“The most beautiful winter in the world.” Geotourism in the Emirates tells the story of the Earth and its history

Geotourism in the UAE constitutes a unique element that supports the “The Most Beautiful Winter in the World” campaign, which aims to promote domestic tourism and attract visitors from all over the world because of the geological treasures the country contains and is characterized by its geological diversity, which includes moving sand dunes, towering mountains, deep valleys, and picturesque coastlines. Which not only offers stunning natural views to visitors, but also tells the story of the Earth and its development over millions of years.
Engineer Khaled Al Hosani, Director of the Geology and Mineral Resources Department at the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, says that the UAE includes many unique natural sites of high geological value that attract geologists from all over the world with the aim of studying these unique geological features. Historically, the falaj that characterizes the regions represents The eastern mountains and desert plains are a distinct irrigation system, as they represent man-made rivers that were built to intercept the groundwater level at the feet of the mountains and transport it to the surface for use, especially for agricultural purposes.
Sand dunes are considered a natural museum and include most types of dunes found on the surface of the Earth and cover approximately 74% of the total area of ​​the country. There are many types of sand dunes, such as longitudinal, transverse, parallel, crescent-shaped and star-shaped sand dunes. These dunes in Liwa Oasis rise to more than a hundred meters above the ground and contain unique farms known locally as “Al-Mahadhar.” Some areas of the sand dunes are also used for some special sports, such as car and bicycle racing, dune climbing, and sand skating.
The mountainous regions are characterized by the peculiarity of the rock sequence, which is rarely found except in a few regions in the world because these rocks were pushed to their current location during the dynamic activity of the Earth about 95 million years ago.
These mountains attract scientists from all over the world to visit and study them. It is characterized by the contrast and harmony of its colors and the formation of beautiful natural slopes.
Al Hosani said that these mountains are the rainiest areas in the country, as many farms and oases have grown in them, and many springs appear in them, adding to this unique beauty. Currently, some activities are being held that are organized by some authorities concerned with tourism, which is the sport of mountain climbing.
Jebel Hafeet, south of Al Ain, is an ideal location for mountain climbing and cave exploration, which is popular with tourists, in addition to the historic oases of Al Ain, Hili, and Al Buraimi, the Al Ain Museum, castles, and falaj.
Many of the Emirates islands, such as Dalma Island, Sir Bani Yas and Sir Abu Nuair, form unique geological models as they form mountains of salt and evaporites. The cores of these islands made their way from the Earth's interior to its surface millions of years ago through rocks called the Hormuz Complex, which extend thousands of feet in depth. The salt core of these islands is surrounded by flat plains and coastal areas that are considered picturesque areas, many of which have coral reefs growing in the shallow waters of the Arabian Gulf.
He added that fossil dunes, such as the Ghayathi Formation, represent a treasure because they are geologically important in determining the ancient geography of the region, as these rocks resulted from the exposure of the Arabian Gulf during the glacial crisis and the atomization of grains from the surface of the Arabian Gulf by the northern winds and their deposition in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and then the dunes were formed and transformed into rocks. During periods of abundant rainwater.
The Emirates includes more than 50 mountain trails, such as the Ain Al Shariya trail, which appears in the form of amazing colored formations that change from green to grey, red to red brown, found in the Emirate of Fujairah, especially in the Dibba area, which contains rocks layered with flint of different colors with limestone. And mudstone, while the Ain Sherieh track, where the “Ain Shereya” geological track is located, contains complex types of rocks that give the area different rock colors, and the track is distinguished by containing deep ocean deposits – flint.
Buhais Geopark is located in the Maliha area in the Emirate of Sharjah. It is distinguished by its unique archaeological site and aims to enhance visitors’ knowledge of the emirate’s geological history, which is rich in the fossilized remains of many ancient marine organisms that inhabited shallow seas that covered most of the country’s land until recently from a geological perspective. There is also historical evidence in the park about how the local nature was formed no less than 93 million years ago. While the northern “horn” on Qarnin Island represents a huge, unstable piece of a complete volcanic edifice that rose to the surface from a depth of several kilometers in a salt dome.
Al Hosani confirmed that the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure completed a project of geological and geophysical surveys and prepared maps for all regions of the country. Through this project, areas of geological importance were identified and highlighted. In addition, an initiative was launched in coordination with the concerned authorities to preserve the country’s geological heritage in order to protect geological areas for their considerations. Scientific natural and geological reserves that must be preserved and protected from extinction.
He explained that approximately more than 600 million years ago, terrestrial factors and natural elements began to shape the geology of the UAE, with diverse terrain, beautiful nature, unique geological diversity, and the presence of many distinct and rare geological features that represent a tourist attraction because these terrains represent the outcome of geological processes that occurred during the Earth’s history, pointing out. The country's regions can be divided into a number of regions and regions, such as mountainous regions, desert gravel plains, coastal regions, marshes, and islands. Each of them has its own geological characteristics that attract scientists, scholars and tourists.