Wadis are dry river beds that contain water only during certain times of heavy rainfall. Thus, unlike in other rivers, water in wadis is intermittent as they are dry for the rest of the year. Because the rainfall may result in flash-floods, crossing the wadi can be very dangerous!

The term wādī is widely found in Arabic place-names. Linguistics is an interesting thing –

you can see places of Arabic influence by tracing the origins of local names for places and structures.

In places where Arab speakers lived next to regular rivers, the term has often been shifted to those: the Spanish river Guadalquivir,  “The Great River”, comes from the Arabic al-wādi al-kabīr.Other examples of Spanish rivers include: Guadalcanal from wādī al-Qanal, “river of refreshment stalls” and the river Guadalajara from wādī al-hidjārah, meaning “river of stones”.

Unsurprisingly, wadis tend to be close to centres of human habitation, because they sometimes provide sub-surface water in a desert environment. Aside from water, this provides seasonal vegetation, even in the driest regions.

Guest Post by Jessica Cheng

Casino & Promotions Manager at 777 Dragon Online Casino