JEBEL HAFEET

Jebel Hafeet “Mount Hafeet”; variously transcribed Jabal, Jabel or Jebal and Hafit or Hafeet – literally “empty mountain”) is a mountain in the region of Tawam, on the border of the United Arab Emirates and Oman, which may be considered an outlier of Al Hajar Mountains in Eastern Arabia. Due to its proximity to the main Hajar range, the mountain may be considered as being part of the Hajar range, sensu lato. To the north is the UAE city of Al Ain, in the Eastern Region of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the adjacent Omani town of Al-Buraimi.

The sole mountain in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and one of the highest mountains in the country, it has given its name to a period in UAE history, the Bronze Age (3200 to 2600 BCE) Hafit Period, because of the discovery of a cluster of important Bronze Age beehive tombs at its foothills. As of 2017, the mountain is recognised as being part of a national park, and was incorporated into the Sheikh Zayed Network of Protected Areas in 2018.

Climate

The climate of Jebel Hafeet is typical of the desert environment (warm or hot). On Average there is 77 mm (3.0 in) of rain fall in a year. According to Köppen and Geiger, this climate is classified as BWh. The temperature vary in different months on average but remain relatively cool in the months of October to March where it remains below 25 °C (77 °F). In other months it remains more than 25 °C (77 °F). The average temperature is 27.1 °C (80.8 °F). Flow table show the average temperature of 1 year monthly.

Geology

The Jebel Hafeet mountain trends NNW–SSE over about 26 km (16 mi) and is 4–5 km (2.5–3.1 mi) wide. It protrudes 900 m (3,000 ft) above the surrounding plains. The mountain consists of shallow marine sedimentary rocks, which includes limestone, marl, and evaporites.

Within the eroded core of the anticline, at the Green Mubazzarah Park, are hot springs with temperatures of around 40 °C (104 °F). There is no volcanic activity in the area, therefore the water is being heated geothermally. Meteoric water is percolating from the surface to about 2 km (1.2 mi) depth and then returning to the surface. This provides evidence for faults below the anticline, as faulting fractures the rock and provides fluid pathways.

The limestone layers were deposited laterally within a basin, and then horizontal shortening folded the layers into an anticline. The timing of when this folding occurred is debated, and the driving force is not fully understood. Some geologists relate the deformation of the Jabal Hafit anticline to the early Miocene Zagros Collision, which is currently active and is caused by the Arabian Plate colliding with the Eurasian Plate. However, the Jabal Hafit Anticline is not actively deforming, and undeformed Miocene sedimentary rocks around the anticline indicate that no deformation has occurred recently. Sedimentary evidence indicates that the Hafit structure developed during the late Oligocene to early–middle Miocene.

Caves in Jebel Hafeet

The mountain rises 1,100–1,400 m (3,600–4,600 ft), and offers a view over Al-Ain. Jebel Hafeet was a well-known landmark throughout the area’s history, and is a contemporary tourist attraction. An extensive natural cave system winds through Jabal Hafeet. It is crossed by a system of caves, some of which have been explored to a depth of no more than 150 m (490 ft). In the caves there are well-preserved stalagmites and stalactites. Access to the caves is partly natural, while in other parts of the city of Al Ain, the entrance is blocked. At the foot of Jebel Hafeet lies a tourist attraction with hot springs and a lake. To the northeast is the mountain’s largest wadi, Wadi Tarabat.

Ridges

The mountain has ridges which stretch northwards to the inner part of Al-Ain City, two of which have been named and given prominence in literature. One is Al Naqfa Ridge or the Nagfa Ridge (Arabic: جَبَل ٱلنَّقْفَة, romanized: Jabal An-Naqfah), which stretches to Al Ain Oasis in the north, and has a historical fort of the same name nearby. The other is the “Western Ridge” or “West Ridge”.

Jebel Hafeet Mountain Road

The Jebel Hafeet Mountain Road, built in 1980, extends for 11.7 km (7.3 mi) up the mountain, rising 1,200 m (3,900 ft). With 60 turns and three lanes (two climbing and one descending), the road was called the greatest driving road in the world by Edmunds.com. The road scales the mountain and ends at a parking lot with a hotel and a palace belonging to the country’s rulers. Part of the climax of the Bollywood film Race was shot on the mountain.

The road was built by Strabag International of Cologne, Germany.

Hafeet Mountain Road is a challenge for cyclists who frequently use the route to train. The Jabal Hafeet Mercure Challenge is an annual road cycling competition taking place in January. National and international riders take part in climbing the 8% average ascent of the mountain. In 2015 it hosted the arrival of the third stage of first edition of Abu Dhabi Tour, won by Colombian Esteban Chaves. Since 2019, the road to the top of Jebel Hafeet is a fixed location of the UAE Tour. For the 2020 edition the mountain was visited twice. The first ascent was won by eventual Tour winner Adam Yates, and during stage 5, which wound up being the final stage of the race due to concerns about the coronavirus, Team UAE’s promising young rider Tadej Pogacar won the stage.

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