UAE Series - Fujairah Sites to See!

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Everyone knows Dubai. Or even Abu Dhabi. People even refer to them as countries. The country name is United Arab Emirates. And it is made up of seven emirates: Abu Dhabi (the biggest, by a lot), Dubai (the most well known), Sharjah, Fujairah, Ras al Khaimah, Ajman, and Umm al Quwain. I highly recommend the Etihad Museum in Dubai which gives a nice breakdown of the formation of the country in 1971. But this blog is the first of others around the country that I would like to share. This one will focus on Fujairah.

Now, one thing to note is that the borders of each Emirate can be very confusing, as you have multiple enclaves especially in the mountains. The Emirates are formed primarily by the tribal affiliations, not necessarily geography, which also includes Omani borders in seemingly random locations. So, while I have been to Fujairah emirate multiple times, and even have taken a couple of roadtrips there, I also passed through other emirates or visited neighboring emirates at the same time, sometimes without even knowing it until I got home! I am slowly getting to understand the somewhat complicated history of the area, which is actually very interesting. Thankfully, heritage museums and conservation of historical places have gained momentum in recent years and they are now easily accessible.

The city of Fujairah is also the capital, and the seventh largest city in the UAE with a population of around 100,000. The emirate itself has around 152,000 people and is the only emirate located entirely on the east coast of the country. For economical considerations, this means that ports along the coast are important as it reduces the need to have go through the Hormuz Strait. I generally like this area because you are adjacent to the beautiful mountains and the beach, therefore hiking trails and beach resorts are becoming more accessible.

Al Bithnah Fort

I recently took a roadtrip specifically to visit the Fujairah areas of interest. First stop along the way was the Al Bithnah Fort. I arrived around 8:30am (too late really, a decision I came to regret in August!). First, I started at the Al Bithnah Nature trail, which took you to the base of the local mountain area and gave you some stops along the way (about 2 miles) with information about the local fauna, flora, geology and history. It was very well done and I enjoyed the hike - it was easy, but definitely arrive early in the morning or wait for the cooler months! The first stop was the Watchtower, which gives you views over the village, mountains and wadi. Then you have set stops along the route, including signs which give you information about the particular location. I got to see gazelle staring at me at one spot - so cute! But from here on, I was sooooooo hot! I had to stop a few times in the shade to cool down, wetting my pashmina to keep my neck and head cooler. I loved seeing the huge bridge above the wadi, which was currently in construction phase still (they were probably wondering what a loon like me was doing hiking in this weather). The Etihad Rail is in the final stages and it is exciting to see the progress. I can't wait until it is completed.

I finally, finally, made it to the Fort, which was empty. And because I walked in, I did not make my presence known. I entered the building and saw and signed a guest book. I sat for a few minutes in the shade to get my heartrate back down. I then climbed up the steep stairs, so had to do the same thing above. It was very impressive though. This is an 18th century fort that sits on a hill above Wadi Ham, which was a foot traffic route from the east coast to the interior of what is now the UAE. You can go into all the rooms and climb to the top to see the views. It was quite interesting. I will definitely recommend and probably re-visit .... during the winter months of course!

Al Hayl Fort

My next stop was further towards the coast in a wadi in the mountains. Al Hayl Fort or "Castle" was constructed in 1932 for the local village leader and is fortified within the old village. The old village was abandoned in the 1970's, and the house was occupied until 1958. I arrived on a hot day and a nice guide, Hamed from India, provided me access to the various portions of the site while giving me some history. The covered area outside the main house was outdoor dining area and just inside the door to the main room was the sleeping quarters during winter time - dark with small windows high on the wall, covered with gypsum plaster, and hooks to hang clothing, the whole family would sleep here. The next downstairs room was the date processing area which could double as a bathing area (they would basically pour buckets of water over their head and it would drain). Upstairs was the summer sleeping quarters with larger windows to allow air flow. And above this was an open top where they would smoke shisha. Another building within the fortification was the female guest quarters, with a small bathing area, and a male guest quarters at the main gate, with no bathing quarters here (they would clean off in the wadi). There was also an animal pen, an outdoor cooking area, and a room for village gatherings. Above the male guest quarters was an open terrace with views over the wadi and village. The ceiling beams within many of the rooms were made from the trunks of date palm trees - so cool!

Above the 'castle' was a watchtower, which was also a place to house the homeowner's brother. I did not go up there (too hot), but there is a hike that you can do in this area, so maybe another day in the winter.

The village was mostly in ruins, but they have started to restore some of the buildings so you can visualize what it may have looked like. The wadi itself was pretty green, with what looked like some date palm farms as you move from the fort to the wadi entrance. There is a new dam and you can tell the road has been affected by heavy water flow through the wadi during storm events.

I stayed at the Double Tree Hotel for the night, which was very nice and affordable, with a connected mall, so options for food close by. I just ordered room service and enjoyed a nice long shower. I had great views of the city towards the mountains. I highly recommend.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque - Fujairah

With the same name as its more famous counterpart in Abu Dhabi, many people do not know about this beautiful mosque. Also named after the UAE's most revered founder, this is the second largest mosque in the country, capable of accommodating 28,000 worshipers. The mosque is open for visitors 9am-12pm daily, except Fridays, and you have to dress modestly with women covering hair. I was able to get my free ticket online at the entrance and got a tour from a nice lady along with three Pakistani visitors.

There are 65 domes and 6 minarets. The carpet in the main hall was made in Belgium with beautiful coloring, and the interior domes were painted so intricately. There are five chandeliers, with the main one 18m in height, 13.5m width, and it took 8,600 hours to make. I love the archways and detailing on just about everything. Definitely worth a visit!

Fujairah Fort

The Fujairah Fort is built on a small hill near the city. It dates back to the 16th century and is among the largest and is probably the oldest in the country. There are three round watchtowers and one square tower, connected by a wall, and surrounding a central hall. Like all the other forts, there was also a date pressing room. It was really interesting to see how the walls and stone towers were built - you could see the materials like mud and tree bark packed in with the stones. It was also free to enter, and I had it to myself for a few minutes, walking into each of the rooms and climbing the very steep steps on one of the watchtowers, where I got great views of the city. It was definitely the largest I had seen and so close to the main city.

Outside the fort, it is surrounded by an old "Heritage Village" which also apparently has an art center. However, due to the heat, it seemed like the village was deserted and I figured I would come back another time. I sat in the car in the AC for a few minutes, watching a tour bus pull in with about 25 people walking to the fort, men, women, and children, western tourists. Three of the women were wearing very skimpy clothes including one woman with just a bra. I assume they will not be heading to the Mosque....

Wadi Saham petroglyph

A side trip I did on the drive back to Dubai was through Wadi Saham. There are a few hiking trails in this whole area, including one that goes to Al Hayl Fort from another direction. However, I cam to quickly see what this rock was all about. And sure enough, just before I got into the small village area, there was a huge rock surrounded by fencing along a flat area on the side of the road. There were drawings / etchings into the rock, which was pretty cool, but no other information.

Fujairah Beach - Al Aqah

Last summer, my friend and I spent a weekend on the Fujairah Beach Al Aqah, staying at an apartment that was part of the Address Resort complex. Very luxurious. We were permitted to use the super nice pools at the hotel, and also had beach access. It was too hot to do much outdoors other than soaking in the cool waters, but it achieved the desired effected of relaxation. There are many nice hotels along this stretch of beach (I had previously stayed at the Rotana 10 years before). We had a nice dinner at the hotel, went for a swim, hung out watching movies, made our own breakfast, went for another swim, toured some of Khor Fakkan (part of Sharjah emirate and will be discussed in a future blog), had a delicious lunch at a beach side restaurant at Le Meridien Hotel, swam some more, and had a fabulous breakfast a local little artsy bistro, Hygge. I enjoyed walking on the beach for a few seconds before the hot sand sent me away - you could see oil seeping through! There are still many things I would like to see in this area as well as do a hike or two on the ocean facing mountains.

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Nice blog
We've been to Dubai. We'd like to go back and explore all of the Emirates. Lovely.

[Ake Och Emma]

Was in Dubai only and one day in Abu Dhabi
I visited Dubai a many years ago and also made a day trip to Abu Dhabi. I knew that there was plenty to see in the other emirates as well but I didn't have time to see any of it. Now it is nice to read about it. /Ake