Wadi Atmar
Wadi Atmar is a short stream, valley, or dry river with ephemeral or intermittent flow, which flows almost exclusively during the rainy season, located in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, in the northeast of the United Arab Emirates.
It is part of the Wadi Bih drainage basin, and is a left tributary within a small hydrographic subbasin of only.
The main channel of Wadi Atmar originates on the northern slope of Atmar Pass, at the northwestern end of the Durdur Ridge, in the mountain pass connecting the sub-basins of Wadi Atmar and the adjacent Wadi Ar Ra'ilah. On maps published in 1971 by the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom, the latter was indicated as Wadi Hiyaila.
Course
Wadi Atmar is just under long and has no major tributaries. Flowing from south to north, its upper course is rocky and steep, with some sections having an average gradient of over 35%.In its lower course, the wadi's gradient becomes very gentle, and it flows in a semi-channeled form for the final meters before its mouth in Wadi Bih, bordering the village of Atmar to the south.
In recent years, the narrow donkey trail along the wadi's channel to Atmar Pass has been fully renovated. Today, despite the steep gradient, this trail is the main access route on foot or with donkeys to the mountain villages of Ra's and Magam on the eastern slopes of Jabal Hebs / Jabal Hibs. This area was an important ancient settlement of the Habus tribe.
Toponymy
Alternative names: Wādī Atmār.The name of this wadi does not appear in the documentation and maps created between 1950 and 1960 by the British Arabist, cartographer, military officer, and diplomat Julian F. Walker, nor in other documents concerning the establishment of borders between the former Trucial States.
However, the 1993 National Atlas of the United Arab Emirates does identify the village of Atmar, for which the wadi is named.