Page 38 - UAE Truncal States

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Geographical Conditions

varies throughout Abu Dhabi’s territory, depending on the avail­
ability of fresh or brackish water. The eastern reaches benefit from
the run-off water from the mountains. Further west, dew and
occasional rain accumulated over centuries in the sand-dunes
provide in certain areas enough water to supply hand-dug wells.10 In
one area in the south called Llwa, a string of about four dozen small
oases nestle in many of the hollows formed by a multitude of
interlinking sand dunes, the highest of which rise up to nearly 200
metres above the floor of the plains.11 The territory to the south and
west of the Llwa forms the edge of the Rub' al Khali, and water wells
are few and far between. The wells in the Llwa oases support date
palms but are usually not prolific and the water is not sweet enough
to permit much additional agriculture. As a result of this, the Llwa
has been the centre for a migratory population. The inhabitants had
to seek additional means of livelihood by tending large camel herds
migrating over an extensive area in the adjacent desert during the
winter months, or by pursuing other economic activities on the coast.
Situated about 100 kilometres south of the Gulf and isolated from the
nearest coastal settlements by the desert, the exact location of this
string of oases was not known to European geographers until the
year 1906, when it came by accident to the attention of the author of
the Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia, who
was compiling the information obtained by generations of officials in
the British Government of India.12 As a result of this, many villages
and seasonal settlements in the hitherto unknown desert regions of
Dhafrah,13 Bainunah, Qufa and Khatam in Abu Dhabi territory could
also be located on the map.14
Due east of the capital the second largest population centre, al 'Ain,
is about 160 kilometres away. The recently built-up town of al 'Ain
and its five neighbouring villages constitute Abu Dhabi’s share of the
whole oasis which, in European literature of the last few decades,
has been called after Buraimi, one of the three neighbouring villages
in the territory of the Sultanate of Oman. The oasis is situated some
20 kilometres from the last of the main ranges of the Hajar
mountains. One solitary mountain, Jabal Hafit, reaching the height of
1160 metres, extends from al 'Ain in a south-easterly direction for
about 20 kilometres, straddling the border between Abu Dhabi and
the Sultanate. The oasis owes its existence to the availability of
underground fresh water at the foot of the mountains. Some of the
water is brought to the oasis by underground channels, called a/laj,
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