Pilgrimage to the Bani Yas tribe homeland

Russians, eager to leave the snowy winter and travel to a warm seaside resort cannot imagine that there are those who yearn to leave the sea for the desert. Those who live there do not consider the warm sea waters to be exotic the way Russians do. A popular activity among the residents of the United Arab Emirates is a trip deep into the Liwa desert, the birthplace of their nation.

This luxurious Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort was built for those who long to travel to the land of sun baked dunes.

Qasr Al Sarab is an oasis built deep in the desert and equipped with the latest technology.

The Liwa Oasis (named after the desert) is the original homeland of the Emirates’ native population – the Bani Yas tribe and the Al Nahyan dynasty.

Locals come here for a sort of pilgrimage, a rather comfortable pilgrimage.

The hotel’s architecture resembles Moroccan clay castles and cities, ksabi and ksuri, lost in the desert.

Wooden chests, that were transported on camels’ backs, are approximately 1,000 years old. In the dry desert climate they were well preserved.

The local residents are proud of the fact that although Liwa is not the world’s largest desert, it is the world’s largest dune desert. It looks exactly as it might be imagined –sand with no foliage.

The dunes here are among the highest in the world. The tallest dune (383 meters), however, is located in Africa’s Namib desert. Liwa dunes are 200-300 meters high.

The sands in this region are particularly red, likely because of a high metal content.