Sir Abu Nuʽayr (Arabic: صِيْر أَبُو نُعَيْر, romanized: Ṣīr Abū Nuʽayr), also known as Sir Bu Nuʽayr (Arabic: صِيْر بُو نُعَيْر, romanized: Ṣīr Bū Nuʿayr), or Sir al Qawasim (Arabic: صِيْر ٱلْقَوَاسِم, romanized: Ṣīr Al-Qawāsim; also romanized as Sir Abu Neir, Sir Bu Nair or Sir Bu Nuair) is an island in the Persian Gulf.
Native name: صِيْر أَبُو نُعَيْر Nickname: Sir Bu Nuʽayr (صِيْر بُو نُعَيْر) Sir Al Qawasim (صِيْر ٱلْقَوَاسِم) | |
|---|---|
 ISS image | |
  Location within United Arab Emirates | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Persian Gulf |
| Coordinates | 25°13′54″N 54°13′20″E / 25.23167°N 54.22222°E |
| Total islands | 1 |
| Area | 13.23 km2 (5.11 sq mi)[1] |
| Length | 4.25 km (2.641 mi)[1] |
| Width | 4 km (2.5 mi)[1] |
| Highest elevation | 81 m (266 ft)[1] |
| Administration | |
| Emirate | Sharjah |
Official name | Sir Bu Nair Island Protected Area |
| Designated | 2 December 2013 |
| Reference no. | 2191[2] |
History
editThe island was historically a base for pearl divers and fishermen, and its single freshwater well provided an important source of water for seafarers. It takes its name from a sheikh of the ruling Al Qasimi family of Sharjah.[3] The Emirate of Sharjah declared Sir Bu Nair a protected nature reserve in 2000.[4]
Geography
editLying 65 kilometres (40 mi)[5] off the coast of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, roughly 80 kilometres (50 mi) north of Abu Dhabi city, and 103 kilometres (64 mi) west of Dubai, it belongs to the Emirate of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.[6][7][8]
Geology
editThe island is almost perfectly round with a diameter of 4 kilometres (2.5 miles), and a 1 kilometre (0.62 miles) long extension at its southeast end, giving the island the shape of a teardrop.[9]
The island is a salt-piercement structure formed by the movement of late Neoproterozoic to Early Cambrian Hormuz Formation salt. The salt has moved progressively upward, puncturing through the younger overlying strata to create a salt dome structure. Surface expressions are composed of evaporite rocks, plus igneous rocks and quartzitic sandstone.
Environment
editThe island, an environmentally protected area under the Sharjah Environment and Protected Areas Authority (EPAA),[10][11] has been registered on the list of wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,[12][13][14] and was in 2012 listed as a potential UNESCO World Heritage Site.[15] The island has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports populations of Socotra cormorants, sooty gulls and bridled terns.[16]
Economy
editSharjah has a small harbour and an airfield (ICAO: OMSN),[17] both located at the island's southeast end.
Crescent Petroleum is the concession holder of the area.[18] The acreage is flanked to the north-northeast by Dubai's Fateh Oil Field complex, to the north by the Sirri Island oil field of Iran, and to the west by the prolific oil and gas fields of Abu Dhabi.
Ecology and conservation
editSir Bu Nair is one of the most important hawksbill turtle nesting sites in the Persian Gulf and the most important in the United Arab Emirates, with turtles nesting on its beaches between March and June.[4] The surrounding waters support more than 70 species of reef fish and around 40 species of coral, and the reserve has been included on the IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas in recognition of its management.[19][4]
See also
edit- Zirku Island
- 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
- Ras Al Khor, Dubai
- Sir Bani Yas, Abu Dhabi
- Wadi Wurayah, Fujairah
- Wildlife of the United Arab Emirates
References
edit- 1 2 3 4 "Sharjah plans five-star hotel on Bu Nuair island". GulfNews.com. 2013-05-07. Retrieved 2014-01-24.
- ↑ "Sir Bu Nair Island Protected Area". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ↑ "Sir Bu Nair Island Protected Area". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Sir Bu Nair Island added to global list of protected areas". The National. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
- ↑ "Mega Projects That will Shape Emirates Future". MoneyShow.com. 2013-10-09. Retrieved 2014-01-24.
- ↑ Peter Hellyer; Simon Aspinall; Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (January 2005). The Emirates: a natural history. Trident Press. ISBN 978-1-905486-02-1.
- ↑ Oxford Business Group (2008). The Report: Sharjah 2008. Oxford Business Group. pp. 10–. ISBN 978-1-902339-02-3.
{{cite book}}:|author=has generic name (help) - ↑ "Welcome to". Buzzdubai.com. Retrieved 2014-01-24.
- ↑ "Wildlife paradise on Sir Bu Nair island | The National". Thenational.ae. 2011-05-23. Retrieved 2014-01-24.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "Business - Shurooq unveils Sir Bu Nuair Island project". Khaleejtimes.com. 2013-05-08. Retrieved 2014-01-24.
- ↑ Zabara, Manar (2001-04-05). "Oil slick threatens protected island near Sharjah | GulfNews.com". M.gulfnews.com. Retrieved 2014-01-24.
- ↑ Sir Bu Nair Island Protected Area
- ↑ "Sir Bu Nuair Island registered as international wetland". GulfNews.com. 2013-12-20. Retrieved 2014-01-24.
- ↑ "Sharjah's Sir Bu Nair Island added to global list of protected areas | The National". Thenational.ae. 2013-12-18. Retrieved 2014-01-24.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ UNESCO World Heritage Centre (2012-01-30). "Sir Bu Nair Island - UNESCO World Heritage Centre". Whc.unesco.org. Retrieved 2014-01-24.
- ↑ "Sir Bu Na'air Island". BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International. 2024. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
- ↑ "Airport codes Sir Abu Nair, United Arab Emirates (AE) | ICAO, IATA codes, location of airports of Airport codes Sir Abu Nair, United Arab Emirates (AE) | latitude, longitude airports of Airport codes Sir Abu Nair, United Arab Emirates (AE) | coordinates of airports of Airport codes Sir Abu Nair, United Arab Emirates (AE) | International codes and coordinates of all airports in the world | International codes and coordinates of all airports in Airport codes Sir Abu Nair, United Arab Emirates (AE)". Airportsbase.org. Retrieved 2014-01-24.
- ↑ "Sir Abu Nu'ayr Concession | Select Projects | Crescent Petroleum". Crescent.ae. Archived from the original on 2014-02-28. Retrieved 2014-01-24.
- ↑ "Sharjah's enchanting Sir Bu Nair Island is a haven for rare creatures". Gulf News. Retrieved 2 July 2026.