Wadi Siji

Wadi Siji is a seasonal watercourse in the Hajar Mountains of Fujairah, in the United Arab Emirates. The wadi runs from the Sharjah city of Dhaid to the mountain town of Masafi, where it meets the Wadi Ham and Wadi Abadila. It has long been a strategic route connecting the interior and East Coast of the UAE.[1]

Wadi Siji
The Wadi Siji in Fujairah
The Wadi Siji in Fujairah
Wadi Siji is located in United Arab Emirates
Wadi Siji
Wadi Siji
Coordinates: 25°14′59.5″N 56°04′26.4″E
CountryUnited Arab Emirates
EmirateRas Al Khaimah
Elevation
401 m (1,318 ft)

Extent

The wadi is dammed at the village of Siji, where the Wadi Siji 'Old Dam' has a water storage capacity of 1.2 million cubic metres.[2] The dam, constructed in the 1970s, is 10m high and 500m wide.[3] Like many wadis in the Hajar Mountains, Wadi Siji is prone to seasonal flash floods and high water levels with at times tragic consequences.[4] In 2001, UAE President Sheikh Zayed Al Nahyan ordered the construction of a further three dams at Siji, providing water resources for 312 homes and 210 farms in the area as part of a Dhs250 million national water infrastructure development project.[5]

The area is a popular ecotourism destination.[2]

The village is the location of the Siji Societal Majlis, opened in 2017 by the Crown Prince of Fujairah,[6] one of a number of government investments in rural infrastructure that have improved communications, access and facilities.[7] The planned Etihad Rail Network is scheduled to pass through Wadi Siji[8] and a freight facility at Siji is due to be constructed as part of the second phase of the network rollout.[9]

A number of quarries and crushers are located throughout Wadi Siji and the surrounding mountains. Finds of petroglyphs and gravesites have been made in the Wadi Siji, with petroglyphs found notably depicting horses and riders.[10] The remains of old copper workings are also to be found in the area, particularly in the tributary Wadi Ashwani.[11]

See also

References
  1. Heard-Bey, Frauke (2004). From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates. Motivate. pp. 91–96. ISBN 978-1-8606-3167-2.
  2. "Wadi Siji". UAE Government Ministry of Climate Change and Environment - Ecotourism.
  3. "Natural Sites". www.fujairahtourism.ae. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
  4. "Eight-year-old Emirati boy drowned after falling into water at Wadi Siji in Fujairah". The National. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
  5. "Insight: UAE builds dam worth Dh250m". gulfnews.com. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
  6. "Fujairah Crown Prince opens Al Siji Societal Majlis".
  7. Staff Reporter. "57km internal roads connect 15 key Fujairah areas". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
  8. tooba. "The Etihad Rail network". Etihad Rail. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
  9. "Etihad Rail starts construction on stage two of pan-emirates railway network". The National. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
  10. Ziolkowski, Michele C. (2007). "Rock on art: petroglyph sites in the United Arab Emirates". Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy. 18 (2): 208–238. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0471.2007.00262.x. ISSN 1600-0471.
  11. "AlShindagah Online". www.alshindagah.com. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
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