In a sandy desert of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), you may hear a wonderful sound. Some people say it’s like a low whistle. Others describe it as the hum of a plane. But, if you look around, you won’t see any animal or machine making this noise. It’s the Singing Sand Dunes of Liwa.
The sound comes from the shifting ground. It’s called singing or booming sand. It’s in about 30 deserts in the world, including one in the UAE. The sound can be heard from more than 5 miles away!
Until recently, scientists wondered what was producing the interesting noise. They now know it’s caused by millions of grains of sand slowly sliding down dunes. (A dune is a hill or mountain of sand.)
The singing is especially loud during a windy time at the end of March called Jawlat Al Riyah. That name means “wandering winds.”
Emiratis visit the dunes to listen—and also for fun! Some families go “dune bashing,” which is driving SUVs up and down dunes. And many tourists enjoy sliding down dunes on surfboards.
Keep reading to find out more about the UAE!