For this trip this will be the final episode of our meanderings between Dubai and Fujairah. This episode will take us to the archeological center of Mleiha, a wadi in the Hajar mountains, and show some of our favorite things on the route.

Mleiha Archaeological Centre

We turned off the Khorfakkan highway and drove past the gate welcoming us to the Mleiha Archaeological Centre. As we walk towards the grand distinct architecture of the visitor centre I stop and look across the vast plain to the Hajar Mountains and have a moment taken right out of my children’s favorite literature series: “The Magic Tree House” by Mary Pope Osborne. The stories that take the characters back into time always start with: “Then everything was still. Absolutely still.”

I invite you then, to this stillness and…

…be transported back in time. All the way to the Bronze Age.

This Umm An-Naar Tomb dates from the Middle Bronze Age. Other discoveries in Mleiha date from around 130,000 years ago! How did people live here? What was their environment like then? Why did they settle here? These discoveries shift the paradigm of how the world got populated. Archeologits come from Europe, Iraq, and Australia to work here, with German and Belgian delegations still on-site to get answers from the past to learn for the future.

Kimana and I are in awe of the implications and the time scale presented. A lot of things to ponder while having coffee, tea and of course orange juice at the Centre Café. Were this not so remote it would be a great weekday morning café hangout.

Mleiha is developing this site as an eco-tourism attraction. The infrastructure is appealing and some of the excursions will see me come back to explore this area more deeply like naturalist guided hikes and desert survival classes. What saddens me, however, is that dune bashing is included and actively marketed at an eco-tourism site. That is misleading in my eyes.

Mleiha is absolutely worth it, and worth supporting as a destination where a connection with the rich cultural past of the UAE, as well as with the intriguing natural environment of the desert can be made. I will be back there for a deeper dig. (Pardon the pun)

Wadi Detour

How do people live in the wadis we pass on the Khorfakkan road? We were curious and took a peek. The scenery is peaceful and lives by the rhythm of the water flows through the valley, judging from the signs warning of water flood levels. Not a place to be caught in a flash flood, Kimana remembers, making reference to her first hand encounter with flash floods in Ladakh.

Kimana and Ciquala love the goats calmly grazing on the steep hill between house and road and the stony mountains and their rough beauty.

This beautiful wadi is only 5km from Khorfakkan. It struck us, that there were absolutely no shops or places to buy anything. The road ends after the last village forcing us to backtrack. In spite of this, there is substantial investment in the infrastructure of the valley.

For all the square foot garden enthusiasts out there, you will be happy to see that plots do remind one of this cultivation method.

Roadside discoveries

Masafi

We love driving through Masafi in the evening. This bustling trading town comes to life in the evening and I can only encourage you to stop and get some snacks at one of the many shops.

Sharjah Roundabouts

The Emirate of Sharjah is using roundabouts to display very child-pleasing art. An ideal “I spy” situation with children in the car!

Your Turn - Comments Please!

Have you traveled between Dubai and Fujairah? What are your favorite spots?

What did you enjoy in this post? What would you like to hear more about? Please leave me comments, wishes and suggestions so this blog may evolve with you in mind!