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Under
the Patronage of H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Mubarak Al Nahayan
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The
Emirates Natural History Group, Al Ain Chapter, PO Box
18057, Al Ain
October, 2004–
Issue #221 |
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Seventy plus guests attended this year’s ENHG
Iftar Dinner at the Zayed Center for Culture &
Heritage. Gathered round tables in |
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Sponsored
by The Zayed Centre for Heritage and Culture
with thanks to Drs. Al Naboodah and Adnan
& the Intercontinental Hotel Catering staff
for the excellent repast
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the
outdoor courtyard, wedined on a fine selection of local
foods prepared by the chefs from the Intercontinental
Hotel. Our thanks go to Sami Hattar (Intercontinental
Hotel Sr. Sales Manager) and Chris Sanor (ENHG member)
who put the affair together.
After the meal, Dr. Al
Nabooda welcomed us and introduced Dr. Adnan our guest
speaker. Many of us remembered his fine presentation
of last year and looked forward to another opportunity
to learn something more about Islam and Ramadan in particular.
Dr. Adnan spoke briefly on some of his own experiences
and was easily able to assist us to relate to the simplicity
of the occasion. The unifying nature of common suffering
through hunger, the equalization of rich and poor in
this month long conscious struggle with want, and the
strengthening of spirit that comes from successfully
performing this simple act against common human nature
– were just a part of his message. Fasting is
recognized by almost all religions as being an agent
of purification. Iftar – the breaking of the fast
– was certainly enjoyable.
Dr. Adnan then took questions
from the audience – the most interesting part
of his presentation – as he put it – and
finally, he invited each member to take a copy of a
book he has edited – with the help of many young
Emeratis who traveled across the land interviewing the
elderly and recording their oral history. The book is
a compilation of cultural aspects of the people of this
land. It will be appreciated by those who take living
here seriously.
When we look around us
and see the shopping malls, the paved roads and bright
lights, it is hard to imagine Al Ain thirty years ago.
Only a very well organized, industrious people could
bring this change about. All in all it was a wonderful
evening full of culture, camaradie and sincerity. Al
humdillilah.
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In the courtyard of the
Zayed Center for Heritage & Culture. |
Dr. Adnan hosts questions
from the audience. |
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A man
who cannot fast, for whatever reason, may instead
feed a poor man for a day,
as he himself eats.
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| This broadsheet is published
free to families in the Al Ain area. If you are a member planning
an activity with a natural history theme please notify us so that
others can join you. Everybody is able to contribute to ENHG and Emirates
recordings. For further of our activities please visit our website:
www.enhg.org or join our e-mail discussion group at Topica.com. The
Group meets at 7.30pm on 2nd & 4th Tuesday of the month, usually
at the Intercontinental Hotel, check Topica for details. New Members
are welcome. |
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| The
ENHG Newsletter…
October,
2004– Issue #221 |
In-Ibri-ation
- Oct. 27 – 29, 2004
article
& photos by Jerry Buzzell |
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Wednesday afternoon. Six vehicles in convoy! Geoff,
Chris, Jerry, Hélène, Don, Bob. Twenty-one (or
22) people. Hilton to Mezyad border post. Hour and a half at
the border. Hour and a bit on the road and into the Ibri Hotel.
Check in, unpack, and down to dinner. Service was slow but the
lamb chops were excellent. Bed.
Up before Thursday sunrise. My room looked out
on the valley and hills behind so I took out the camera and
went for a walk. Sunrise and the hills were bathed in a lovely
light, duly recorder on film. Then back to the hotel to meet
those breaking their fast, to head into Ibri town and, beyond
that, to Sulaif.
Sulaif Fort is off the main road between Ibri
and Nizwa. It is an impressive area, rising from the wadi
bed and extending along a sloping rocky outcrop to a watchtower
at the peak. Parking is in a flat lot on the wadi bed; one
passes past a dry falaj to a doorway in the lower wall of
the fort. The lower reaches are extensive mud brick structures
in various stages of deterioration, so it is in fact difficult
to make sense of the actual layout, without extensive study.
I chose to take the fort as I found it, using my camera lens
to pick out the patterns. I worked slowly through the ruins,
to the sloping plateau and up to the watchtower at the top.
Twenty years ago, I’d have climbed to the top of the
watchtower but discretion got the better part of valor this
time and I’ve left it for another incarnation.
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Sulaif fort - an extensive mud-brick town
overlooking the wadi.
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From the fort, we passed through the
village of Sulaif to the oasis, where Geoff pointed out
the sloping area where bullocks once trod, raising water
from the well below to provide for the falaj. The well
itself is well preserved (pun intended) but filled in
with debris. The path leads into the oasis, past some
mud brick ruins, individual farm plots, some planted,
some with date palms, many apparently abandoned. This
is not a healthy-appearing oasis on the whole. Lots of
dead and dying palms, a usual sign of a dying oasis. Geoff
eventually led us to a farm which did appear to be thriving
and the contrast with the rest of the oasis was striking.
During the reconnaissance visit last summer, the farmer
fed them five or six varieties of dates he was growing
and Geoff’s reaction was that this is one of the
best farms he has seen in the Middle East. |
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It was now pushing noon and we
spent some time wandering around the Ibri Souq before
returning to the hotel for lunch and a siesta before heading
to Bat in the late afternoon.
Bat is noted for its tombs. They
are mounds of stone along stony ridges. The hill we were
on had five or six of them and they studded to edges of
hills nearby. The valleys between hills had oases and
the odd estate as signs of habitation, and foothills at
the base of higher mountains on the horizon. We stayed
there past sundown; the sky turned rosy pink but there
was lots of mist which muted the afternoon light on the
hills and tombs. |
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The Bat tombs are mostly rubble: note the ones
on the ridge line. |
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| The ENHG
Newsletter…
October,
2004– Issue #221 |
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Up early Friday morning for a 7
o’clock departure. About an hour on the road to Al Ayn
and the necropolis. As Geoff had promised, this was truly an
awesome sight. Jebel Misht rising sheer in the background with
the foreground ridge studded with beehive tombs, much better
preserved than those in Bat. I set up the tripod and burned
film; others scram-bled up the slope to the tombs and explored
them close-up. We spent about an hour at Al Ayn and then headed
in the hills to Sint and Sent.
Up until this point, our travel had all been on good sealed
roads. Past the turnoff to Sint and Sent, we lost tarmac and
it was dirt all the way (except for one intriguing 20m [that’s
metres, not miles] stretch with asphalt. In Canada, we’d
have speculated that someone who voted the right way lived along
that stretch). Though I went into 4WD for most of it, that was
mostly to help pull the car up steep slopes, not because it
was really needed. The roads into Wadis Tarabat and Jazeera
are much worse. |
Al Ayn necropolis with
jebel Mischt behind |
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After about 10km, we came
to Sint, which is an extensive and fairly prosperous-appearing
village. We spent a bit of time at the oasis there before
hitting the road again to Sent. We pulled off the road
at a lookout point above Sent wadi and oasis. Looking
down into the valley, this was an awesome sight. The wadi
bed was white stone but beside it was green cultivated
farm fields and stretching off into the valley and past
a bend in the hills was the date palm oasis. Finally,
all this was surroun-ded by a broad ridge of mountains.
Down we went into the valley, pulling off the road and
parking at the edge of the oasis. We then followed the
falaj into the edge of the village, where the main attraction
was a pair of huge and probably ancient sidr trees. That’s
when the children started to be drawn to this strange
group of people. Our group broke up into several smaller
groups, with most going into the village. I have more
of an agricultural bent so I hiked my tripod and camera
and headed down the wadi and by the farm fields. This
was a farming area which appeared to be thriving.
We had arranged to be back at the village by noon so to
be away before Friday prayer time and so we gathered,
but so did about twenty children of all ages. Lovely,
happy kids. A few adults, including a young lady who was
a teacher and had used Barb and others to practice her
English. Apparently there’s no school in Sent so
they all go to Sint for schooling |
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| It was
time to go and so we did. Some of us pulled off the road
beyond Sint for a discreet picnic while the rest headed
back to Ibri and the hotel. We eventually joined them,
checked out, and retraced our route back to the border
at Mezyad and into Al Ayn (the Emirates one, not one of
the Omani ones). An enjoyable weekend. The highlights
for me: Sulaif Fort, Al Ayn Necropolis, and Sent village
and valley. Thanks, Geoff, for organizing the weekend
and guiding us - Geoff’s account of the July reconn-aissance,
by the way, may be found in the September Newsletter. |
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The Sent oasis – a well
worked farm – the village is just around the corner. |
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| The ENHG
Newsletter…
October,
2004– Issue #221 |
Monthly
Presentation:
The Al Ain National Museum
Tour
article
and photos by Will Moore |
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Thanks to the generous invitation of
Saif bin Ali al Dhab'a Al Darmaki, Undersecretary, Ministry
of Tourism and Antiquities, memebers of the ENHG were
given a tour of the museum and laboratory by Ibrahim Lababidi,
the museum laboratory supervisor.
About 22 people gathered
in the museum majelis at 7:30, and as we waited to get
going, Brien Holmes presented long standing member Mike
Gillett with a Lifetime Memebership in recognition of
his immense contributions to natural history in the Arabian
peninnsula. We then set off on our guided tour with Mr.
Lababidi. Starting in the Ethnography Section, we learned
of the history of family life in ancient times, up to
the 1940’s when oil changed everything. |
This Family Life display begins
one’s tour of the museum.
(with kind thanks to the museum for permission
to reproduce these photos) |
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A large group was able to tour
the museum. |
Proceeding through the Family life section
from childhood displays to Bridal displays and associated
jewelry, we moved on to displays of agricultural aspects
of life in the desert-oasis environment. The ancient falaj
system for gathering water from the mountains and delivering
it through underground tunnels is amazing to say the least.
The Weapons section was of great interest to many. Some
of the members were enthusiasts of this field, and great
debate was held regarding the size of hole a Martini Henry
rifle might make in a person.
Falconry, the favorite sport
of sheiks, was the next section to be viewed and then
Life along the Sea in this extensive display of life in
the UAE.
Moving on to
the Archaeology Section of the museum we viewed first
Stone Age, then Bronze Age (Hili) displays, Mesopotamian
& Magan Periods and Bronze |
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Mr. Lababidi in the
laboratory. |
Age (3rd Mill. BC) artifacts.
The Hili tombs section is particularly interesting as
this site is very near Al Ain and is open for viewing
in situ. Likewise, the Umm An Nar displays are extensive
and very well done.
We proceeded through the 2nd
Mill. And Iron Age cultures and finally to coins and maps
and the Islamic era. |
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A silver neckpiece. |
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Sadly, there is no way I can convey in these
few lines the beauty of the displays or the depth of research
evident in the organization and presentation of artifacts.
Having toured the museum, we
proceeded to the laboratory where our host not only explained
many of the tools and procedures used in museum craft, he showed
us our own artifacts turned in after the Jabeeb trip in September.
He had cleaned up some coins and arrowheads and examined the
bracelet and pottery shards. This has to be the best museum
laboratory in the UAE. Everything was being used. Everything
is recorded. The standard is very high.
To round out the evening, we
toured the old fort with its wonderful collection of old photographs
on display along the walls of the inner rooms. For more information
on the museum, I suggest the museum website at: http://www.aam.gov.ae/
- enjoy the trip. |
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| The ENHG
Newsletter…
October,
2004– Issue #221 |
Camel
Racing Season Begins Again
article
& photos by Murphy turner |
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Thursday afternoon October 6th 40-50 ENHG members from Al Ain,
Abu Dhabi, and Dubai headed for Sweihan for the 13th Traditional
Heri-tage Camel Races. They have built a new pavilion for the
racetrack and we were treated to VIP seating. Juice, Arabic
coffee and dates were handed out on arrival. We arrived as the
second race was just underway. In between the races, the men
were singing and dancing the traditional cane dance. The women
came out and performed the hair dance numerous times throughout
the afternoon. As a special treat, they let us wander close
to the dancers and the track (picture Jerry catching the perfect
shot of the dancers, from unusual perspectives). We were standing
right there as the camels crossed the finish line—with
or without a rider.
For a different
perspective, many of us rode the bus out to follow the race
along the track, enjoying watching the camels up close. Another
sight on the bus ride was the dozens of 4X4’s also driving
next to the track, driven by Emiratis and filled with people
leaning out the windows and yelling for their favorite jockey
and camel. Other ENHG members enjoyed sitting in the typical
Arabian upholstered, wide seats and watching the festivities
in luxury. It was truly a festive occasion for the UAE Nationals
and we enjoyed their enthusiasm for the race along with the
over-the-top Arabian hospitality that was bestowed upon us.
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The VIP tent – lots of
activity going on. |
The camel races with accompanying
vehicles |
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The
race is to promote camel racing for the UAE Nationals.
It is also the start of the camel-racing season. Each
race is by age category and all jockeys are UAE Nationals.
At the conclusion of the 12 races each winner of the
race received a gold sword plus a generous cash prize.
It was a memorable event and
we all felt we had participated and seen the culture
and heritage of the local people. |
The
Hair Dancers - color and grace |
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The Cane Dancers - men at work |
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| The ENHG
Newsletter…
October,
2004– Issue #221 |
| Fossil Valley
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by
Brien Holmes |
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The Friday morning trip to Fossil Valley actually began on Thursday
afternoon when 10 small mam-mal traps, on loan from ERWDA, were
set up in Fossil Valley, along with insect traps, both pitfall
and water traps. Thanks to Chris Drew and his father for helping
to set up the mammal traps. On Friday
morning, our first stop was to the traps to release any animals
that may have been lured into the traps by the inviting rolled
oats! Of the 10 traps, six remained open and there was little
or no evidence that any visitor had been interested in the
rolled oats. Of the remaining |
A large male Lybian jird (Meriones
lybicus) Photo
by B. Reimer
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| traps, only one yielded a catch. The group did
not repeat the error of the first effort at trapping in Fossil
Valley from previous years; rather than simply release the animal
and hope to get a photo as it scampered away, the catch was
carefully released into a clear plastic bag for identification.
This year’s catch was a single but large male Lybian jird
(Meriones lybicus).
The insect traps yielded, among other things, a ground mantis
and mole cricket. Other stops in Fossil Valley included an
area near the top of the escarpment where geckos often deposit
eggs; of two nests inspected, there was one egg. After looking
for some interesting fossils, the group also searched for
one of two flint sites located on the top of the ridge that
forms the horseshoe-shaped escarpment around three sides of
the valley. It appeared that wind-blown sand had covered the
flint sites temporarily; a return trip will be organized later
this year to search for evidence of flint working.
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Finding a birding trip leader has
been a problem ever since I’ve been involved with
the ENHG. I think the first question I received after
review of my interests on my membership form where I’d
checked off “birds” was if I would be interested
in leading a trip. Last year we were fortunate to have
Steve James from the Abu Dhabi group lead a field trip.
We were very fortunate this year that Huw Roberts, who
arrived at UAEU last year, has agreed to lead a trip
or two this year. Huw is an avid birder and has been
in the Middle East for a number of years so is familiar
with the species to be expected in the area. The first
field trip was held on Wednesday, October 6th. Five
members from ENHG joined Huw and his fellow birder,
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Article
and photo by Bob Reimer |
Birding was especially good at the Buraimi site.
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| Pavel at the Buraimi Hotel in the late afternoon.
Huw prepared us by reviewing a list of bird species that were
likely to be found and some of their characteristics. Our first
stop was the Buraimi sewage works. While sewage works might
conjure foul odors and ugly sights to many of us, to birders,
the sewage works is a magnet for water birds that mightn’t
be seen normally, especially in a desert climate like Al Ain.
Our trip was amply rewarded by many species of shore birds such
as snipes and stilts. After a tour of the sewage works, Huw
and Pavel took us out to a wadi to see if we could see Liechtenstein
Sand Grouse coming in for a drink and to roost for the night.
While we never got a good look at them, 4 probable grouse flapped
quickly overhead as we were sitting by the pool. As darkness
thickened, we enjoyed the sounds of birds in the area. It was
a very pleasant evening and educational for those of us who
are unfamiliar with the birds of the UAE and Oman. Thanks again
to Huw and Pavel for leading us. We hope you enjoyed yourselves
enough to escort us on another expedition soon. |
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| The ENHG
Newsletter…
October,
2004– Issue #221 |
| Khutwa
village, oasis, wadi & gorge
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About a dozen
of us, met at the Intercontinental Hotel, piled into the available
4 wheel drive vehicles and headed off into Oman to visit Khutwa.
We parked, grabbed our bags and wandered off into the village
and oasis. Along the way we were lucky enough to find remnants
of copper smelting. It felt quite eerie trying to fit my fingers
into the hand-prints left in the mud bricks by the workers long
ago.
There were numerous trees, bushes,
insects, birds and unseen but rustling small creatures to hear
and look at on the way; it always amazes me how much life there
is in a desert. Why I imagined them to be sterile and lifeless
I will never know. While our photographer took a group off to
look at the animate desert dwellers, the |
The group descends into the
Khutwa gorge.
photo by Bob Reimer
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rest of us went to explore the gorge. With all the
modern pres-sure on the water table, and the dryness
of the summer weather, the wadi was mostly dry. We followed
the channel gouged into the rock over the centuries,
passing through various sedimentary layers as we headed
deeper until we reached a cathedral like enclosure deep
in the bedrock. It was fascinating to see that despite
the attempts of the villagers to capture the precious
water and direct it though hoses to their crops, the
water still managed to seep through the porous rock
from time to time.
It was at the cathedral that
we needed to make the decision whether or not to slither
over a 1.5 metre shelf and continue to follow the wadi,
or to turn back; since we were equipped with ropes –
just in case – most of us decided to continue.
The lower we got the more small pools of water we encountered.
It was pleasantly cooling to swish through the knee
high water. One pool we waded through was chest high
(although being the shortest member, I had to swim because
it was over my head). It was deliciously soothing in
the heat. My clothes took only 10 minutes to dry completely,
although my boots took a little longer. Eventually,
we had to turn back at a deep narrow gorge which dropped
off into a deep pool. With our cameras and (mainly non-waterproof)
packs, to go on was just too difficult.
On the way back to the cars,
we toured through the oasis. It was thronged with date
palms and surrounded by small terraced fields growing
coriander (known as cilantro by the Americans), rocket
and radishes with a few onions and some chard tucked
away in odd corners. In the village, we stopped and
took coffee and dates with a villager who was most generously
hospitable.
We were lucky enough to encounter
the Clock-keeper in the village square. He kindly showed
us how his feet measured out each half hour, so that
a large stone could be placed at every four hour division
from sunrise to sunset, and smaller ones at the one
hour divisions. When the shadow from the central pole
fell on one of the large stones, then the people would
know it was time for prayer. Unfortunately, some outsider
had parked over part of the clock obscuring and distorting
the shadow which pointed out the time. We had a wonderful
morning and were back in time for an afternoon nap during
the heat of the day.
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In the gorge – brilliant
sun – black shade – water
underfoot – cool air – verrrrry nice!
photo by Khudooma Al Naimi
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Environmentalists have long been fond
of saying that the sun is the only safe nuclear reactor,
situated as it is some ninety-three million miles away.
~Stephanie Mills, ed., In Praise of Nature,
1990
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| The ENHG
Newsletter…
October,
2004– Issue #221 |
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| Jebel
Hafit Tombs
by Brien Holmes
Another site visited for the first time
in several years was the location of reconstructed and in
situ tombs at the base of Jebel Hafit, along the eastern side
of the mountain. Although the Jebel Hafit tombs have been
included in the sites visited during the Al Ain Music Festival,
it had been at least three years since the group had scheduled
a field trip to the site.
The tombs are located about two-thirds
of the way along the length of Jebel Hafit, almost seven kilometers
across the gravel plain from the truck road. At least six
of the tombs have been reconstructed to create distinctive
beehive shaped tombs that feature a single burial chamber
and narrow passage. On the nearby slopes at the base of Jebel
Hafit are at least six additional tombs, three of which have
not been excavated.
Archaeologists have concluded the
tombs are among the oldest signs of civilized habitation of
the region, the tombs dating back up to 5000 years. No evidence
of a settlement area has been found associated with the tombs.
Just a few meters from some of the reconstructed tombs is
a traditional ‘mountain’ home, the single-roomed
resi-dence dug about 30 cm into the gravel bed and a stone
wall built around the opening, over which a roof of thatch
or animal hides was suspended. The house is a modern creation,
built in conjunction with a film produced a few years ago
on Al Ain and the copper smelting industry.
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The
Jebel Hafit tombs – reconstructed
photos by Will Moore
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All the openings face south |
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The house and
tombs are at the entrance to a dramatic
geological feature at the base of Jebel
Hafit, an indentation into the mountain created when softer
rock eroded and the ‘roof’ collapsed creating a
roofless cave approximately 40 meters from front to back and
30 meters deep (from bottom of the ‘cave’ to the
rock arch above). The ‘cave’ could also have been
created as residents removed rock and rubble from the area to
construct tombs. Group members were relieved to see that all
evidence of the well drilling that had taken place a few meters
from the tombs had been removed.
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Mike Gillett
receives Lifetime
ENHG Membership
Local members will miss Mike as
he is retiring at the end of October, after 13 years
in the UAE Mike’s contribution to the study of
beetles, butterflies & many other insect groups
in this area of the world has been considerable. At
the Museum tour this month, he was presented with his
award, and later, at a workshop session, he received
a special mercury-vapor lamp to help him find his way
through the dark outer world – and perhaps to
attract a few beetles into his sphere of inquiry. Best
of luck, Mike!
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Right: the beetle logo Mike designed
For the ENHG.
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Brien Holmes presents Lifetime
membership to Mike Gillett.
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Mike
is pleased with the mercury-
vapor lamp. |
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| The ENHG
Newsletter…
October,
2004– Issue #221 |
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Kahal
to Wadi Sharm Drive
by Brien Holmes
Finally, the October Friday field trips included
the drive from Kahal to Wadi Sharm, a trip that takes
visitors from the small settlement of Kahal, where the
group’s friend Salem maintains a typical farm,
through dunes and the foothills of the Hajar Mountains
to Wadi Sharm.
This trip began with an unscheduled
stop at some ruins just before Kahal at what had appeared
to be a tradi-tional well. The construction was, in
fact, a house, the mud brick structure visible from
the road, a smaller stone ‘mountain’ house
located inside the walls defining the occupied area.
While visitors were exploring the site, a pickup truck
drove up and the driver explained that he had once lived
in the house, perhaps 50 or 60 years ago. There was
evidence of a well just beyond the walls of the house.
Later, two young men who had been working at a nearby
farm came and explained they believed the structure
had once been used as a mosque; however, there was no
evidence of any of the features normally associated
with a mosque.
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Fifty or sixty years ago, this
was my house.
photos by Geoff Sanderson
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Highlights of the drive included:
- a stop at the inverted stratified rock just beyond Kahal,
at the beginning of the sand track
- the ghaf forest where a camel rider stopped to visit
and offer rides to members; the nearby dunes showed evidence
of beetles, gerbils and geckos;
- graves on the gravel plain just west of Nuway;
- the undulating features of ‘Big Red’ on
the edge of Wadi Sharm;
- the copper smelter sliced by the road on the edge of
Nuway, and the nearby clay and water trap; and
- the unusual copper smelters and meandering falaj that
provides water to Nuway, courtesy of the residents of
Sharm village, located about 5 km upstream.
Thanks to all the drivers who shared space in their vehicles
for those who do not have off-road vehicles. |
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A camel rider offered members
rides |
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| The blue skies,
distant mountains,
red sands &
brown rock
make incredible scenery
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| The ENHG
Newsletter…
October,
2004– Issue #221 |
2004-05
ENHG Photography Competition: Guidelines and Rules
May 24th, 2005, at the InterCon
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| This
is to announce the 2004-05 version of the Al Ain ENHG's annual
photography competition, where the UAE's finest amateur photographers
(you) vie for glory and prizes.
The competition is open to amateur photographers who are members
of the Al Ain chapter of the ENHG. All photos must have a
natural history theme and have been taken in the UAE or Oman.
They may be oriented either horizontally or vertically ( 'landscape'
or 'portrait'). Photos must be mounted (matted). The long
side of the photo (without the matting) can be between 20
and 30 cm (8-12 inches). Each member may enter a maximum of
8 photos.
Categories:
1. Architecture and Archaeology
2. Culture and Heritage
3. Field Trips and Care of the Environment
4. Flora and Fauna
5. People of the UAE and Oman
6. 'Scapes (landscapes, seascapes, skyscapes, cityscapes,
etc.)
7. Miscellaneous (pictures that don't fit easily into the
other 6 headings)
(The organizers and judges reserve the right to alter/amend
these categories or to add other categories. A category with
fewer than 10 entries will likely be scrapped and entries
slotted into other categories, for instance, Miscellaneous.)
Deadlines: All entries must be delivered to a member of the
Committee by the end of the ENHG meeting of May 10th. Earlier
delivery of entries will be appreciated.
All
photos entered MUST have the following information on the
back:
• Photographer's name,
• E-mail address and/or phone number,
• A title for the photo,
• The location the photo was taken and approximate date,
• The category entered.
Be as specific as possible when giving the location (e.g.
"Dubai Creek" or "Al Ain Oasis" rather
than "UAE"; "Nizwa Souq" or "Wadi
Khutwa", not "Oman"). Entries not adhering
to these rules may be displayed, but will not be judged.
Decisions
of the judges are final.
Copyright remains with the photographer. However, by entering,
the ENHG assumes that you give us the right to scan the photo
and display it on the website and in a CD-ROM, which may be
offered for sale to members.
Questions or concerns? Contact me or one of the members of
the Committee.
Good shooting,
Jerry
(for some additional
comments – see the last page) |
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| The ENHG
Newsletter…
October,
2004– Issue #221 |
Book Review: TRAVELS
WITH A TANGERINE
A Journey in the footnotes of Ibn Battutah
By Tim Mackintosh-Smith (Picador) ISBN 0-330-49114-8
People's Choice winner:
By Geoff Cosson
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I vividly remember school lessons about
the heroic ‘voyages of discovery’, but only
later realized that such ‘discovery’ was a
very European-centric view. The native Americans &
Australians clearly already knew they were there.
Similarly, when we enthuse about epic journeys, we often
forget that it was local guides who led these great adventurers.
Vasco da Gama ‘found’ the route to India because
he hired an Arab pilot in Africa. Without detracting from
the exploits of people like Philby, Thomas and Thesiger
in the Arab world, we should remember that they were following
routes well-trodden by local traders and travelers.
The greatest traveler in the
Arab world was undoubtedly Ibn Battutah, whose incredible
achievement is now being recognized, especially in his
native Morocco. He was born in Tangier, (hence the title
of this book, which was first published in 2001), and
set out on what was to be a lifetime journey of maybe |
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75,000
miles, lasting nearly 30 years. He trained as an Islamic
lawyer, and set off in 1325, initially to Mecca. With
his marketable skills, he was able to work and travel
throughout the Muslim world, and as far as India and China,
and just about everywhere in between (no employment visa
troubles for him).
On his eventual return to Tangier, he dictated his memoirs,
which were widely read in the Arab world.
In this book, Tim Mackintosh-Smith does not recount these
adventures, but uses them as a traveling companion, retracing
the first journey as far as Constantinople, via Egypt
and what we now know as Oman. He intersperses Ibn Battutah’s
descriptions of what he saw, with a current perspective
on the same places, lively, humorous and perceptive, based
on his own experience as an Arabic scholar and linguist.
The comments on what has happened to Arabia and the people
who live here, are especially interesting to us. This
is a truly exceptional, entertaining book.
(An excellent website is <www.isidore-of-seville.com/ibn-battuta>
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| A bit more on Ibn
Battutah
by
Denise Caparelli Lee
Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn
Battuta, also known as Shams ad - Din, was born at Tangier,
Morocco, between 1303 and 1305 and died between 1365
and 1377 at Fez in 1368 or 1369.
Ibn Battuta started on
his travels when he was 21 years old in 1325. His main
reason to travel was to go on a Hajj, or a Pilgrimage
to Mecca. But his travelling went on for about 29 years
and he covered about 75,000 miles (120,700 km), which
at the time was farther than anyone else in the world
had travelled, visiting the equivalent of 44 modern
countries which were then mostly under the governments
of Muslim leaders of the World of Islam, or "Dar
al-Islam". Among other places, he visited Africa,
Russia, India, Ceylon (present Sri Lanka) China, Turkey,
Bulgaria, Persia. He served the Chinese Emperor, the
Mongol Emperor and the Islamic Sultan in a variety of
diplomatic positions.
Near the end of Ibn Battuta's
own life, the Sultan of Morocco insisted that Ibn Battuta
dictate the story of his travels to a scholar and today
we can read translations of that story called "Rihlay"/"Rihala"
("My travels"/ "Journey"), filled
with information on the politics, social conditions
and economics of the places he visited. Much of it is
fascinating, but some of it seems to be made up and
even is inaccurate about places we know about. However,
it is a valuable record of places which add to our understanding
of the Middle Ages.
If you want to read more about Ibn Buttuta:
Dunn,
Ross, The Adventures of Ibn Battuta: A Muslim Traveler
of the 14th Century, University of California Press,
Berkeley, 1989. This book is about the societies into
which Ibn Battuta traveled. It is outstanding in giving
a historical context to Ibn Battuta's story.
Gibb, H.A.R., The Travels of Ibn Battuta,
Vols. I, II, III, Hakluyt Society, Syndics of the Cambridge
University Press, London, 1956. A translation and notes
from the Arabic "Rihla" of Ibn Battuta.
Said Hamdun & Noel King, Ibn Battuta
in Black Africa (foreword by Ross Dunn), Markus Wiener
Publishers, Princeton, 1975.
Ibn Buttuta, Travels in Asia and Africa
1325-1345, Published by Routledge and Kegan Paul.
The Introduction to the "Voyages of
Ibn Battutah" by Vincent Monteil in The Islamic
Review and Arab Affairs. March 1970: 30-37
Travellers and Explorers, IQRA Trust, London,
1992. A beautifully illustrated children's book telling
of several Muslim travelers of the Middle Ages, including
eight pages about Ibn Battuta.
National Geographic Magazine Dec., 1991,
"Ibn Battuta, Prince of Travelers" pp. 3 -
49. Well photographed, of course! A brief story of Ibn
Battuta, and information and modern photographs of the
places he visited.
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| The ENHG
Newsletter…
October, 2004– Issue #221 |
| Summary
of October ENHG Activities |
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Friday Outings:
Oct. 1 - Fossil Valley
Oct 8 - Khutwa gorge & oasis
Oct 15 - Jebel Hafeet tombs
Oct 22 - Kahl to Wadi Sharm drive
Oct 29 - Wadi Jazira
Tuesday Presentations:
Oct 12 - Al Ain National Museum tour
Oct. 26 - Iftar Dinner at Zayed Center for
Culture & Heritage
Extra outings:
Oct. 6 – bird outing
Oct 21 – Jebel Qatar hike
Oct. 21 – Orionids viewing – Wadi Shik
Oct 27 – moonlight hike on Jebel Qatar
Special Events:
Mike Gillett award
Special trips:
Oct. 6 & 7 - Sweihan Camel Races
Oct. 27 – 29 Ibri Weekend Getaway
Special Projects :
Insect Trapping
Oct 4 – Fossil
Valley
Oct. 16 – Wadi
Tarabat
Oct 21 – Wadi Shik
Oct 27 – Wadi Jazeera
Recycling
Bins ordered –
Book review:
Travels with a Tangerine
(stories of Ibn Battutah)
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Photo Competition
cont…
PS Mounting enhances the appearance of your photo
so it should be done well. If you don't know where to
have this done in Al Ain, ask one of us.
PPS A piece of advice: if your camera has a 'date' function,
disable it. A date running down the side of a photo
can spoil an otherwise lovely picture and judges deal
harshly with that sort of thing.
PPPS Last year’s winners may be viewed at http://www.enhg.org/photocomp/intro.htm.
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Watch
for these upcoming events:
Tuesday, November 9 – Mark Beech
presentation
Tuesday, November 23 – Annual General
Meeting
Sunday, December 12 – National Clean-up
Day
The Ibrahim Zakour Triple Crescent hikes
begin
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The farm at Sent |
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| As
we went to print, the passing of President His Highness Sheik
Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was announced. We of the Emirates
Natural History Group – Al Ain Chapter, wish to express
our deep sympathy for those he leaves behind – and extend
our grateful thanks for the country he has made us welcome in.
May he reside forever in our hearts and memories, and most of
all, with Allah, the Creator of all things. |
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