Ras Al Khor

Not to be confused with Al Ras, also in Dubai

Ras Al Khor
رَأْس ٱلْخَوْر
One of the three hides at the Ras Al Khor Bird Sanctuary
Location	Dubai Creek, Dubai
Nearest city	Ras Al Khor Industrial Area, Nad Al Hammar, Umm Ramool, Al Garhoud
Coordinates	25.193°N 55.323°E / 25.193; 55.323
Area	1,300 ha (5.0 sq mi)
Website	dm.gov.ae/discover-dubai/ras-al-khor/
Ramsar Wetland
Official name	Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary
Designated	29 August 2007
Reference no.	1715[1]

Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary (Arabic: رَأْس ٱلْخَوْر, romanized: Raʾs al-Khawr) is a wetland reserve in Dubai, renowned for attracting large numbers of migratory birds.^[2] It is also home to a large population of crustaceans, small mammals, and fish.^[3] It was the end of Dubai Creek before the construction of Dubai Canal,^[4] hence the Arabic name which literally means "the head of the creek".

Overview

Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary represents an enclave of relative wilderness amidst traffic and sprawling urban infrastructure. It is among the few urban protected areas of the world.^{[citation needed]}It covers an area of approximately 10.13 km² and declared as a Protected Area on March 1, 1998.The conservation area has attracted more than 90,000 visitors from over 100 countries.^[5]

The Dubai Municipality has taken great efforts to protect and preserve the biodiversity of this delicate ecosystem.^{[citation needed]} The wetland has been fenced off from the public and three birding hides have been built. The bird hides are a first step towards the development of more elaborate visitor education facilities in the protected area. The WWF UAE Project Office collaborated with Dubai Municipality's Environment Department, in setting up the facilities that were sponsored by the National Bank of Dubai.^{[citation needed]}

Opportunities for experiencing a natural environment in this rapidly expanding emirate are so limited that the opening of Ras Al Khor to visitors is a boon to present and potential nature lovers.^{[citation needed]}

There are three birding hides located on the perimeter of the sanctuary open to the public.^[6] Entrance is free and the sanctuary operates from 7:30am-5:30pm in the Winter and 6:00 am to 6:00 pm in the Summer.^[7]

Ras Al Khor is also home to about 470 species of fauna and 47 kinds of flora.^[8] Greater flamingoes (Phoenicopterus roseus), are one of the main attractions in the preserve.^[9]

Species

Greater Flamingo

Some of the regular visitors to the sanctuary are:

• Asian pied myna
• Black-winged stilt^[3]
• Blue-cheeked bee-eater
• Caspian tern
• Citrine wagtail
• Common greenshank
• Common hoopoe
• Common kingfisher
• Common sandpiper^[3]
• Common snipe
• Cormorant^[3]
• Curlew
• Dunlin
• Eurasian marsh harrier
• Great black backed gull
• Great egret^[3]
• Greater flamingo^[3]
• Grey francolin
• Grey heron^[3]
• Grey plover
• Indian peafowl
• Indian roller
• Indian silverbill
• Isabelline shrike
• Little bittern
• Little green bee-eater
• Malabar lark
• Mallard
• Osprey^[3]
• Pied avocet
• Purple sunbird
• Red-vented bulbul
• Red-wattled lapwing
• Ringed plover
• Ruddy turnstone
• Sanderling
• Snowy plover
• Spotted eagle
• Terek sandpiper
• Western heron^[3]
• White wagtail
• White-eared bulbul
• Yellow billed stork

Gallery

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  Ras Al Khor

See also

• Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve, Dubai
• Al-Wathba Wetland Reserve, Abu Dhabi
• Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve
• Jebel Hafeet National Park, Abu Dhabi
• Mangrove National Park, Abu Dhabi
• Sir Abu Nu'ayr, Sharjah
• Sir Bani Yas, Abu Dhabi
• Wadi Wurayah, Fujairah
• Wildlife of the United Arab Emirates

References

1. "Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
2. "Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary | Visit Dubai". www.visitdubai.com. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
3. "View thousands of birds at Ras Al Khor". Visit Dubai. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
4. "Khor Dubai". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. 2012-01-30. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
5. "Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary". dm.gov.ae. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
6. "Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary | Visit Dubai". www.visitdubai.com. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
7. "Plan Your Visit". www.dm.gov.ae. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
8. "Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary | Visit Dubai". www.visitdubai.com. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
9. "Wildlife". www.dm.gov.ae. Retrieved 2022-12-13.

External links

• Official website
• Government information