Dhaid

Dhaid
Dhaid
Coordinates: 25°17′N 55°53′E / 25.283°N 55.883°ECoordinates: 25°17′N 55°53′E / 25.283°N 55.883°E
Country	United Arab Emirates
Emirate	Sharjah

Dhaid, or Al Dhaid, is the capital of the central district of the Emirate of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. An oasis town, it has extensive irrigated date palm plantations with water channeled from the nearby Hajar mountains at least in part through ancient tunnels dug for that purpose, known as aflaj in Arabic (falaj in the singular).^[1]

Dhaid has long occupied a strategic location in the mouth of the important Wadi Siji.

History

At the turn of the 20th Century, Dhaid consisted of some 140 houses, owned by sections of the Tanaij, Bani Qitab and Khawatir tribes, including larger houses with mud brick towers. It also had a four-towered Al Qasimi fort.^[2]

Dhaid became the seat of deposed Ruler of Sharjah Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmad Al Qasimi in an agreement made in June 1927 with the new ruler, his nephew Sultan bin Saqr. After a period of infighting and negotiation between the tribes of Dhaid, the Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah and the Ruler of Sharjah, he was confirmed in this and was subsequently (after much wrangling between various Trucial Rulers and the British Agent) appointed Regent in Kalba in September 1937. He was married to Aisha, the daughter of the former Ruler of Kalba, Sheikh Said bin Hamad Al Qasimi, at the time of Sheikh Said's death in April 1937.

Geography

Dhaid is located on the desert plain East of the coastal City of Sharjah and is bisected by the East/West Road from Sharjah to Masafi in the foothills of the Hajar Mountains. To its North lies the inland oasis town of Umm Al Qawain emirate, Falaj Al Moalla, while the road South leads to the town of Madam on the Dubai/Hatta Road. The Sharjah/Mileiha/Kalba road passes to the south of the town.

Dhaid is an oasis town, fed both by seasonal wadis and by underground aquifers and water sources. It has extensive date palms and other plantations.

Places of Interest

Jebel Mileiha, some 20 kilometres to the South of Dhaid, is the site of 'Fossil Rock' a popular offroad destination. There were a number of Iron Age settlements in this area and important tombs and other finds have been recorded here, including 2nd Century BC coins.^[3]

References

1. Heard-Bey, Frauke (1990). From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates. UK: Longman. p. 179. ISBN 0582277280.
2. Lorimer, John (1908). The Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia. Government of India.
3. "Tetradrachm of Ab'iel found near Mileiha" (PDF). Retrieved November 2014.