Al Qudra Lake: An oasis in the city of Dubai

The city of Dubai—glitz and glam is its second nature. To any traveller, the city offers a peek into luxury. There is often the obligatory walk through the souks, malls, and, of course, the Burj Khalifa. But a few kilometres away, nestled in its deserts, are places where the artificial lights fade away and nature comes forth. Rolling hills of sand, short shrubs with oryxes grazing languidly in between, and the distant horizon where the sky placidly embraces the earth.

For kids—like me—growing up in tropical Kerala, the concept of an oasis in the middle of a scorching desert is an abstract idea, at best. Here in Al Qudra, a cluster of over 100 manmade lakes built in the Saih Al Salam desert in the Al Lisaili area of Dubai, stands these oases shining in the middle of the sandy dunes, like pearls on a necklace.  And the city can finally breathe a sigh of relief. 

For a life in any city, the switches in our brains must get toggled off, and like a machine, we have to go whirring on. But if the city is an exile, then the natural world always feels like a homecoming. 

The chain of lakes at Al Qudra was not obvious to the eye as one approached it. One might even feel anxious moving away from the city where comforts are close at hand. But a few kilometres in, the city brain calmed down, and the air started to smell lighter.

The desert started cropping up at places where we could not conquer it. We saw a solitary cyclist enjoying his peace in the beautifully laden tracks on the way. Finally, with a turn in the road, we entered the site of the lakes. The asphalt gave way to sand. And the view of the lakes was heralded by the distant, faint cackling of birds. 

Our car rolled over the sand to a lake that looked like folding drapes of water over the steamy hot sand dunes. The sky in the distance seemed reluctant to throw off the dark cosiness of the night.

All around the lake were grassy shores with leaves heavy with morning dew. We set about pitching our tent close to the lake and settled in to witness the magnificent winter sunrise of the desert. The air was cool with a fluttering whisper of the wind. The distant cackling of birds set the motif for our hushed voices. 

Soon, the sky was painted with shades of orange, a prelude to the rising sun.

While the glowing sun lit the horizon like a distant beacon, the cackling of birds increased in tempo. We decided to investigate the racket.

Meandering around the lake and weaving through the trees, we charted a course. A gazelle in the distance hurriedly grazed. A Patagonian mara eyed us suspiciously. A fox wound carefully around the bushes. The birds got louder and louder. 

Snuggled against the distant landscape, we saw a birdhouse where innumerable birds sat perched in its small windows. They were singing up a storm.

A plethora of birds with multicoloured plumage. Pigeons, rollers, geese, egrets, herons, flamingos, and much more.  Some had taken to the sky. And against the orange-hued sky, they appeared marvellous.

In the lakes, a few ducks and their young were discussing their plans for the day. We stayed there a while and enjoyed the abundance of life amidst the dreary sand. We walked amongst stubborn desert shrubs holding their heads high. After life in the city, a walk in the desert without the discipline of a footpath was liberating.

Back at the tent, after a cup of hot coffee, we sat down to enjoy the peace. Far away from civilization, there was tranquillity in the small waves atop the lake, in the rustle of the trees and the lazy movement of the fishes swimming up and down the lake, busy in their little lives.

A golden-crowned crane waded through the shallow waters near the shore, glancing at us surreptitiously. A swan couple guarding their nest found the crane suspicious and chased him away. Everywhere life went on, unaware of the bustling city a few miles away. Here, the artifice of city life melted away. 

We found our way to an observation tower at a distance. Far away, herds of oryxes with their heads bent looked for something to feed on. The view offered was magnificent, with miles and miles of desert all around. We were left wondering at the ingenuity of the human civilization that conquered insurmountable odds to build their homes in such uninhabitable places. 

Unbeknownst to us, time had crept along. The time to get back to the city was now upon us, and we were sorry to say goodbye to this natural retreat.  Turning back from such huge swathes of land, be it deserts, seas, mountains, or canyons, always left us yearning more for that notion of grandiosity which only nature can evoke but is, as always, ephemeral to grasp.

Al Qudra, with all its life, had indeed been a much-needed refuge in the middle of the urban sprawl of Dubai- a place to revisit, relish and rekindle life.

The writer is a pathologist based in Wayanad, Kerala.  

Tourism