Sir Bani Yas
Encyclopedia
Sir Bani Yas is a natural Island located 250 km (155.3 mi) southwest of Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...

, the capital of the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...

. It lies 9 km (5.6 mi) offshore from Jebel Dhanna, which serves as a crossing point to other islands such as Dalma. Sir Bani Yas is 17.5 km (10.9 mi) from north to south and 9 km (5.6 mi) from east to west making it the largest, natural island in the United Arab Emirates. Located just off the shore of the Western region of Abu Dhabi, Sir Bani Yas Island was originally home to Arabia's largest wildlife reserve. Spanning over 87 square kilometre, the reserve was established in 1971 by the late ruler and founder of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Thanks to decades of intensive conservation work and ecological investment, it is now home to thousands of large free-roaming animals and several million trees and plants. A bird sanctuary as well as a wildlife reserve, Sir Bani Yas showcases nature through activities such as adventure safaris, kayaking, mountain biking, archery, hiking and snorkeling.
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Hospitality

Located adjacent to a lagoon, on the northwest reaches of Sir Bani Yas Island, is the Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara with 64 rooms including six private lodges, the resort is also home to three restaurants, a spa, health club, kids club and business facilities.

Sustainability

Sir Bani Yas Island is being developed with respect to the island’s nature and delicate ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....

. The island operates the region’s first wind turbine, which has a production capacity of 850 kilowatts. Currently it is producing energy to power the island’s facilities alongside conventional supply from the national grid. The island also plans to produce power from solar energy.

Historical significance

The island has a number of significant historical sites, including remnants of Late Stone Age and early Islamic structures. The island is also the location of the only pre-Islamic Christian site to be found in the UAE. The 7th-century Christian church was opened to the public in mid-December 2010. It was discovered in 1992 and has been the focus of archaeological investigation since under a team led by Dr. Joseph Elders. Dr. Elders believes the church was used by Nestorian Christians until about 750 AD.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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