The Eastern Region ( ar, ٱلْمِنْطَقَة ٱلشَّرْقِيَّة, Al-Minṭaqah ash-Sharqiyyah, since March 2017 officially renamed by
Sheikh
Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of a ...
Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Al Ain Region ( ar, مِنْطَقَة ٱلْعَيْن, Minṭaqat al-ʿAyn))
is one of three
Municipal Regions in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
. It forms the southeastern part of the
United Arab Emirates.
Its main settlement is the city of
Al Ain
Al Ain ( ar, ٱلْعَيْن, , ) is a city in the western side of Tawam (region), Tuwwam region and the seat of the administrative division of its namesake, Al-Ain Region, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. ...
, located on the country's border with
Oman, about from the city of
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area.
...
, the capital of the Emirate and country.
Compared to
the Western Region, it is also a rather remote region of the Emirate,
but smaller by area, and is not known to hold reserves of gas or
petroleum,
but is agriculturally important.
History and prehistory
The city of Al-Ain, part of a
historical region which also includes the adjacent Omani town of
Al-Buraimi,
is noted for its forts, oases, ''
aflāj'' (underground water channels), and archaeological sites such as those of
Hili
Hili may be:
* Tikoloshe, ''Tokoloshe'' or ''Hili'' — a dwarf-like water Sprite (creature) or zombie, in Zulu mythology
* Hili, Dakshin Dinajpur — a border check-post in West Bengal, India
* Hili (community development block) - an administrat ...
and
Rumailah. Sites outside the city include
Jebel Hafeet and Al-A'ankah Fort.
Sheikh
Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of a ...
Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan had been the Ruler's Representative in this region, before becoming the
Ruler of Abu Dhabi and
President of the United Arab Emirates
The president of the United Arab Emirates, or the Raʾīs ( ar, رَئِيْس), is the head of state of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The president and vice-president are elected every five years by the Federal Supreme Council. Though the p ...
.
Demographics and settlements
As of 2009, the population of the region was estimated at 890,000.
Aside from the main city, there are about 20 settlements which are governed by the region's municipal body, that is
Al Ain Municipality. Most of them are estimated to have populations of no more than 10,000. They include:
*
Al-Faqa' (partly in the
Emirate of Dubai,
on the
road from Al-Ain to
Dubai)
* Al-Hayer
* Al-Qu'a
* Al-Shwaib (on the road to
Al Madam in the
Emirate of Sharjah)
* Al-Wagan
* Al-Yahar
*
Mezyad
* Nahel
* Remah
* Sa'ah
*
Sweihan
See also
*
Abu Dhabi Region
*
Al Ain International Airport
*
Al-Buraimi Governorate (adjacent)
*
Ash Sharqiyah (disambiguation)
Al Sharqiyah, Ash Sharqiyah ( ar, الشرقية, from Arabic ) or its variants, meaning 'eastern' or loosely 'oriental', may refer to:
Places
*Ash Sharqiyah Region (Oman)
**Ash Sharqiyah North Governorate
** Ash Sharqiyah South Governorate
* As ...
*
Lake Zakher
Lake Zakher ( ar, بُحَيْرَة زَاخِر, Buḥayrat Zākhir) is a man-made lake in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. It was created from treated waste water that was released onto land, which pushed up groundwater levels and eventually res ...
*
List of tourist attractions in the United Arab Emirates
*
Wildlife of the United Arab Emirates An Arabian oryx in Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve ">Dubai_Desert_Conservation_Reserve.html" ;"title="Arabian oryx in Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve">Arabian oryx in Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve
The wildlife of the United Arab Emirate ...
References
External links
Al Ain Region to host Arab's first adventure tourism conference
{{Abu Dhabi
Municipal regions in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi
Tawam, Eastern Arabia