Wadi Sidr is an annual watercourse, or wadi, in the Hajar mountains of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. It starts at the confluence of Ward Asimah and Wadi Farah northeast towards the village of Wadi Sidr, where it was destroyed by the Wadi Sidr Dam, which was built in 2001. The ward derives its name from the Sidr tree, the Ziziphus Spina-Christi, common in the Hajar mountains and is known for its honey production.] It is a traditionally fertile agricultural area home to members of the Mazari tribe. It is a popular hiking destination. The high point on the plateau here is a great place for camping, easy hiking, and beautiful views – and the descent from the plain is a spectacular descent for mountain bikers. Starting with the same trail as the most frequently traveled Wadi Asimah and Tayyibah (see Route 15), the trail follows Wadi Sidr to the end, then heads for the mountains before descending Masafi-Dibba.
Floods
Although all the Hajar Mountain mountains are prone to flooding, Ward Sidr is particularly unique and is identified as the largest floodplain (along Ain Al Faydah in Jebel Hafit) in the Emirates. Wadi Sidr is also a major floodplain in the Emirates. Geographically, Ward Sidr passes from low-lying cliffs through rocky outcrops and rock formations, forming large planes.
A little about Ziziphus Spina Christi:
Ziziphus Spina-Christi, also known as the cocoon of Christ, is an evergreen tree or plant native to the northern and tropical regions of Africa, south and west Asia. It originates in the Levant, East Africa, and other tropical countries. The fruit and leaves of the tree were used for food and medicine in ancient Egypt. Modern research has shown that compounds extracted from tree leaves can be used to reduce severe inflammation. In addition, bee honey that feeds on nectar contains antibacterial agents, especially in comparison with other honey bees.
Cultural and religious references
In the Levant and the wide the Middle East, it is called Sidr (associated with the Lot-trees of the Quran) and is common in the Jordan Valley and around Jerusalem, as well as in the Hajar mountains of the United Arab Emirates. There were some legendary traditions that the trees were protected by kind spirits of dead saints (weli). According to tradition, it was the tree on which Jesus’ crown of thorns was made. Matthew George Easton says Z. Spina-Christi is so sharp that she can bend the crown, and she raises another local plant, the Ziziphus lotus.
MAZARI (EMIRATI)
The Mazari (one Mazrouei or Mazrui) is a nation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Mazari live in all Truckial countries but mainly in Abu Dhabi. They are considered to be a subdivision of the Bani Yas [1] and form a large part of the Bedouin part of that alliance.
Liwa
Liwa Oasis was home to many Mazari, who were the owners of the six Bani Yas tribes in the area, who owned about 315 houses in the early 20th century. They were closely related to Marar Liwa. At that time there were 300 other Al Khan in Sharjah and 500 in the areas of Adhen and Asimah. The Dubai-based Mazari came and considered themselves different from the Bani Yas. The area around Wadi Helou in the Hajar mountains of Sharjah is also the residence of Mazari.
They were herdsmen and records show that they lived in an agricultural area on the oasis following the decline in the number of camels and the use of traditional camel trains that took place in the Truck countries in the early 20th century. They were also involved in pearl fishing at certain times of the year. Like their Bedouin counterparts Mananas, many Mazari found employment in the growing oil industry as modern practices forced a change in the Bedouin lifestyle in the area.
Conflict and division
When Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnun Al Nahyan expelled the Wahhabis from the Buraimi Oasis in 1848, it was the Mazari, along with Manazir, who were waiting for the South of Abu Dhabi to cross into the rescue force sent from Nejd under Saad bin Mutlaq. The tribes were also linked to other events in the north, where they were involved in the war with the wards of Al Khan, Muhammad bin Ubaid in 1920. Some 75 glittering boats from Al Khan each season, were operated by the Mazari and Mananasir families. However, the village was frequently looted by Bedouin Mazari and Al Bu Shamis, Sharjah Governor Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi, and the wali accused of doing little to protect the city, while insisting on charging 50 bags of rice at the beginning of each pearl season. The outbreak of hostilities between the Bedouin tribes of Dhafra (the area between Abu Dhabi and Rub Al Kali) in the early 20th century continued until the early 1920s when the Mazari split between a group seeking Saudi protection and a group moving to Abu Dhabi and its islands.
The famous Mazari today
Outstanding UAE commercial family and industrial family; one of its most notable members is the UAE State Minister for Youth Affairs, Shamma bint Suhail Faris Al Mazrui who, in February 2016, became the world’s youngest government minister. Emirati businessman and Minister of Energy and Industry in the UAE, and Member of the Executive Committee of the Supreme Petroleum Council, Suhail Al Mazroui Suhail Mohammed Faraj Al Mazroui. Another prominent Mazari is Sheikha Shamsa bint Suhail Al Mazrouei, wife of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and governor of Abu Dhabi.
