Green Mubazzarah

Green Mubazzarah sits at the base of Jebel Hafeet where hot mineral water rises from the ground at around forty degrees, and the water has been used to irrigate a park of lawns, small hills and a lake in the middle of otherwise bare desert. Families come to picnic on the grass, children paddle in the hot channels, and pedal boats work the lake. Chalets and a small resort stand on the site, and the road up the mountain starts from here.

Background

The springs rise in the eroded core of the anticline that forms Jebel Hafeet, the only mountain in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Water from the surface seeps down to about 2 kilometres and comes back up, and the springs run at around 40 °C. The mountain stretches for about 26 kilometres, is 4 to 5 kilometres wide and stands 900 metres above the surrounding plains. Beehive tombs at its foothills gave their name to the Hafit Period of the Bronze Age, 3200 to 2600 BCE. By 2017 the mountain was recognised as part of a national park. The Jebel Hafeet Mountain Road, built in 1980, climbs 1200 metres over 11.7 kilometres with 60 turns.

Source: Wikipedia, "Jebel Hafeet"

Highlights

• The hot springs - mineral water rising at around forty degrees into channels and pools.
• The lawns - irrigated green hills, an anomaly in this landscape.
• The lake - a made lake with pedal boats at the centre of the park.
• The mountain foot - Jebel Hafeet rising directly behind the park.

When to go

November to March for comfortable picnicking; summer is very hot even at night. Weekends and public holidays are extremely busy. Evenings are the liveliest.

Practical notes

Weekends bring heavy crowds and litter is a persistent problem. The springs are channelled and managed rather than natural pools. Facilities are dated in places.

Nearby

Jebel Hafeet rises above it, and Al Ain is north.

Key facts