Christmas eve in the Desert cont…

Merry Christmas – one and all! and to all a good night!
Yer Ed., Will

Friday, Dec. 9th trip to the Hafit Tombs & Mezyad Fort

First stop were the famous Jebel Hafit Tombs. More than 500 graves have been identified along the northern and eastern slopes of the mountain. Most of those on the northern side have been lost to development, but those along the eastern flank are mostly still recognizable, but you do need a good imagination…most are largely now heaps of stones. They lie along the base of the mountain, towards the southern end, whilst some are placed a few dozen metres up the side. The site was first shown to Danish archaeologists by Shaikh Zayed himself in 1959, and 100+ have now been excavated.

For those without an archaeologist’s imagination, the Department of Antiquities have restored five of the tombs. Several have been partially rebuilt to show the construction technique. Each tomb has a single round or oval chamber, built of rough local stones. There is no sign of the worked stone of the Hili/ Umm An Nar tombs. One or more ring walls encircle the main chamber, and rise to 3-4 metres above ground. As they rise, the walls gradually slope inwards, to meet at the top in the shape of a dome. There is one narrow entrance, usually facing south (towards the sun?) .
Dating is a problem, as all were robbed many years ago, and few pieces of pottery or artefacts have been found, except a few items originating from Mesopotamia. These tombs date back perhaps 6000 years. Surprisingly also, there is no sign of any human habitation anywhere in the area…so were the dead brought to their graves from a long distance away? The Al Ain Museum has a good leaflet about the tombs.

Friday, Dec. 9th trip to the Hafit Tombs & Mezyad Fort cont...

Then, Geoff Cosson agreed to lead us across pretty rough ground towards the Mezyad Fort, but avoiding causing consternation by approaching the Oman border fence with a big convoy of trucks! All coped well with steep wadi dips & climbs, boulders and soft sand.

Mezyad Fort is the great unknown wonder of Al Ain. Located on the west side of the main road into Oman, just before the UAE exit post, it is nearing the end of a grand restoration. You get in by approaching the large walled farm, and speaking to the gatekeeper. Driving into the farm, (which is a place worth seeing by itself, with luxuriant vegetation), you follow the road round towards the huge fort in the corner, which is open to the public, and has a new ‘interpretation’ board outside.

In more recent times, it served as the border post barracks, and is built on a surprisingly big scale. Around the large open courtyard (newly planted, with ill-chosen palms!), there are rooms for soldiers and storage etc…over 40 of them. The 3 round towers and fourth rectangular keep are all accessible, as are all the walls, and everything has been repaired using authentic mud facing and palm beams. You can see the piles of mud bricks recently made for the continuing restoration work. From the top of the towers, there is a spectacular view across the palms in the farm to the steep rugged sides of Jebel Hafit. At only 15 minutes from the Hilton, Mezyad Fort is rarely visited, but shouldn’t be missed. Zaki was really impressed, and wants to hold a concert there.

Finally most of us returned to the city via Wadi Tarabat, a regular insect-trapping spot, where many of the fabulous wildlife photos in the Jebel Hafit book were taken. This wadi has received some protection by the authorities, and access is now closed off to protect the landscape from both hungry livestock and messy people. The protected habitat is being studied as it returns to a more original condition, and is monitored by our ENHG group. Of particular interest is the protection this gives to the wild tahr, the long-haired goats which still cling to parts of our mountain.

Books on the archaeology and wildlife of Jebel Hafit are kept in the ENHG Library. The catalogue is on the website, & members can borrow books on ‘workshop nights’

Inter-Emirates Weekend – 2005 / 2006

Thursday-Friday, 16-17 March 2006 – Ras Al-Khaimah

Each year in March/April the UAE's three Natural History Groups – Emirates Natural History Group Abu Dhabi, Emirates Natural History Group Al Ain and the Dubai Natural History Group – get together for an educational yet social weekend involving a dinner and various activities and trips. It is a chance to meet up with people/old friends from the other groups. The event is organised annually by one of the groups in rotation. This year it is the turn of the Dubai Natural History Group.

IEW 2006 will be based at the Ras Al-Khaimah Hotel, Ras Al-Khaimah and the program will begin on Thursday morning, March 16. The hotel has made a block booking of rooms for the weekend on a first-come first-served basis. However, in view of the increased tourism in RAK and the peak season date of IEW, it will be necessary to confirm and guarantee your booking by the end of January 2006, i.e., six weeks prior to the event. We recognize that not everyone finds it ideal to plan that far ahead, but the hotel cannot hold the rooms on any other basis.

Hotel rates (per night) are:
      Double Room/Twin Room – Dh 350 (inclusive of breakfast & tax)
      Single Room – Dh 300 (inclusive of breakfast & tax)
      Children below 12 years may stay free.

On Thursday evening there will be a buffet dinner (Dh 60 per person incl.) plus entertainment. Packed lunches are available for Thu and Fri for Dh 55.

To make a reservation, either e-mail the hotel – rakhotel@emirates.net.ae or fax on 07-236-2990, Attention Reservations – Johnson. Hotel phone number is 07-236-2999. Mention Dubai Natural History Group – Inter-Emirates Weekend when you make your booking.

Among the activities that we expect to offer are:

        •   Shelling at Rams beach
        •   Off-road driving "over the top" from RAK to Dibba, via Wadi Bih (Friday only)
        •   Guided tours of RAK archaeological sites, including:
                                Shimal                                                      Falayyah
                                Kush                                                        Qarn Al-Harf
                                Julfar                                                        Kilns at Wadi Haqil
                               Dhayah Fort
        •   Mountain walks in the Musandam
        •   Birdwatching
        •   RAK Museum

Further details will be given at meetings and in the next Gazelle, and a programme will be completed and circulated by mid-January. For more details in the interim, contact DNHG Vice Chairman Valerie Chalmers on 04-3494816 or valeriechalmers@hotmail.com.

Mabrook! Al Uroos wa Al Urees….

When I was in Sana’a this summer learning Arabic, the most enjoyable times were the impromptu festive weddings that seemed to come out of nowhere. From a narrow quiet alley draped in shade and bougainvillea came a small boy banging on a drum and shouting, “A Wedding, come, I’m announcing a Wedding!” behind him men from the respective family banged on smaller drums and the procession grew larger as uncles, cousins, close neighbors attached themselves to the winding snake-like party shouting in the narrow alleyways.

Neighbors in Old Sana’a, families living side by side for generations, hang out the windows and shout back, the women cover their faces with the curtains and ululululu loudly, sounds piercing and reaching the sky. The boys rush out to be ‘almost’ grown men by following solemnly and picking up the tail end of the party. The older men nod and shake the hands of the patriarchs announcing the news, while little girls with sparkling eyes meander amongst the crowd, not yet old enough to be in any one category. Their pink dress hems sweep the cobblestones, they follow for a moment but their game of marbles is far more interesting and descends into a cascade of shy giggles.

At night, bright lights line hundreds of public squares in the city set up for communities and families like these to gather and celebrate. By nightfall, more drumming, shouting and singing on one street, and giggles and ulululu’s on another.

QUESTION: How severe is the problem of water scarcity in the Middle East?

ANSWER: It's widely recognised that the Middle East North Africa [MENA] region is by far the driest and most water-scarce in the world, and that this is increasingly affecting the economic and social development of most countries in the region. MENA has 5 percent of the world's population with less than 1 percent of the available freshwater resources.
Today, average per capita water availability in the region is about 1,200 cubic metres per year, while the world's average is close to 7,000.
The annual water availability in the region ranges from a high of about 1,800 cubic metres per person in Iran to less than 200 cubic metres per person in Jordan, the West Bank/Gaza and Yemen. By 2025, regional average water availability is projected to be just over 500 cubic meters per person per year.
While conventional water availability remains relatively constant, the demand is increasing sharply as a result of population growth, increases in household income and irrigation development. Population growth and rapid development are constantly placing increasing demands on the limited water resources.
It is estimated that the need for water supply in the region will increase from 170 billion cubic metres in 2000 to 228 billion cubic metres in 2025.

Q: Why is the Middle East's problem particularly serious?

A: Ninety percent of the region is classified as arid and hyper-arid. The region has low average rainfalls, high summer temperatures and high evaporation and transpiration rates. The limited surface water has to be shared between different countries. Groundwater, the main source of water in many countries, is also being extracted well beyond its renewal rate in some areas.
In some cases, governments are tapping into fossil groundwater resources and, where feasible, have initiated sea water desalination projects. But worsening water quality further reduces the availability of freshwater suitable for domestic and agricultural use and increases the cost of treatment and reuse.
Increased water contamination due to inadequately treated wastewater is also affecting public health - particularly of children - in rural areas, where access to clean water and sanitation is still lacking in most countries of the region.
What's more, the water resource situation is becoming bleaker due to droughts occurring with greater frequency and of longer duration. Droughts have affected almost every country in the region over the past decade.

Q: What are the major problems resulting from water scarcity?

A: Unless improved water management plans are put in place, a series of water-related issues will interact to cause major environmental problems in the future.
These issues include an escalating demand for water; the deterioration of water quality; inefficient methods of wastewater treatment and solid waste disposal; and escalating conflicts over shared surface and groundwater resources if agreements are not reached on equitable allocation.

A: Jordan and Yemen are the worst affected by water scarcity due to their limited water resources, limited rainfall and lack of finances.

While water resources in Jordan have fluctuated around a stationary average, the country's population has continued to rise. A high rate of natural population growth, combined with massive influxes of refugees, has transformed the comfortable balance between population and water in the first half of this century into a chronic and worsening imbalance in the second half.

The situation has been exacerbated by the fact that Jordan shares most of its surface water resources with neighbouring countries, whose control has partially deprived Jordan of its fair share of water.

The most serious problem in Yemen, meanwhile, is the rapid depletion of groundwater resources. Almost all the important groundwater systems in Yemen are being over-exploited at an alarming rate.

The socio-economic consequences are dramatic and will make groundwater too expensive for use in agriculture in the future. The agricultural economy based on groundwater irrigation is doomed to collapse if water resources are not adequately controlled.

Q: What current means are being employed to address the issue?

A: Several countries have embarked on reforming their water sector and some others have made a good start. Many countries, in partnership with donors and financial institutions, are taking steps in water sector reforms. A shift in thinking and action in water management is slowly taking place in the region.

Q: What methods would be more effective in improving the situation?

A: Despite the efforts being made, the complexity of the water and environmental issue calls for a stronger commitment, especially with regard to legislative frameworks, resources allocated to ensure environmental protection, coordination between policies and strategies and the availability of a comprehensive environmental database.

Water will continue to be a major challenge in the MENA countries. In order to remedy this, governments need to make additional efforts to ensure greater cooperation among their ministries and agencies.

The impending crisis requires a new strategy to alleviate the impact of development activities on freshwater resources and to identify a means of reconciling competing demands for water.

Q: How big a factor is pollution in the shortage of water in the region?

A: The main challenge for the sustainability of water resources is the control of water pollution. Pollution of ground water with heavy metals, the loss of natural ecosystems, the depletion of ground water, pollution of water bodies, and the salinisation of soils are all factors contributing to water scarcity.

Q. What are the solutions to the problem of water pollution?

A: The treatment of industrial and domestic wastewater. Also, advocating organic farming and limiting the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to reduce crop, soil and water pollution.

Q: How committed are the region's governments to finding a permanent solution?

A: Generally, all governments in the region are committed to water reforms. However, the level of commitment from one country to another varies depending upon available solutions and finance