Wadi Helo ( ar, وادي حلو, literally 'Sweet wadi') is a seasonal watercourse located in the Hajar Mountains of

Sharjah Sharjah (; ar, ٱلشَّارقَة ', Gulf Arabic: ''aš-Šārja'') is the third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi, forming part of the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area. Sharjah is the capital ...

, in the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at t ...

. The

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 ...

runs northwest to southeast of the eponymous village of Wadi Helo, located on the Sharjah-Kalba highway.

Extent

The wadi is a 'y' shaped waterway, one branch passing through the villages of Harrah and Wadi Helo, while the other runs down from the Wadi Helo lagoon, located further along the old Sharjah-Kalba highway towards

Kalba Kalba () is a city in the Emirate of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is an exclave of Sharjah lying on the Gulf of Oman coast north of Oman. Khor Kalba (Kalba Creek), an important nature reserve and mangrove swamp, is located south ...

. The new highway opened in October 2020, runs 26km from Wadi Helo to Kalba. The two branches of Wadi Helo meet west of the village of Awhala and the wadi passes through Awhala and beside the historic Awhala Fort before crossing the

Omani 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 ...

border and fanning out to the Batinah plain and the Gulf of Oman north of the Omani coastal village of Bu Baqarah. The lower reaches of the wadi are lined to either side with a number of pre-Islamic burials. Wadi Helo is traditionally home to the Mazari tribe and was a wealthy tobacco growing centre. Today the upper reaches of the wadi are dotted with hundreds of abandoned stone-lined tobacco plantations. Villagers from the village of Hayl would travel to Wadi Helo seasonally to take part in harvesting the tobacco crop, which would be sold to local traders in

Fujairah Fujairah City ( ar, الفجيرة) is the capital of the emirate of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. It is the seventh-largest city in UAE, located on the Gulf of Oman (part of the Indian Ocean). It is the only Emirati capital city on the ...

and

Heritage site

The heritage site of Wadi Helo, located some 4km from the modern settlement, includes the three watchtowers that guarded the wadi and the abandoned settlement, including extensive and sophisticated farmhouses such as Eisa Al Thabbahi's house, a home that reflects the considerable wealth of the 19th century agricultural community of Wadi Helo. A reconstructed

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

tomb sits alongside the village fort. The settlement was abandoned in or around the 1930s. This area has been preserved as an archaeological site by the government of Sharjah and was part of Sharjah's 2018 bid for

UNESCO World Heritage A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

Status, under the heading 'Sharjah, Gateway to the Trucial States', which included the

Heart of Sharjah The Heart of Sharjah is a cultural heritage project that aims to preserve and restore the old town of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and return it to its 1950s state. A five-phase project intended for completion in 2025, the project is ...

;

Sharjah Fort Sharjah Fort (Al Hisn Sharjah) is a double story traditional rock, coral and adobe fortification in the centre of the city of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The fort was originally constructed in 1820 by the then Ruler of Sharjah, S ...

; the former barracks of the

Trucial Oman Scouts The Trucial Oman Scouts was a paramilitary force that the British raised in 1951 as the Trucial Oman Levies, to serve in the Trucial States. In 1956, the Levies were renamed the Trucial Oman Scouts. In 1971, upon the formation of the United Arab ...

in Mirgab; Al Mahatta Fort, the first airport in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf;

Dhaid Fort Dhaid Fort, (Also known as ''Al Hisn Dhaid'') is a restored C18th fortification in the city of Dhaid, Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates. It has long been an important stronghold for the Ruling families of Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah and a key stra ...

and Oasis; the coastal town of

Khor Fakkan Khor Fakkan ( ar, خَوْر فَكَّان, Khawr Fakkān) is a city and exclave of the Emirate of Sharjah, located on the east coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), facing the Gulf of Oman, and geographically surrounded by the Emirate of F ...

; the oasis of Wadi Al Helo and

Fili Fort Fili Fort (''Al Hisn Fili'') is a late Islamic fortification located to the east of the town of Madam, in the United Arab Emirates' emirate of Sharjah. There are in fact two forts at Hili, Fili West Fort and Fili East Fort. However, Fili East Fort ...

, following the Heart of Sharjah theme of a return to the simplicity and natural lifestyles of the 1950s. The bid for UNESCO status has been discussed since 2014. File:Wadi Helo - Eisa Al Thahabi's House.jpg, Eisa Al Thahabi's farmhouse in the Wadi Helo heritage village File:Wadi Hilu 1.jpg, Abandoned tobacco fields sit alongside modern farming areas in the Wadi Helo File:Wadi Helo Evening.jpg, The Wadi Helo seasonal watercourse File:Wadi Helo Fort.jpg, The fort at the heritage village in the Wadi Helo File:Wadi Helo Farmhouse.jpg, An aerial view of Eisa Al Thahabi's farmhouse shows the extent of what was, for its time, an unusually large and sophisticated building.

References

{{Emirate of Sharjah Rivers of the United Arab Emirates Geography of the United Arab Emirates Geography of the Emirate of Sharjah

Extent

Heritage site

See also

References