Wadi Shawka (literally 'powerful wadi') is a seasonal watercourse in 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 ...

Ras Al Khaimah Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) ( ar, رَأْس ٱلْخَيْمَة, historically Julfar) is the largest city and capital of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. It is the sixth-largest city in UAE after Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ain ...

, 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 th ...

. Famous locally for the Shawka Dam, a renowned beauty spot and destination for outdoor sports, 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 onl ...

has long been an agricultural area and alongside existing farms, and many abandoned settlements exist on the sides of the wadi. The wadi enjoys unusually high rainfall of some 120mm per annum.

Extent

Wadi Shawka is a popular destination for off-road enthusiasts, hikers and mountain bikers as well as families attracted to the Shawka Dam, a developed rest area and picnic spot. The wadi runs from the village of Khari, north of the village of

Shawka Shawka is a village in Ras Al Khaimah Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) ( ar, رَأْس ٱلْخَيْمَة, historically Julfar) is the largest city and capital of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. It is the sixth-largest city in UAE ...

, to join the

Wadi Esfai Wadi Esfai is a seasonal watercourse in the Hajar Mountains of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. It runs from the village of Sifuni on the Mleiha to Fujairah highway (E84) to join Wadi Shawkah south of the village of Esfai. Wadi Esfai receive ...

and the

Wadi Ejili Wadi Ejili is a wadi, or seasonal watercourse, in the Hajar Mountains of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. It runs down from the confluence of the Wadi Shawka and Wadi Esfai to run into the Wadi Helo at the village of Fayyad, on the Sharjah- ...

. A number of tourism companies and hiking groups offer hikes in and around the upper reaches of the Wadi Shawka. The Shawka Dam was originally constructed in 2001, on the orders of Sheikh Zayed Al Nahyan, and overlooks a developed recreational area with a children's play area, washrooms, a family barbecue area and a number of pools. The dam has a 275,000 cubic metre capacity and, with a height of 13 metres and a length of 107 metres, is considered one of the largest dams in the Emirates. File:Shawka Dam - 2017-02-27.webm, Shawka Dam File:Wadi Shawka Track.jpg, Wadi Shawka Track File:Wadi Shawka looking North.jpg, Wadi Shawka looking north File:Mountains of Wadi Shawka.jpg, Mountains view

References

{{Ras Al Khaimah Rivers of the United Arab Emirates Geography of the United Arab Emirates Geography of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah

Extent

See also

References