QATAR: Khor al Udeid
Some of the world`s great attractions created by the forces of nature are sought
out by people seeking a meaning to life. Natural wonders such as
the Aurora Borealis,
Uluru the great
monolith in Central Australia, Niagara or Victoria Falls - all of them worshipped by ethnic peoples
- have become famous tourist
destinations in their own right. Other places such as Khor al Udeid
in the Arab Gulf state of Qatar remain a secret among its few visitors. Covering
12,000 hectares this vast `inland sea` sharing a south-eastern
border with Saudi Arabia is in fact a huge tidal inlet cutting into the
desert from the Gulf coast, 78 kms south of capital Doha. Measuring12 km
from east to west, it is a magic region of turquoise channels bordered by
soaring desert dunes. The tides rushing in and out sweep up quantities of fish
- sea turtles have been sighted far from the mouth
- and its inland reaches are a breeding ground for crustaceans.
Significant numbers of water-birds winter in the swampy shallows - flamingoes, cormorants, gulls and the Caspian tern have all been sighted -
but with no road access, information about Khor al-Udeid is hard
to find. Commercial fishing was banned in 1993 and the site declared an
official sanctuary but in its urge to develop tourism,
the government of Qatar must monitor environmental disturbance caused by
four-wheel drives Tourists seeking solace in today`s material
world find it in the great silence of Khor al-Udeid
.