|
Wadi and Jebel Al Faya (Route 3) |
|
|
|
IN BRIEF
- Starting Points: Rashidiya Interchange (ie Interchange 9) on the Sharjah–Al Dhaid Highway.
- Finishing Points: Madam–Al Dhaid Road or Sharjah–Al Dhaid Highway Interchange (ie Interchange 11).
- Distance: 63km.
- Time Required: Half a day to one day.
- Category: Sand and wadi driving – 4x4 only.
- Highlights: A unique wadi winding through a rich desert landscape. Rashidiya, Muhafiz, Qarn Al Murra, Jebel Al Faya and Jebel Malaiha (Fossil Rock). The Sharjah Natural History Museum and Arabian Wildlife Centre are situated along this route.
|
Wadi and Jebel (‘Jebel’ means ‘mountain’) Al Faya are on the western edge of the Madam Plains. Wadi Al Faya carries whatever is left of the rainwaters from the Hajar Mountains once it has passed through the Madam Plains. The wadi dissipates into the desert sand beyond Rashidiya, in the emirate of Sharjah, just before reaching the Sharjah–Al Dhaid Highway.
This wide, quiet wadi winds through the desert in a northerly and northwesterly direction. Because of its distance from the mountains and its porous characteristics, it takes a great deal of rain to get the water flowing in the wadi bed. Heavy rains in 1988 and 1990 produced flash floods of immense size that were carried long distances through the wadi, eventually creating lakes around Sayh Musannad, just before the Sharjah–Al Dhaid Road.
It’s after such rains that the wadi and its elements are at their best and the majestic size of the wadi is realised. It turns green and blooms with desert plants, shrubs and flowers. The abundance of vegetation makes the trip through Wadi Al Faya a memorable one.
Related Articles
|
Wadi and Jebel Al Faya 