The Liwa Oasis is a crescent-shaped band of settlements and date palm plantations stretching about 70 km along the northern edge of the Rub al Khali. It is one of the largest oases in Arabia and one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the Gulf: the Bani Yas tribes who settled here were the ancestors of the ruling families of both Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
The oasis is most beautiful during the date harvest in late autumn and early winter. The Khalas variety grown here — small, amber, and almost caramel-sweet — is prized across the Gulf and commands a premium at market. Driving the crescent road through the oasis in October is one of those slow pleasures that the UAE's coast rarely affords: palm groves, irrigation channels, and absolute silence except for the occasional bird and the distant hum of a wind through the dunes.