''Wilāyat Wādī Banī Khālid'' ( ar, وِلَايَة وَادِي بَنِي خَالِد)
is a ''
Wilāyah'' (
Province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...
)
in the
Northern Governorate
The Northern Governorate ( ar, المحافظة الشمالية , translit=Al-Muḥāfaẓat aš-Šamālīyah) is one of the four governorates of Bahrain. It includes parts of the former municipalities of Al Mintaqah al Gharbiyah, Al Minta ...
of the
Eastern Region of
Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
.
Located about from
Muscat
Muscat ( ar, مَسْقَط, ) is the capital and most populated city in Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is s ...
, and from
Sur,
the province has a
wadi
Wadi ( ar, وَادِي, wādī), alternatively ''wād'' ( ar, وَاد), North African Arabic Oued, is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some instances, it may refer to a wet (ephemeral) riverbed that contains water onl ...
which serves as a destination for
tourist
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mo ...
s, that is ''Wādī Banī Khālid'' ( ar, وَادِي بَنِي خَالِد).
The wadi
Wadi Bani Khalid is one of the best-known wadis in the Sultanate of Oman.
Its stream maintains a constant flow of water throughout the year. Large pools of water and boulders are scattered along the course of the wadi. As a geographical area, the wadi covers a large swathe of
lowland
Upland and lowland are conditional descriptions of a plain based on elevation above sea level. In studies of the ecology of freshwater rivers, habitats are classified as upland or lowland.
Definitions
Upland and lowland are portions of ...
and the
Hajar Mountains
The Hajar Mountains ( ar, جِبَال ٱلْحَجَر, Jibāl al-Ḥajar, ''The Rocky Mountains'' or ''The Stone Mountains'') in northeastern Oman and also the eastern United Arab Emirates are the highest mountain range in the eastern Arabian ...
.
''Kuhūf'' form some of the features of this wadi. These include ''Kahf Maqal''
(),
which was described as an "underground chamber" of the Sultanate of Oman,
or the ''akthar'' (, 'best') out of 4,000 caves.
''
Aflāj'' (underground
canal
Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow un ...
s)
or ''ʿUyūn'' are also common in this wadi, including ''ʿAin Ḥamūdah'' (),
''ʿAin aṣ-Ṣārūj'' () and ''ʿAin Dawwah'' ().
Villages or towns
The village of Badaʿ ()
is a well-known stop for tourists in the
valley
A valley is an elongated low area often running between Hill, hills or Mountain, mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers ...
.
Bidiyyah is approximately by road.
History
The earliest inhabitants of the Wadi Bani Khalid area were the
Bedouin tribes
The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu (; , singular ) are nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia. The Bedouin originated in the Syrian Desert and Ar ...
, whose traditional lifestyle was different from that of nomadic life.
From then on, the wadi has since been a
tourist attraction
A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement.
Types
Places of natural b ...
, for its beautiful desert scenery and deep turquoise
natural spring
A spring is a point of exit at which groundwater from an aquifer flows out on top of Earth's crust (pedosphere) and becomes surface water. It is a component of the hydrosphere. Springs have long been important for humans as a source of fres ...
s.
See also
*
Eastern Arabia
Eastern Arabia, historically known as al-Baḥrayn ( ar, البحرين) until the 18th century, is a region stretched from Basra to Khasab along the Persian Gulf coast and included parts of modern-day Bahrain, Kuwait, Eastern Saudi Arabia, Unite ...
**
List of wadis of Oman
This is a list of wadis in Oman arranged by drainage basin.
Gulf of Oman
* Wadi Hatta
* Wadi Abd ar Rahman
* Wādī Banī ‘Umar al Gharbī
* Wadi Suq
* Wadi Jizzi
* Wadi Sarami
* Wadi al Hawasinah
* Wadi al Abyad
* Wadi Samail
* Wadi Mayh
* W ...
***
Wadi Bani Awf
Wadi Bani Auf ( ar, وَادِي بَنِي عَوْف, Wādī Banī ʿAwf) is a ''wadi, wādī'' (, gorge) in Ad Dakhiliyah Region of Oman. People with the name ''Al-ʿAufī'' () are associated with this place.
See also
* Al Hajar Mountains
* ...
Notes
References
External links
*
Wadi Bani Khalid - Oman Tours (HD)Beautiful river in Oman, Wadi Bani Khalidوادي بني خالد . مغارة مقل . خفافيش(in Arabic)
نظرة على مغارة "مقل "بولاية وادي بني خالد في محافظة شمال الشرقيةكهف مقل ولاية وادي بني خالد / MUQAL CAVE - oman(partly in Arabic)
{{Ash Sharqiyah North Governorate
Rivers of Oman
Bani Khalid
Ash Sharqiyah North Governorate