The varied natural landscapes of Abu Dhabi

When you think of Abu Dhabi, it is likely vast desert landscapes will come to mind. This is unsurprising given the western region of the emirate is home to a part of Rub‘ al Khali (the Empty Quarter), the world’s largest area of continuous sand, spanning approximately 250,000 square miles (650,000 square kilometers). However, the UAE’s natural beauty extends beyond the desert to wadis, oases, mountains, and nature reserves. The people of this land learnt to have a close relationship with nature, often having to adapt to harsh weather conditions.

The impact of the elemental forces of nature in the UAE go back millennia, as evidenced by Abu Dhabi’s intriguing fossil dunes. Located in the emirate’s Al Wathba region, more than 1,700 of these dunes rise up from the surrounding desert like waves frozen in time. Believed to have developed over thousands of years, the dunes were created by cycles of ice ages and thaws. Abu Dhabi’s Environment Agency is responsible for protecting and conserving the dunes, and visitors can see the dunes up close within the Al Wathba Fossil Dunes Protected Area.

As well as a home to fossil dunes, Abu Dhabi overlooks one of the world’s warmest seas. The emirate’s warm waters have given rise to biologically rich ecosystems that are important to the environment. Examples of these ecosystems can be found at Jubail Mangrove Park and Mangrove National Park, which house unique wildlife.

Abu Dhabi’s coastline has an abundance of mangroves—distinctive trees easily recognizable by their visible roots that look like they’re gripping on to the water. Jubail Mangrove Park is a mangrove sanctuary tasked with enhancing ‘the awareness, appreciation, and understanding of the important ecological function of mangrove habitats.’ These unique trees protect the coast from rising sea levels and storms, and help prevent carbon from entering the atmosphere by acting as a carbon reservoir. This makes mangroves increasingly important as we face the realities of climate change.

An intensely salty sea is not an appealing habitat for most vegetation. Mangroves, however, are an exception to the rule due to their high salt tolerance—they thrive in mud and sandbanks flooded by seawater. The trees act as a buffer between marine and terrestrial habitats, making them vital to the coastal areas where they are found. They also provide the ideal living conditions for an array of organisms, from oysters to crabs and sponges. Perhaps most fascinatingly, mangroves act like filters, removing pollutants like nitrates from the water.

As we face increasing challenges created by climate change, mangroves have an important role to play. With this in mind, 350,000 mangrove seedlings were planted at the Jubail Mangrove Park in early 2022 in order to help mitigate the climate-induced changes that lie ahead.

Beyond the mangroves, Abu Dhabi holds many other pockets full of fascinating biodiversity. In the desert, there are various species of reptiles, such as the wonder gecko and monitor lizard, which help to maintain balance in desert ecosystems by feeding on insects and other invertebrates. Abu Dhabi’s waters are home to the world’s largest population of endangered Indian Ocean humpback dolphins, while on land you can find an array of large terrestrial mammals, such as the Arabian oryx, the sand gazelle and the mountain gazelle. Many of these mammals can be seen up close at the Arabian Wildlife Park on Sir Bani Yas Island.

Away from the capital and further inland, you’ll find Jebel Hafit Desert Park. The craggy, muted, and yet somewhat ethereal terrain offers a rugged landscape for people to explore. Found at the base of Jebel Hafit mountain—which at 3,800 feet (1,160 meters) is one of the country’s highest peaks—the park preserves not only the area’s unique biodiversity, but also its rich history. It is home to 5,000-year-old oval-shaped tombs dating from the Bronze Age where the early inhabitants of Al Ain buried their dead. Artifacts found during excavations uncovered trade links with ancient Mesopotamia (encompassing parts of Syria, Turkey and most of Iraq), Iran, and the Indus Valley. Visitors can camp at the park overnight and experience this intriguing landscape up close.

In an otherwise dry and arid region, oases offer a respite in which some hardy greenery is able to flourish. In the desert, the striking contrast between the palm trees of the oases and the tall orange-red sand dunes is a sight to behold. Liwa Oasis, which is located on the northeastern side of Rub‘ al Khali, is irrigated by a water table that lies close to the surface, helping crops like the date palm to grow for generations. This makes the oasis important to many of the emirate’s remote settlements. Faisulla Khan (pictured here) is the caretaker of the Tharwaniyah village oasis in Liwa.

Traversing the desert, with its often-unforgiving conditions, is no small feat. The camel is a resilient animal, one that historically provided people in the UAE with a reliable mode of transport through tricky desert terrain. Camels were used to transport supplies such as food, wood, and plants. The importance of the animal in local culture is enduring, with camel racing an important and much-loved sport in the UAE.

Discover more of Abu Dhabi's natural wonders here.