Al Gharbia - Key facts

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There will be seven major cities -- Madinat Zayed, Mirfa, Liwa, Ghayathi, Sila, Ruwais and Dalma Island, and is close to the borders of Saudi Arabia and Qatar.The main tourist cities will be Mirfa, Liwa, Dalma Island and Sir Bani Yas.

[B]Liwa[/B]

Liwa is a large oasis area in Abu Dhabi and a 2 hours drive from the city of Abu Dhabi. A welcome treat for travellers with freshwater pools and date plantations. It is also home to the Bedu people who are known for their warm hospitality and friendliness. There are some 50 villages, with 50,000 and 150,000 inhabitants living in the Liwa Oasis. Of the south of Liwa Oasis, you will find the empty desert of Rub al-Khali.

[B]Dalma Island[/B]

[B]Dalma[/B] is an island approximately 128 miles (208 km) off the coast of Abu Dhabi and 72 miles (116 km) from Doha and [FONT=Verdana]some 15 miles (30km) offshore is a salt-dome island with a central hilly interior of pre-Cambrian age. The island is only about 5 km in diameter at its widest point, but has played an important role in UAE history and prehistory. Amazingly some 200 wells are reputed to have once existed, with freshwater certainly being supplied to Abu Dhabi island until the 1950s.[/FONT]The island has been inhabited for at least 7000 years with the country's oldest known permanent settlement, dating back to the Late Stone Age, having been excavated. Trade with the 'Ubaid civilisation (Mesopotamia) is evident from finds, with a flourishing pearling trade having once existed. A surviving pearl merchant's house has been preserved. Today, a sizable fishing fleet is permanently based on the island and the home port is characterised by traditional wood built dhows .The coastline clifted in parts supports several breeding pairs of sooty falcons ([I]Falco concolor[/I]), while the agricultural areas attract many migrant birds in both spring and autumn.

[B]Sir Bani Yas[/B]

[FONT=Verdana]The island of Sir Bani Yas, off the coast of Abu Dhabi near Jebel Dhanna, is dominated by cone-shaped central 'mountains' surrounded by gently sloping coastal plains. These merge with a shoreline of mangrove covered sand-banks and hidden inlets, buttressed foreshore and finally a well constructed small harbour. Thanks to the personal vision and dedication of HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, much of the island has been transformed from arid desert into a peaceful and verdant haven for a wide range of wildlife. [/FONT]