Bull-Butting

If possible, visit Fujairah on a Friday when the ancient sport of bull-butting takes place in a dusty dirt patch on the southern outskirts of town (before Al-Rughailat Bridge). It was introduced centuries ago by the Portuguese, and today’s contests see bulls brought here from all over the UAE to lock horns and test their strength against each other. The goal is to push the other out of a circle, which usually takes only a couple of minutes. Traditionally, the fighting took place in an open field, but since angry bulls would occasionally charge spectators, a new wire fence was recently built to protect them.