Wadi Hayl is a seasonal watercourse in the
Hajar Mountains of
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 ...
, 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 from the Fujairah industrial suburb of
Al Hayl through the old (now restored) village of
Hayl and
Hayl Fort, to reach the
Wadi Helo.
Extent
The Fujairah end of the Wadi Hayl is home to the Mohammed bin Zayed City, a planned settlement intended to comprise 1,100 houses and apartments, as well as offering services. The wadi extends Westward from Fujairah and into the mountains, eventually meeting the Wadi Helo and Wadi Al Saifiyah, which itself leads to the
Wadi Saham Wadi Saham is a seasonal watercourse in the Hajar Mountains of Fujairah, in the United Arab Emirates. It is notable for its petroglyphs, including a single rock bearing 26 petroglyphs across four faces.
Petroglyphs and other finds
The Wadi Saham ...
, notable for its extensive
petroglyphs, and the Wadi Miduk.
The Wadi Hayl is dammed above the new village of Hayl, which was built to rehouse the residents of the old village of Hayl. An
Umm Al Nar tomb was found at Hayl, as well as a number of
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...
petroglyphs dotting stones throughout the course of the wadi.
Traditionally a
Kunud village, Hayl – and the nearby
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 ...
village of
Al Helo – subsisted on agriculture, particularly tobacco,
which provided a lucrative crop for the villagers. Before the construction of the metalled road from Fujairah, the journey from Hayl to the city would take three hours by donkey.
Built in 1932 by Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamdan Al Sharqi, the Fort at Hayl was constructed in 1932, along with a majlis and mosque. Often incorrectly referred to as a summer house, the Fort was in fact the principal residence for Sheikh Abdullah for over two decades.
See also
*
List of wadis of the United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates does not have any permanent rivers, but does have wadis, a permanently or intermittently dry riverbed. This is a list of wadis in United Arab Emirates arranged by drainage basin.
Persian Gulf
*Dubai Creek is sometimes cal ...
References
Populated places in the Emirate of Fujairah
{{UnitedArabEmirates-geo-stub