Wadi Half () is a valley or dry river with ephemeral or intermittent flow, flowing almost exclusively during the rainy season. It is located in northern Oman, in the Omani enclave of Madha (Musandam Governorate); and in the eastern United Arab Emirates, specifically the emirates of Sharjah, and Fujairah.
It is a right tributary of Wadi Madha, to whose hydrographic basin of it belongs.
Course
The total length of Wadi Half is approximately , running entirely within Omani territory. https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1306220644#map=14/25.25658/56.26087&layers=P OpenStreetMap.org - Way: Wadi Half (1306220644)
Its source is located at an approximate altitude of , southwest of Jabal Half (), next to the drainage divide that separates the Wadi Madha and Wadi Safad basins.
At the end of its upper course, Wadi Half is crossed by the partially constructed new road, intended to link the city of Madha (Oman) with Daftah (UAE). Preliminary studies for this project had warned of the serious environmental impact it could cause, potentially resulting in irreparable damage to the area's natural environment. Japan International Cooperation Agency - Katahira & Engineers International - Madha - Dafta Road. openjicareport.jica.go.jp <https://openjicareport.jica.go.jp/pdf/11784295_02.pdf> Japan International Cooperation Agency - Katahira & Engineers International - III Madha - Daftah Road. openjicareport.jica.go.jp <https://openjicareport.jica.go.jp/pdf/11784311_02.pdf>
In its gently sloping middle and lower reaches, Wadi Half forms the characteristic meanders also found in Wadi Madha and other wadis in the region. It also features several pools that retain water for much of the year.
It flows into Wadi Madha, shortly after the site of Z̧āhir al Qasha', and shortly before crossing the border of the Nahwa (UAE) enclave.
Toponymy
Alternative names: Wādī Ḥalf, Wadi Half, Wadi Hilf, Wādī Ḩalf, Wādī Ḩilf.
The name of Wadi Half (with the spellings Wadi Half and Wādī Ḩalf), its tributaries, mountains and nearby towns, was recorded in the documentation and maps produced between 1950 and 1960 by the British Arabist, cartographer, military officer and diplomat Julian F. Walker, during the work carried out to establish the borders between the then-called Trucial States. FCO 18/1937 - 1958 Sketch map drawn by Julian Walker for boundary delimitation: Dhaid-Masafi - The National Archives, London, England <https://www.agda.ae/en/catalogue/tna/fco/18/1937/n/1> These were subsequently completed by the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom, on 1:100,000 scale maps published in 1971.
In the National Atlas of the United Arab Emirates, it appears with the spelling Wādī Ḥalf ().
Population The area of Wadi Madha and Wadi Half was populated mainly by the Madhahana, Bani Hamid, Bani Sa'ad, Dahwahir, and Naqbiyin tribes. FO 371/132894 1958 Tribes of Trucial States coast - The National Archives, London, England <https://www.agda.ae/en/catalogue/tna/fo/371/132894/n/21
See also List of wadis of the United Arab Emirates List of mountains in the United Arab Emirates List of wadis of Oman List of mountains in Oman
References
External links