Which desert in Oman is also known as Wahiba Sands?

The Omani desert also known as Wahiba Sands is Sharqiya Sands.

Sharqiya Sands is a large sand-desert region in northeastern Oman. The older name, Wahiba Sands, refers to the Bani Wahiba tribe, whose traditional association with the area helped popularize the name internationally. “Sharqiya Sands” reflects the region’s location in Oman’s Eastern Region and is now the preferred official name in many contexts.

The sand sea stretches about 180 kilometers from north to south and about 80 kilometers from east to west, covering approximately 12,500 square kilometers. Its dunes were shaped by the interaction of the southwest monsoon and the northern shamal winds. Some northern dunes rise to around 100 meters.

The area is not uninhabited wilderness. Bedouin communities have long used its oases and seasonal resources, and several tribes are associated with the region. A 1986 Royal Geographical Society expedition documented about 16,000 invertebrate species and roughly 150 native plant species, revealing considerably more biological diversity than the dunes suggest.