Jebel jais mountain

About this activity

Jebel Jais, the highest mountain in the United Arab Emirates is part of the spectacular cloud-piercing Al Hajar mountain range. The range extends from Ras Al Khaimah on the eastern side of the United Arab Emirates to the Musandam Peninsula in northern Oman. It is 100 kilometres in width and 700 kilometres in length, straddles the two countries, and is the highest mountain range in the region.

The Jebel Jais mountain range forms the highest peak in Ras Al Khaimah, soaring at an impressive 1,934 metres above sea level. The mountain has an exciting topology and contains rare fossils and marine and terrestrial sedimentary rocks, which give a fascinating insight into ancient times. Scientists believe that the Al Hajar Mountains were formed by a continental collision near the Arabian–Eurasian convergent plate boundary more than 70-million years ago. The name Al Hajar translates into ‘Al’, which means ‘the’, and ‘Hajar’, which means ‘stone’; when the words are combined, the name translates into ‘The Stone’