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>Al Ain Oasis
This is a huge date plantation in the centre of town, well worth a visit. The plantation is divided into small date farms, with permanent access for farmers’ vehicles and for pedestrians. Sheikh Zayed’s original house is located at the edge of the oasis, while two small mosques are sited within the palm groves.
There is no entry fee.
>Hili Oasis
This large date plantation is located in the vicinity of the Hili and Rumeilah forts. Permanently accessible to pedestrians and farm vehicles, it has no particular places of interest and is not as impressive a plantation as the Al Ain oasis in the centre of town.
No entry fee.
> 10.Qatarrah Oasis
Near Mujiarib fort this oasis is the site of an important archaeological find, the Qatarrah tomb, a long, narrow Shimal-type grave in which many of the rich artifacts displayed in Al Ain museum were found. The tomb was one of the very first tombs of second millennium BC date excavated in the Emirates. Among the most notable finds is a gold ornament consisting of a double-headed, single-bodied animal that was probably worn as a large medallion in a necklace.
The oasis has a large fort in the centre and a working falaj system.
Entry is free.
Liwa
The Liwa is not just a single oasis, but a whole string of 50 or more small oases strung out over 120 kilometres in an east–west direction, and lying 100 kilometres inland from the sea. It forms the northern rim of the Empty Quarter and is 140 kilometres from Abu Dhabi city. The impressive scenery comprising high dunes, forming a huge rolling sea of sand with isolated pockets of greenery, is one of the most dramatic environments in the world. The difficult terrain, harsh weather conditions and scarcity of water helped to create a resilient and resourceful people whose adaptation to this desert habitat owes much to their respect for and knowledge of nature. Even today, people of the Liwa place a considerable reliance on the date palm, both for the dates that it produces and for the many materials and products that they make from it – ranging from ‘arish (palm frond) fences to woven palm leaf baskets. In the past this dependence on the palm tree ran much deeper, and included construction of small boats, the shasha, and of fish traps, as well as the palm fibre ropes that were used for a multitude of purposes.
Men from the Liwa formed the mainstay of the pearling industry, travelling to the coast each summer to join the pearling fleet. Many of the present Emirati inhabitants of Abu Dhabi originate from this region. Today bulldozers are sculpting this ancient landscape into cultivable land and crops are being grown in green houses, providing ideal climatic conditions for many fruit and vegetables during winter months. Other methods in use here include fibreglass matting tunnels and drip irrigation for outdoor crops.
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