The Liwa Oasis () is a large oasis area in the Western Region of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates.
Geography
Liwa Oasis is about south of the
Persian Gulf coast and southwest of the city of
Abu Dhabi, on the northern edge of Rub' al Khali
desert. It is centered around and stretches about east-west, along an arch curved to the north. It consists of some 50 villages. The geographic and economic center of the oasis is Muzayri`, where the highway from Abu Dhabi enters the oasis and then divides to the east ( to the easternmost village, Mahdar Bin `Usayyan) and west ( to the westernmost village, `Aradah). According to the census of population of 2005, the population was 20,196.
Earlier estimates judging from satellite images which gauged the population at 50,000 to 150,000, were too high.
The villages of Liwa Oasis are the southernmost settlements of Abu Dhabi and of the United Arab Emirates. The southern border of Abu Dhabi with
Saudi Arabia, which runs at a distance between to the Oasis, is a straight line in the Rub al Khali desert, which is largely uninhabited. Mahdar Bin `Usayyan is the southernmost village of the Emirates, and also the easternmost of the oasis. south of the border, and south of the eastern part of the oasis is the Saudi oil facility
Shaybah. However, there is no road linking Liwa Oasis and Shaybah, and no border crossing. A modern, multi-lane highway connects the oasis area to the capital, Abu Dhabi.
Villages
The
USGS Geographic Names Database
lists 39 populated places in the area of the oasis, which are listed from west to east in the following table.
Economy
An important traditional branch of the economy is
date palm farming. There is a widespread use of
drip irrigation and
. The importance of
tourism is on the rise. There are several hotels in the area including the Liwa Hotel in Muzayri`, Tilal Liwa Hotel, the Liwa Rest House in the same village and run by the government of Abu Dhabi, and the resort Qasr Al Sarab.
The nearby Moreeb dunes (), south of Muzayri`, is high, and is one of the largest dunes in the world. It attracts people every year during the Liwa festival,
History
The oasis is the place of birth of the ruling families of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. In 1793, the ruling family
Al Nahyan moved their residence from Liwa to Abu Dhabi.
Traditionally, men from Liwa (Bani Yas tribe) were pearl divers on the coast during the summer months. Pearl diving offered an additional source of income.
The British Empire explorer Wilfred Thesiger first arrived in Liwa around mid December 1946 in his first crossing of the Rub' Al Khali (Empty Quarter) desert.
In popular culture
Desert scenes of East of Liwa Oasis, in the Rub' Al Khali desert, was the set of in the 2015 film
and it was used to represent
Jakku, a
desert planet.
Desert scenes in the 2020 film Sonic the Hedgehog were filmed in Liwa Oasis.
Desert scenes of the desert landscape of Liwa was filmed to represent the planet Arrakis in the 2021 film Dune
Gallery
File:Desert ripples (4184941765).jpg|The desert in the outskirts of Liwa Oasis
File:Desert - panoramio (6).jpg|Sand dunes overlooking Liwa Oasis
File:Further still (4184933045).jpg|Desert around Liwa
File:Liwa Desert.JPG| Liwa desert
File:Road to Tal Moreb (4185679430).jpg|Road to Tal Moreeb
File:Castle - panoramio (22).jpg|Qasr Al Sarab in Liwa
File:Mezairaa Fort.jpg|Mezairaa Fort
File:Sand Gazelle 2.jpg|Arabian sand gazelle in Liwa
See also
External links
