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Draft:Ras Ash

Coordinates: 25°58′04″N 56°10′04″E / 25.96778°N 56.16778°E / 25.96778; 56.16778
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Ras Ash
راس أش (Arabic)
Small mountain village located in the Hajar Mountains (UAE)
Small mountain village located in the Hajar Mountains (UAE)
Nickname: 
Ras al Ghash
Ras Ash is located in United Arab Emirates
Ras Ash
Ras Ash
Location of Ras Ash within the UAE
Coordinates: 25°58′04″N 56°10′04″E / 25.96778°N 56.16778°E / 25.96778; 56.16778
Country United Arab Emirates
Emirate Ras Al Khaimah
Area
 • Total
0.25 km2 (0.10 sq mi)
Elevation
1,450 m (4,757 ft)
Time zoneUTC+04:00

Ras Ash (Arabic: راس أش, romanized: Ras Ash), also known as Ras al Ghash, is a small agricultural and livestock village, located at 1,450 m altitude, northeast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in the Al Hajar Mountains, Emirate of Ras al Khaimah.

The village has about 15 houses, huts and stone cabins; corrals and terraces supported by dry stone walls, without mortar, which allow water and soil to be retained, destined for pastures and other agricultural uses; pipelines to collect runoff water; sheepfolds; and some other constructions in ruins. Although it is now permanently inhabited, it is inaccessible by road and has no electricity supply.

Ras Ash is well known by hikers and climbers, as it is located a short distance from the summit of Jebel Jais / Jabal Bil Ays (1,911 m),[1] on the itinerary of the popular mountain path Stairway to Heaven,[2][3][4] a historic donkey trail that today continues to be the preferred route of communication to access the village and for the transfer of goods, on the back of donkeys, from and to the Wadi Litibah and the town of Ghalilah, on the coast of the Persian Gulf.

It is also a strategic point, dominating from its high vantage point a good part of the course of the Wadi Ghalilah and some of its tributaries: Wadi Barut, Wadi Litibah and Wadi Khabb, and because it is the only important village between the valleys and the border with Oman, which is less than two kilometres away as the crow flies.

This circumstance has made Ras Ash the obligatory stop on any route that runs through the area, such as the prestigious G.O.A.T. Trail Race, held annually, and which includes Ras Ash in the race itinerary, and as a reference point for the provisioning of runners.[5]

Toponymy

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The name of this village was recorded in the documentation and maps produced between 1950 and 1960 by the British Arabist, cartographer, military officer and diplomat Julian F. Walker,[6] during the work he carried out to establish borders between the then-called Trucial States, later completed by the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom, on 1:100,000 scale maps published in 1971.

By oral tradition, the village is also known by the name of Ras al Ghash,[7] but it should not be confused with that of another nearby village, located in the Sultanate of Oman, identified as Ra's al Waḩḩ.[8]

Population

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The area of Ras Ash was historically inhabited by the semi-nomadic tribe Shihuh, section of Bani Hadiyah (Arabic: بني هدية ), and section of Bani Shatair (Arabic: بني شطير ), which occupied, among other territories, the tribal area of Bani Bakhit.[9]

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  • View of Ras Ash, overlooking the Wadi Ghalilah and three of its tributaries: Wadi Litibah, Wadi Barut and Wadi Khabb, from the top of the cliff that forms the eastern slope of Wadi Barut.
    View of Ras Ash, overlooking the Wadi Ghalilah and three of its tributaries: Wadi Litibah, Wadi Barut and Wadi Khabb, from the top of the cliff that forms the eastern slope of Wadi Barut.
  • Small mountain village located in the Hajar Mountains (UAE), at an altitude of 1450 m. Very close to the border between UAE and Oman. The village is on the itinerary that follows the well-known mountain trail Stairway to Heaven.
    Small mountain village located in the Hajar Mountains (UAE), at an altitude of 1450 m. Very close to the border between UAE and Oman. The village is on the itinerary that follows the well-known mountain trail Stairway to Heaven.

References

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  1. ^ Peakbagger - Jabal Bil Ays
  2. ^ "Hiking the UAE's Stairway to Heaven: The Ultimate Guide Ras Al Khaimah, UAE Hiking Guide". brokenbootstravel.com. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  3. ^ "Trails of the World - Stairways 2 Heaven - Right Bank (Wadi Lithbah to Ras Al Ghash Village) - Muhasin Pallikkal - 2021". wikiloc.com. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  4. ^ "Hitting the heights with the Stairway to Heaven in Ras Al Khaimah". The National. Retrieved 2018-09-16.
  5. ^ "International Trail Running Association - The G.O.A.T. Trail Race". itra.run. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  6. ^ FCO 18/1895 - 1958 - Map - United Arab Emirates (UAE): Ras al-Khaimah - Published by D Survey, Ministry of Defence, United Kingdom - The National Archives, London, England <https://www.agda.ae/en/catalogue/tna/fco/18/1895/n/1>
  7. ^ GeoNames - Ras al Ghash
  8. ^ Mindat.org - Ra’s al Waḩḩ
  9. ^ FO 371/132894 - 1958 Tribes of Trucial States coast - E F Henderson, Julian F Walker, M S Buckmaster - The National Archives, London, England <https://www.agda.ae/en/catalogue/tna/fo/371/132894/n/38>

Maps and bibliography

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  • William Lancaster; Fidelity Lancaster (2011). Honour Is in Contentment. Life Before Oil in Ras Al-Khaimah (UAE) and Some Neighbouring Regions. ISBN 9783110223392, 3110223392
  • Map of Trucial States, Muscat and Oman - Rams - Scale 1:100 000 - Published by D Survey, Ministry of Defence, United Kingdom (1971) - Edition 3-GSGS - The National Archives, London, England
  • Heard-Bey, Frauke (2005). From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates : a society in transition. London: Motivate. ISBN 1860631673. OCLC 64689681.

Category:United Arab Emirates geography stubs Category:Populated places in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah Category:Villages in the United Arab Emirates

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Media related to Ras Ash at Wikimedia Commons

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