Musandam Peninsula

The Musandam Peninsula (Arabic: جَزِيْرَة مُسَنْدَم \ رَأْس مُسَنْدَم, romanized: Jazīrat Musandam / Raʾs Musandam), locally known as Ruus Al Jibal (Arabic: رُؤُوْس ٱلْجِبَال, romanized: Ruʾūs al-Jibāl Heads of the Mountains),[3] is a peninsula that forms the northeastern point of the Arabian Peninsula. It is located to the south of the Strait of Hormuz, between the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.[4] It is inhabited by the Shihuh tribe and is mainly governed by Oman as the Musandam Governorate with certain parts governed by the United Arab Emirates, including Ras Al Khaimah and parts of Dibba.[1][2]

Musandam Peninsula[1][2]
جَزِيْرَة مُسَنْدَم
رَأْس مُسَنْدَم
The peninsula as seen from space. Al-Khasab to the north (top) shown in green, is contrasted between the more subtle rainbow tones of the surrounding rock in this false-colour image. The term Khasab refers to the fertility of the soil.
The peninsula as seen from space. Al-Khasab to the north (top) shown in green, is contrasted between the more subtle rainbow tones of the surrounding rock in this false-colour image. The term Khasab refers to the fertility of the soil.
Coordinates: 25°54′N 56°12′E
Governorates of Oman and Emirates of the United Arab EmiratesMusandam Governorate (Oman)
Ras Al Khaimah (UAE)

Climate, geology and geography
See also: Climate of Oman, Climate of the United Arab Emirates, Geology of Oman, Geology of the United Arab Emirates, Geography of Oman, and Geography of the United Arab Emirates

Land features include the Western Hajar Mountains. Since these are the northernmost of the Hajar range, they and the peninsula are referred to as Ruʾūs al-Jibāl (Arabic: رُؤُوْس ٱلْجِبَال, romanized: Heads of the Mountains).[1][2] The largest wadi in Mussandam is Wadi Bih, which forms the central drainage basin.[5][6]

The highest Mountain in Mussandam, and Ru'us al Jibal, is Jebel Harim, which measures 2,087 m (6,847 ft) from sea level. [7]

During winter, the region can be fairly cool, particularly the mountains of Jais, Yanas (Arabic: يَنَس; 25°44′12″N 56°5′56″E) and Mebrah.[8][9]

  • View of the mountains of Musandam, December 1971
    View of the mountains of Musandam, December 1971
  • View of the Ru'us al-Jibal from Jabal Qiwhi
    View of the Ru'us al-Jibal from Jabal Qiwhi
  • The mountainous area of Kumzar, c. 1908
    The mountainous area of Kumzar, c. 1908
  • Sedimentary rock layers near Khasab in Musandam Governorate, Oman
    Sedimentary rock layers near Khasab in Musandam Governorate, Oman
  • Jabal ar Raḩraḩ (1,676 m), the UAE's highest mountain, near Ras Al Khaimah
    Jabal ar Raḩraḩ (1,676 m), the UAE's highest mountain, near Ras Al Khaimah

Fauna and flora
See also: Wildlife of Oman and Wildlife of the United Arab Emirates

Fauna include the Ruus al Jibal fan-footed gecko,[10] Arabian tahr and caracal. It is unknown if the Arabian leopard is still present.[1][2]

References
  1. Edmonds, J.-A.; Budd, K. J.; Al Midfa, A. & Gross, C. (2006). "Status of the Arabian Leopard in United Arab Emirates" (PDF). Cat News (Special Issue 1): 33–39.
  2. Spalton, J. A. & Al-Hikmani, H. M. (2006). "The Leopard in the Arabian Peninsula – Distribution and Subspecies Status" (PDF). Cat News (Special Issue 1): 3–47.
  3. Thomas, B. (March 1927). Travels in Oman. Visit of B. Thomas to the Musandam Peninsula. 1928. Notes on Shihuh dialects & people, also Kumzaris' [10r]. British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers. p. 9.
  4. Diba, B. A. (2011). Is Iran legally permitted to close Strait of Hormuz to countries that impose sanctions against Iran's oil?. Cupertino, California: Payvand Iranian-American Website.
  5. Lancaster, Fidelity; Lancaster, William (2011). Honour is in Contentment: Life Before Oil in Ras Al-Khaimah (UAE) and Some Neighbouring Regions. Berlin, New York: Walter de Gruyter. pp. 3–598. ISBN 978-3-1102-2339-2.
  6. Allen, Calvin H., Jr. (2016-02-05). "1: Land and People". Oman: the Modernization of the Sultanate. Abingdon, New York: Routledge. pp. 1–8. ISBN 978-1-3172-9164-0.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. "Jebel Harim". Wikimapia. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  8. Al Serkal, Mariam M. (2019-03-10). "UAE to see cold days ahead, temperatures drop to 2.6°C". Gulf News. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
  9. Al Serkal, Mariam M. (2019-02-28). "UAE to get 5 days of rain and "significant drop in temperature"". Gulf News. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
  10. Simó-Riudalbas, M.; Metallinou, M.; De Pous, P.; Els, J.; Jayasinghe, S.; Péntek-Zakar, E.; Wilms, Thomas; Al-Saadi, Saleh; Carranza, Salvador (2017-08-02), "Cryptic diversity in Ptyodactylus (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) from the northern Hajar Mountains of Oman and the United Arab Emirates uncovered by an integrative taxonomic approach", PLOS ONE, 12 (8): e0180397, Bibcode:2017PLoSO..1280397S, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0180397, PMC 5540286, PMID 28767644, e0180397
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