Within the Al Ain sites listed on the list of "UNESCO"
Jebel Hafeet ... a cradle of the secrets of history
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (may God rest his soul) during his tour of Jebel Hafeet in Al Ain - July 8, 1995. (National Archives)
Hafeet Reserve - 26 September 2020 (The National Archives)
Jebel Hafeet Cemeteries - October 25, 2018 (National Archives)
Jebel Hafeet in the 1990s.
(The National Archives)
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Jebel Hafeet is one of the most important cultural sites in the Al Ain region, due to the great importance of it and its geographical surroundings, whether as a historical and archaeological site, or as a tourist and cultural landmark, and its diversity in its natural and geographical components.
What nominated him to be among the Al Ain sites that have been included on the UNESCO World Heritage List, in addition to being classified as a "national park", as the Jebel Hafeet National Park reserve was declared pursuant to the Emiri Decree 21 of 2017.
The height of the summit of Jebel Hafeet is 1240 meters, and it is considered the highest in Abu Dhabi and the second highest in the United Arab Emirates. The mountain, which overlooks the entire Al Ain region and is located on the border with the Sultanate of Oman, consists of steep limestone rocks exposed to natural erosion factors over thousands of years. In its vicinity, important fossil remains were discovered, which represent an essential part of the ancient history of the region.
While the Jebel Hafeet desert park occupies an area of nine square kilometers at the foot of Jebel Hafeet, and is considered a tourist destination with a unique nature, in addition to its importance as an archaeological site, the archaeological excavations in the park, which were carried out under the direction of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (Tayyip), revealed God bless him), in 1959, a group of remains dating back to the Neolithic period 8,000 years ago, and burials dating back more than 5,000 years, and these tombs represent the beginning of the Bronze Age in the United Arab Emirates, where Danish archaeologists found pottery vessels and artifacts. Copper, which indicates the importance of maritime trade across the Arabian Gulf even then, and each burial consists of a single chamber made of local unworked or untrimmed stones, which contrasts to a large extent with the Umm al-Nar tombs in the region, which contain the remains of hundreds of people.
Mountain secrets
Jebel Hafeet is among the 17 historical sites in and around Al Ain that UNESCO has registered on its list of World Heritage, and that is the highest number discovered in one area the size of Al Ain, according to what the agricultural advisor of the late Sheikh Zayed, may God rest his soul in peace, mentions in his book "Fifty Years." In the oasis of Al-Ain », published by the National Archives.
Adding: “It seems that Jebel Hafeet holds many secrets;
It is a large stone block rising more than 1,600 meters above sea level, and under its slopes run these strange channels that carry water to the plants and animals that live in its nooks and crannies, and on its cliffs and slopes, and the monuments found at its slopes are nothing but a witness of that ancient civilization.
Witness to history
Khan notes in his book that the endemic plants and animals in Jebel Hafeet testify that the aflaj system prevailing in the region 3000 years ago was a reason for attracting people to it, even though it was rapidly desertifying due to the seasonal cycle.
It was kept dry for extended periods, according to archaeological discoveries that took place in the mid-1980s, when a road was made to the luxurious hotel that was built on the top of the mountain.
Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage documents indicate the existence of 107 species of endemic plants that are only found in the foothills of that mountain and on its steep slopes and upper edges, where rainwater collects in what looks like canals and small valleys.
As for the animals that inhabit the mountain, they include mammals and birds, and among the animals that were there: the fox, the wild cat, the caribou (purity), the zulm, and some types of mice, and endemic and migratory birds, including the Egyptian eagle, the desert owl, and the bat.
The presence of some hunting birds such as Abu Henna and Bulbul, and of course the falcon and other prey, indicates that the Bedouins did not take advantage of life in those years when they lived in the nearby oasis.
He adds, "Thus, Jebel Hafeet was full of life in its own way."
Al-Ain Al-Faida
Abdul Hafeez Khan talks about his memories of the beginning of the reconstruction of Jebel Hafeet and the surrounding area, to tell a funny story that occurred when the late Sheikh Zayed, may God bless him and grant him peace, ordered to plant the streets in the city of Al Ain and plant trees in them, and he says: “When the trees grew stronger and grew and elongated their highest peak. Became a target for donkeys released by peasants and devouring leaves;
The use of Land Rover vehicles resulted in the gradual dispensing with the services of these donkeys, and their number was very large at that time, and the plants and trees that grow on the sides of the roads became the source of ready fodder for them, and it was not possible to appoint an army of guards to guard the trees, so what was possible Did he do to those many reds?
Can we shoot her?
The late Sheikh Zayed would never have been satisfied with this cruelty, but if you left the donkeys to go wherever they wanted, they would eventually destroy the trees he loved, and he would spend a lot to plant them as part of his larger project to develop his country and his people.
There was no need to keep donkeys in the cities;
Nobody needed it, and on the other hand, there was no such thing as animal reserves, no zoo in Abu Dhabi.
After thinking, the late Sheikh Zayed directed a solution to this problem.
He ordered collecting them and pushing them to the wilds, where you will find what they can feed on from grass and herbs in the slopes of Jebel Hafeet, and this has already been implemented, but after two days the men who were assigned to collect donkeys from the city and drive them to the desert that they saw some of them dive into what looks like jungles. I tried to get out of it but was not able, and it seemed that a strange new phenomenon appeared before my eyes, and I had to tell Sheikh Zayed about it, and he took the initiative to come to the site to see the phenomenon with his eyes, and I assumed a small possibility of the presence of scum in the middle of the desert, as the site is about 150 km away from the beach destination. Kilometers, and if there is scum, then that means there is a source of water, and so this assumption dictated it.
When we arrived at the sites, we became certain of the authenticity of what the men had narrated, so Sheikh Zayed ordered to dig at the site around what appeared to be a crust in the middle of the prairie, and hope was prompting us all to discover a new source of fresh artesian water to be added to the falaj that was flowing from under that same mountain, perhaps centuries ago. It was the source of life in Al-Ain.
The digging resulted in an underground semi-salty water source that allowed weeds to grow profusely.
Many believed that if the digging continued with the site and the water sprang out, a new source of fresh water would be available that would bring miracles in that desert.
The late Sheikh Zayed welcomed the idea, and dug a canal in which the semi-salty water flowed into it until it reached the neighboring desert.
And that was the beginning of the entertainment site, which is now known as (Ain Al Faida), and its first name was (Ain Abu Sokhna) (spring of semi-salty hot water), pointing out that they found another source of fresh water several years later at the foot of Jebel Hafeet, and it was not far from Al-Ain Al-Faida, and this is a fully developed area, now known as “Green Mubazzarah”, which is flat farms. Many wells were dug using new methods of deep drilling and the extraction of arable water, and some of its water was as hot as the semi-salty water in Al Ain Al-Faida. Very hot and has sulfur deposits, however it is suitable for growing certain plants, the most important of which is the date palm, which can withstand higher levels of salinity than other plants.
1240
Meters high, the summit of Jebel Hafeet.
107
Varieties of endemic plants.
The aflaj system that prevailed in the region 3000 years ago was a reason for attracting people and growing plants.
The mountain consists of steep limestone rocks that have been exposed to natural erosion over thousands of years.
In the vicinity of Jebel Hafeet, important fossil remains have been discovered, which represent an essential part of the ancient history of the region.
«Memory of the Nation»
A weekly page provided by "Emirates Today", in cooperation with the "National Archives", affiliated with the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, with the aim of introducing the way life in the Emirates before the federation, and during its early beginnings, and the great effort made by the founding fathers of the state for its establishment, and linking it to what the UAE leaders achieve, Today, her children are among the achievements the world has witnessed.
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