Al Ain Resources Pages: Articles of Interest

Al Ain Resources Pages: Articles of Interest

• Copper Smelting
  Copper smelting in the Hajar Mountains, and information about copper smelting in general, is available from this page.
• Pottery Sherds from Wadi Khutwah
  Near one of the ancient copper smelting rings at Wadi Khutwah, graves dating back to the Um an Nar period have been located. The age of the graves has been confirmed based on the pottery sherds found there. Some of those sherds are shown here.
• Bats
  There are several species of bats in the UAE and northern Oman. The different chapters have had several programs to identify and report on bats over the years. In this article, Peter Cunningham gives an overview of the night time visitors.
• Pottery
  Dr. Sophie Mery, head of the French archaeological team that has been working on the pit grave at Hili for several years, provided this article on "Local Pottery Production in Al Ain During the Early Bronze Age (3rd millennium)".
• Worms
  Worm composting is an excellent way to dispose of waste and produce soil in the process!
• Rain in Al Ain
  It does not rain often in Al Ain so when it does, we record it!
• Belgrave of Bahrain
  An article on the life of Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, advisor to the ruler of Bahrain.
• Bees at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Science
  Jerry Buzzell and Brigitte Howarth had their hands full with this swarm of bees at the FMHS.
• Bones
  Are these just rocks? Or are these fossilized bones found in Fossil Valley?
• Camel Racing
  Sulayman Khalaf's paper on camel racing in the Gulf
• Prince Charles
  Yes, that really is Prince Charles talking with one of the familiar residents of Jebel Shams.
• Cleanup 2005
  The ENHG joined forces with the EEG, almost a dozen area schools and the municipality of Al Ain to clean up the environment!
• Falaj Watchtowers
  Phil Iddison's study of the watchtowers that once protected the oases of Al Ain.
• Festival Garden
  A photo reminder of the group's award-winning "Oasis Garden", part of the 2003 Festival of Flowers in Al Ain.
• Figs
  The fig may be the only indigenous plant for the UAE. Phil Iddison examines the Bengal Fig variety.
• Gibran
  Ibrahim Zakhour introduced the poem, A Man From Lebanon: Nineteen Centuries Afterwards, by Kahlil Gibran, and it has been an essential element of our Christmas Eve in the desert ever since.
• Hotsprings of Jebel Hafit
  These images of the hotsprings of Jebel Hafit were taken during a Music Festival trip; the site has been renovated since our visit.
• Murraba Fort
  Phil Iddison's study of this classic fortified site in Al Ain.
• Oranges
  Phil Iddison's study of the locally grown oranges.
• Flower Fesitval Parade
  Our photographic review of the only Al Ain Flower Festival Parade.
• Picture wing fly
  Brigitte Howarth introduced the group to the picture-wing fly, a fly with the image of a fly on each wing!
• Insect Pinning
  As curator of one of the largest collections of insects of the UAE and Oman, the group holds regular pinning and identifcation sessions.
• Sultan Fort
  Phil Iddison's photographic study of one of the city's most well known forts.
• Uvifera
  Phil Iddison recorded this unique plant in the Al Ain Oasis..
• Workroom
  A brief reminder of what our work room looked like before renovations were made!
• Rulers of the UAE
  The succession of rulers of the various emirates that compose the UAE and the list of British advisors who served in what is now the UAE.
• Tahr on Jebel Hafit
  The chapter's recording officer, Peter Cunningham, reports on a sighting of tahr on Jebel Hafit.
• Is there a Morphine Store in the Brain of the Camel?
  A detailed report prepared by Laurence Garey on his study of the camel brain.
• Camel Brain Study Report
  A general report on the camel brain study conducted by Laurence Garey; the Al Ain chapter provided a modest financial contribution to support this research project.
• Rain at Jebel Qatarra
  In April 2003 there was an afternoon of heavy rain that produced a waterfall from the top of Jebel Qatarra at the Hanging Gardens. These are photographs taken of the event.
• Rain in Al Ain (April 2003) as recorded by Bob Reimer
  Bob took these photographs of the flooding near his home in Al Ain following the heavy rains of April 2003.
• Rain at Wadi Madbah (February, April 2003) as recorded by Jerry Buzzell
  Jerry travelled to Wadi Madbah to record the water flows at the main waterfall and lower pools, once in February and again in April.
• UAE snakes
  This is Bish Brown's original article, as published in the Bulletin, concerning the snakes of the UAE.
• Robber Flies
  The robber fly! Brigitte Howarth discusses this remarkable insect in this article.
• Mealy bugs
  Khudooma shares some information on this common plant pest.
• Khaleef Falaj
  The remains of a falaj system between Hili and Foha.
• Kalleri (Nepal) School report
  Reports from Howard Trillo on the status of the school development program supported by ENHG members in Nepal.
• Rock Art in Wadi Hatta
  A report of a preliminary survey of art found on boulders in Wadi Hatta.
• The United Arab Emirates throughout the ages!
  The text covering the UAE from the brochure produced in conjunction with the "First GCC Archaeological Exhibition" held in Fujairah from 20 November to 20 December 2006.
• Emirates National School visit to Al Jimi Oasis
  Students from the Emirates National School in Al Ain visited the Al Jimi Oasis. This is the report from Saeed and Nasser.
• Blanford's Fox Report
  The article by Peter Cunningham and Brigitte Howarth on the Blanford's Fox, as published in Zoology in the Middle East 27, 2002: 21-28
• Rob Reid's Garden of Indigenous Plants
  "The value of encouraging the use of indigenous plants in gardens and parks goes beyond the aesthetic value that many of us place on maintaining the distinctive local flavor of a place, to the support of the undisrupted complexity of the ecosystems outside of the garden or city limits, and more efficient use of resources like water and soil fertility." See the results of Rob's research and hard work.
• Forts in Al Ain
  Floor plans, illustrations, history (in Arabic) and other information regarding some of Al Ain's most famous forts including Muaiji, Qatarra, Wajdi, Jimi and Jahli.
• Water in the UAE
  In the spring of 2009, Christophe Tourenq of the WWF presented a talk on water resources in the UAE. Click on the link to download a pdf version of his presentation.
• Birds of Jebel Hafit
  A list of birds recorded on or near Jebel Hafit, provided by Tommy Pedersen who maintains the definitive site for birding in the UAE at UAE Birding. The list is up-to-date as of May 2009.
• Geology Workshop
  A crash course in geology courtesy of one of the Al Ain chapter's first field trip leaders, Nick Saines. An introduction to the physiology of the Al Ain region, introduction to rocks and stratigraphy and discussions of sand dunes and beaches. In two formats: PDF and DOC.
• Jebel Hafit Stone Patterns
  On the plain on the east side of Jebel Hafit, there are areas where the small surface stones have been arranged into patterns with the stones arranged in small circles, large rectangles and a variety of shapes. The function or purpose of the stone piling remains a mystery.
• River in the Sand
  During a field trip to Wadi Safwan in September, 2009, our convoy encountered several streams growing quickly in the desert sand. Members have shared photos of this rare occurrence.
• Air Sumaini
  One of the landing strips constructed in the mid-20th Century, this airfield is located in Wadi Sumaini and has survived despite nearby road construction and quarrying operations.
• ENHG collection acknowledged
  A new publication acknowledges the ENHG and a specimen collected by Brigitte Howarth and incorporated into the Joint Al Ain and Abu Dhabi Emirates Natural History Group (JAAENHG) Insect Collection. The insect, along with others from the collection form part of an ENHG loan sent to the author, Torsten Dikow, at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.
• Urbanisation in the United Arab Emirates
  "The challenges for ecological mitigation in a rapidly developing country." A paper by Drew Gardner and Brigitte Howarth published in BioRisk -- Biodiversity and Ecosystem Risk Assessment -- in December 2009.
• Emirates Wildlife Service -- World Wildlife Fund
  Links and information on the Emirates Wildlife Service and World Wildlife Fun including copies of the 'Choose Wisely' campaign film and PowerPoint presentation.
• Bayt Sheikh Suhail bin Hamdan al Sharqi, al Fara', Fujairah
  A PDF version of the paper entitled 'Bayt Sheikh Suhail bin Hamdan al Sharqi, al Fara', Fujairah, UAE. An ethnoarchaeological study' by Michele Ziolkowski and Abdullah Suhail al Sharqi. The paper was published in the journal Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy (ISSN 0905-7196).
• Aliens, 2010 annual report of the IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group
  The annual report of the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission's (IUCN SSC) Invasive Species Specialist Group includes an article by Christophe Tourenq (Emirates Wildlife Society-WWF) and Maral Khaled Shuriqi (Environment Protection And Development Department, Fujairah) on some of the invasive species in the UAE including mesquite (Prosopis juliflora and P. glandulosa), Red-eared Sliders (Trachemys scripta spp.) and Tilapia.
• Fatal Pollution
  A copy of the PowerPoint presentation of Dr. Ulli Wernery to the Al Ain chapter on the impact of plastic pollution in the UAE. At the CVRL center in Dubai, Dr. Wernery and his staff recovered lumps of plastic -- remains of bags, string, rope -- that blocked the stomachs of camels and other livestock resulting in the death of the livestock.
• Al Ain Falaj Report
  A PDF copy of a report dated Februay 2006 entitled "Current Status of Aflaj in the Al Ain Area, United Arab Emirates" and prepared by Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD)
• Medicinal Plants
  
• The Date And The Arab
  This is a fascinating paper by V.H.W. Dowson for anyone interested in the relationship between date cultivation and Arab culture. The article is a based on a lecture delivered at the Middle East Centre for Arab Studies, Shimlan, Lebanon, on August 18, 1948.