these lands provided food for the farmers’ families and for the growing population of settlements down by the coast. The fields were levied and built by hand, which must have been an immense task. Some of the terraces are perhaps as old as the Bronze Age, while others were built during the Julfar period and even up to the 20th century. Farming was mainly done during the rainy season and the mostly cultivated crops were wheat and barley. Additionally, the inhabitants herded goats and sheep.
Graveyards are always in close proximity to these communities. The graves are outlined by larger stones and have upright slabs at both ends. The inside is covered by the earth and gravel. Some of the headstones of the graves contain engravings; a palm tree and a U-shaped piece of jewellery being the most popular motifs. The images of people, hand palms, animals and geometrical shapes can also be seen on the boulders around the villages. Although, these carvings, especially those on the graves, can be associated with the hamlets, their age is not defined. Some of them could have been created by the first farmers in the area, going back thousands of years. While discovering the mountains settlements, you may notice groups of rocks piled as cone. These were placed in the past to indicate the road or as boarding signs between the villages.
Some of the villages were inhabited up to the middle of the 20th century by the Shihuh tribe, although unlikely throughout the whole year due to the lack of water supplies. They have only recently moved permanently to the coastal communities that offered better amenities. However, even now some of the huts, although slightly modernized, are still visited regularly by their owners, and expatriate shepherds often live there to take care of the animals. Be aware of that, try not be intrusive and do not remove anything from the houses.
The settlements around the mountains, although impressive, are not the oldest finding in the area. The mountains were occupied in ancient times, and a number of prehistoric tombs discovered in Wadi Bih confirms that. These are from various periods, the Hafit period (3200-2600BC) being the oldest and followed by Umm an-Nar (2600-2000BC) and Wadi Suq (2000-1600BC) eras. The remains of the large Iron Age (1200-300BC) tombs can also be found nearby the mountains settlements.
OMANI BORDER AND FURTHER UP
Once you reach the Oman border post, the road starts to twist and turns climbing up to 1000m. The whole track has breath taking scenery and offers numerous opportunities for amazing photo shots. There are more old settlements along the entire way. After reaching the summit, the road starts to descent slightly; here weekend campers often occupy terraced fields. If you continue to travel ahead, the quick descent takes you shortly on the route through a winding picturesque rock faced gorge called Wadi Khabb Shamsi. This road takes you further down to Dibba.
Wadi Bih offers so many attractions that everyone should find something interesting to do during the outing. It is a wonderful place for people who like sports, as the area is suitable for trekking, hiking, climbing and cycling. It will also satisfy those interested in geology, ornithology, history and nature, while at the same time it is just fantastic area for a relaxing weekend trip. Wadi Bih is probably the only place that can be visited in the summer months, as it is slightly cooler there than at the coast below. If you visit the wadi in winter, especially a few weeks after rains, you may experience green scenery with surprisingly large amount of flora. As far as the animals go, it is rather unlikely that you will see any animal more unique than goat or donkey, although you may come across lizards or snakes.
Throughout the whole range, there is no source of surface water and water occurs only after rainfall, mainly in winter. The mountains have little vegetation and soil, so do not absorb the rain water, thus the wadis are flowed by fast running streams. In certain areas, the flooding water accumulates to create pools, while in others it is stopped and controlled by modern dams. Occasionally, after the rain, waterfalls can also be seen. Although the beauty of the running water is amazing, it must be stressed that the strength with which water goes down the wadi is so significant that it is potentially dangerous. Avoid driving through Wadi Bih after heavy rains.
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LOCATION: the Hajar Mountains, Ru’us Al Jibal range, east of RAK Drive from the Lantern R/A towards the Saqr Hospital, at the Coffee Pot R/A go straight and continue to drive in the direction of the mountains. At the next stoplights, continue to drive straight for about 6.5km until the road ends in a T-junction. Then, turn right and drive for around 1.5km. On your left, you will see an army camp. After the road curves to the left, turn right at the next paved road. There is a sign saying Wadi Bih. Shortly after you can see a dam and if you travel on the main road for about 15km, you will reach the Emirates border post. After passing the border stay on the main track and 8.5km further you should reach another check point, this time the Omani one. From here you climb up on a steep slope and travel along the main path until you arrive in Dibba. GPS: The Emirates border check point - N25o49’ 54.55” E56o07’ 40.89”
NOTE: 4WD car is needed for the round trip. If the border is closed, you can enter this route from the Dibba side, but the part that belongs to Ras Al Khaimah will not be accessible. Dibba can be reached from Ras Al Khaimah via an excellent tarmac two lane road (E87) that starts from a roundabout on the way to Masafi (E18). Once at Dibba, drive towards the coast and follow the signs to Khasab. You will be stopped at the border, so you should have with you your passport with valid visa.
NOTE: April 2010 - the border is still closed and it does not seem to be opened very soon.
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