Jebel Hafit
| Jebel Hafit | ||
|---|---|---|
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| height | 1350 m | |
| location | Al Ain , United Arab Emirates | |
| Coordinates | 24 ° 3 '31 " N , 55 ° 46' 39" E | |
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| Development | Street | |
The Jebel Hafit ( Arabic جبل حفيت, DMG Ǧabal Ḥafīt ), also called Jebel Hafeet , Jabal Hafit or similar, is a mountain near the border between the United Arab Emirates and Oman , about 30 km from Al Ain . The mountain rises 1,240 meters above the surrounding landscape and is 1,350 meters above sea level.
The Jebel Hafit is a popular tourist destination. At the foot of the mountain is the Green Mubazzarrah. There are thermal springs here that flow together to form a lake. The Jebel Hafit itself is criss-crossed by a cave system, it is also the natural habitat of bats, snakes, foxes and many more.
geography
General
The Jebel Hafit is a mountain ridge about 26 kilometers long and 4 to 5 kilometers wide, running in a north-south direction. It is asymmetrical, in the eastern part it is much steeper than in the west, where the slope is around. 25 to 30 °.
geology
Due to the many faults in the mountain, the individual rock layers can be understood very well. The rock is rich in plankton fossils, and various marine fossils (such as corals and crabs) can be found at the foot of the mountain.
The Jabal Hafit is crossed by a cave system. Some of the caves have been explored to a maximum depth of 150 meters. In the caves there are superbly preserved stalagmites and stalactites. The access to the caves is partly natural, in other places by the city administration of Al Ain, blocked.
Flora and fauna
Although rich in rare animals, the area is not designated as a nature reserve. The lizard Acanthodactylus opheodurus , the Arabian tahr (which was considered extinct in the United Arab Emirates until 1982) and the yellow-flowering plant Acridocarpus orientalis live here together with foxes, bats and the rodent-like hyrax . Bird lovers will find the greatest biodiversity in the whole country here, a study counted 119 bird species. Around 200 different insects and 23 butterfly species live on the mountain.
height
The Jebel Hafit is often referred to as the highest mountain in the United Arab Emirates. It is certainly the most famous mountain in the country; in fact, an elevation near the Omani Jabal Bil Ays is higher at 1910 meters. The highest named peak in the Emirates is the Jabal Yibir .
Surname
Jebel means mountain, Hafit means empty. The area around the mountain is also called the Empty Quarter .
archeology
More than 500 graves were found at the foot of the mountain, dating from around 3200–2700 BC. Go back. While the graves on the north side were partially destroyed by construction projects, the graves to the south are regularly checked. Only a few skeletons were found, but bronze objects and much younger pearls, which suggests that the graves were used several times. Furthermore, ceramics from Mesopotamia were found, an indication of early trade relations.
Facilities
At the summit there is a Mercure hotel and a radar station.
Jebel Hafit Street
The road to the summit is 11.7 km long and overcomes 1219 meters of altitude. Two tracks lead up the mountain and one down, after 21 turns you arrive at the summit. There are parking spaces at prominent vantage points. The street was built in the 1980s by the Cologne-based company Strabag International . For cyclists, the road is a challenge and a popular training route. Every year in January, the Jebel Hafeet Mercure Challenge takes place with cyclists from all over the world.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Marijcke Jongbloed: Flora, fauna and geology at Jebel Hafeet. Retrieved September 23, 2010 (English).
- ↑ Information from the Emirate of Abu Dhabi on the cemetery at Jabal Hafit, in English ( Memento of the original from May 30, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
