Situated south west of Abu Dhabi on the edge of the great Empty Quarter
desert (the largest of Arabia). The distance from Dubai/Sharjah being some
380 km one way and from Abu Dhabi the Capital city some 220 km.
Liwa is the name of a vast, almost barren desert region,
that extends from the southern part of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, all the
way to the border with Saudi Arabia; and south of Al Ain, all the way to
the border of Saudi Arabia and Oman (at the village of Um Azumool, the
most southerly village in the UAE).
In the
past, Liwa was a lot larger than today, and it was also known as the Bu
Fallah desert. This name came from the Bu Fallah tribe, which was, and
still is, the largest tribe in the area. There used to be around 50
permanent settlements, known locally as "Mahdar" for one, and "Mahader"
for more than one; with names such as Muzairah, Al Mariyah, Shah, Nafeer,
Hameem, Arada, Therwaneeyah, Malqata, Bateen and so on. These
well-established Mahader each had plenty of water wells and farms. Liwa
was not on the trading route as some people may tell you. Very simply,
it was a region inhabited by a lot of Bedouin tribes, because it was
rich in water resources and not too far from Abu Dhabi and the Al Ain
Oasis - a landmark well-known for its commercial trade and as a
stop-over for the traveling caravans coming from Oman. In summer, most of the local inhabitants used to leave their homes in
the desert and head off to do other work in Abu Dhabi, on the shores or
even venture deeper into the sea for pearl diving. Besides hunting,
their staple diet was basically dates and camel milk, the homes were
built from palm trees, and goat and camel hair was used to make tents.
Most people preferred goat hair for the tents because it made them
cooler. It is in the nature of goat skins that when they are woven the
small gaps allow nice ventilation, and when it rains they shrink,
preventing rainwater from leaking through the roof.
The first
signs of modern life where felt in the late 50's due to oil
explorations, trucks and jeeps where introduced and the country started
its rapid development, things changed. Houses were being built
everywhere, roads laid out in the middle of the desert, hospitals,
schools and so on. Thanks to the great effort undertaken by the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan
(ruler of Abu Dhabi between 1966-2002) who made sure
that each and everyone of his people enjoyed the fruits of this fast
development
 of IMG_0138.JPG "4x4 in Liwa")
