Wadi Half
| Wadi Half Wādī Ḥalf | |
|---|---|
 Pools in Wadi Half | |
 Location and course of Wadi Half | |
    | |
| Native name | وادي حلف (Arabic) |
| Location | |
| Country |  Oman |
| Governorate | Musandam |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Southwest of Jabal Half (569 m (1,867 ft)) |
| • elevation | 500 m (1,600 ft), approximately |
| Mouth | Confluence with Wadi Madha |
• coordinates | 25°16′32″N 56°16′07″E / 25.27556°N 56.26861°E |
• elevation | 289 m (948 ft) |
| Length | 8.6 km (5.3 mi) |
| Basin size | 106 km2 (41 sq mi) (Wadi Madha basin)[1][2] |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Wadi. Intermittent flow |
| River system | Wadi Madha |
Wadi Half (Arabic: وادي حلف, romanized: Wādī Ḥalf) [3][4][5][6] is a valley or dry river with ephemeral or intermittent flow, flowing almost exclusively during the rainy season. It is located in northern Oman, in the Omani enclave of Madha (Musandam Governorate); and in the eastern United Arab Emirates, specifically the emirates of Sharjah, and Fujairah.
It is a right tributary of Wadi Madha, to whose hydrographic basin of 106 km2 (41 sq mi) it belongs.[1][7][8][9]
Course
[edit]The total length of Wadi Half is approximately 8.6 km (5.3 mi), running entirely within Omani territory. [10]
Its source is located at an approximate altitude of 500 m (1,600 ft), southwest of Jabal Half (569 m (1,867 ft)), next to the drainage divide that separates the Wadi Madha and Wadi Safad basins.[4]
At the end of its upper course, Wadi Half is crossed by the partially constructed new road, intended to link the city of Madha (Oman) with Daftah (UAE). Preliminary studies for this project had warned of the serious environmental impact it could cause, potentially resulting in irreparable damage to the area's natural environment.[11][12]
In its gently sloping middle and lower reaches, Wadi Half forms the characteristic meanders also found in Wadi Madha and other wadis in the region. It also features several pools that retain water for much of the year.
It flows into Wadi Madha, shortly after the site of Z̧āhir al Qasha',[13] and shortly before crossing the border of the Nahwa (UAE) enclave.
Toponymy
[edit]Alternative names: Wādī Ḥalf, Wadi Half, Wadi Hilf, Wādī Ḩalf, Wādī Ḩilf.
The name of Wadi Half (with the spellings Wadi Half and Wādī Ḩalf), its tributaries, mountains and nearby towns, was 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-called Trucial States.[14] These were subsequently completed by the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom, on 1:100,000 scale maps published in 1971.[4]
In the National Atlas of the United Arab Emirates, it appears with the spelling Wādī Ḥalf (Arabic: وادي حلف).[3]
Population
[edit]The area of Wadi Madha and Wadi Half was populated mainly by the Madhahana, Bani Hamid, Bani Sa'ad, Dahwahir, and Naqbiyin tribes.[6][15][16][17]
See also
[edit]- List of wadis of the United Arab Emirates
- List of mountains in the United Arab Emirates
- List of wadis of Oman
- List of mountains in Oman
References
[edit]- ^ a b Alhogaraty, Eslam (2010). "8: Hydrology and Hydrogeology". Environmental assessment for a biosphere reserve in the eastern region of the United Arab Emirates with help of geoinformatics (PDF) (Thesis). Greifswald, Germany: University of Greifswald. p. 114. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
- ^ OpenStreetMap contributors (27 May 2025). "Wadi Madha Drainage Basin" (Map). OpenStreetMap. OpenStreetMap. Retrieved 27 May 2025.[self-published source]
- ^ a b Jāmiʿat al-Imārāt al-ʿArabīyah al-Muttaḥidah (1993). The national atlas of the United Arab Emirates. Al Ain, United Arab Emirates: United Arab Emirates University with GEOprojects (U.K.) Ltd. ISBN 9780863511004.
- ^ a b c "FCO 18/1792 1970 Map of Trucial States: Muscat and Oman:Masafi". www.agda.ae. United Arab Emirates: Arabian Gulf Digital Archives. 1971. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
- ^ "Boundary between East Aden Protectorate and Muscat and Oman". www.agda.ae. United Arab Emirates: Arabian Gulf Digital Archives. 1967–68. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
- ^ a b Lancaster, William; Lancaster, Fidelity (July 2011). Honour is in Contentment: Life Before Oil in Ras Al-Khaimah (UAE) and Some Neighbouring Regions. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. p. 191. ISBN 9783110223408. OCLC 763160662.
- ^ Alsharhan, Abdulrahman S.; Rizk, Zeinelabidin E. (March 17, 2020). Water Resources and Integrated Management of the United Arab Emirates. World Water Resources. Vol. 3. Springer Nature. ISBN 978-3-030-31684-6 – via Google Books.
- ^ OpenStreetMap contributors (27 May 2025). "Wadi Madha Drainage Basin" (Map). OpenStreetMap. OpenStreetMap. Retrieved 27 May 2025.[self-published source]
- ^ Subraelu, P.; Ahmed, A.; Ebraheem, A.A.; Sheriff, M.; Mirza, S.B.; Ridouane, F.L.; Sefelnasr, A. (2 August 2023). "Risk Assessment and Mapping of Flash Flood Vulnerable Zones in Arid Region, Fujairah City, UAE-Using Remote Sensing and GIS-Based Analysis". Water 2023. 15 (2802). MDPI: 2802. Bibcode:2023Water..15.2802S. doi:10.3390/w15152802.
- ^ https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1306220644#map=14/25.25658/56.26087&layers=P OpenStreetMap.org - Way: Wadi Half (1306220644)
- ^ Japan International Cooperation Agency - Katahira & Engineers International - Madha - Dafta Road. openjicareport.jica.go.jp <https://openjicareport.jica.go.jp/pdf/11784295_02.pdf>
- ^ Japan International Cooperation Agency - Katahira & Engineers International - III Madha - Daftah Road. openjicareport.jica.go.jp <https://openjicareport.jica.go.jp/pdf/11784311_02.pdf>
- ^ "Mindat.org - Z̧āhir al Qasha', Musandam, Oman". www.mindat.org.
- ^ FCO 18/1937 - 1958 Sketch map drawn by Julian Walker for boundary delimitation: Dhaid-Masafi - The National Archives, London, England <https://www.agda.ae/en/catalogue/tna/fco/18/1937/n/1>
- ^ "FO 371/114648 Land and sea boundaries of Trucial Sheikhdoms in Persian Gulf". www.agda.ae. United Arab Emirates: Arabian Gulf Digital Archives. 1955. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ^ FO 371/132894 1958 Tribes of Trucial States coast - The National Archives, London, England <https://www.agda.ae/en/catalogue/tna/fo/371/132894/n/21
- ^ Lorimer, J. G. (1908). "Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf. Vol. II. Geographical and Statistical. 1908 [1696] (1819/2084)". www.qdl.qa. Qatar Digital Library: British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Wadi Madha at Wikimedia Commons