Other sights in United Arab Emirates
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Fujairah Museum
For a peek into Fujairah's past, drop by the dusty Fujairah Museum.
reviewed
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Mercure Grand Hotel
Near the top of the majestic Jebel Hafeet, a jagged 1160m limestone mountain, is the Mercure Grand Hotel, where the views are great but the food is lousy. To get to the mountain, head south from the clocktower roundabout and turn right at Khalid ibn Sultan St, then follow the signs.
reviewed
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Al-Ain National Museum
The charmingly old-fashioned Al-Ain National Museum is perfect for boning up on the ancient past of Al-Ain and indeed the entire region. Highlights include archaeological displays and artefacts from the 3rd millennium BC tombs at nearby Hili and Umm an-Nar. The ethnography galleries contain beautiful silver Bedouin jewellery, traditional costumes and a harrowing circumcision display.
reviewed
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Al-Ain Palace Museum
The Al-Ain Palace Museum, situated on the edge of the Al-Ain oasis in the centre of town, is a good place to start your exploration of the city. The majestic fort was the birthplace of the UAE’s late president, Sheikh Zayed, and is one of the best museums in the country. Don’t miss Sheikh Zayed’s majlis, and be sure to check out the display of photographs of Al-Ain in the 1960s – it’s unrecognisable. There are many splendid rooms, decorated as they probably used to be, and beautiful, verdant gardens.
reviewed
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Bull Butting
The popular spectator sport of bull butting , held in an unassuming dirt area on the southern outskirts of town (before Al-Rughailat Bridge) has been held in the area for centuries. Bulls are brought here from all over the UAE to lock horns and test their strength against each other. The Emirati families (this is one sport that sees just as many female spectators as male) park their cars in a circle and stand and sit in front of them, forming something of an arena. The five or six Emirati men who judge the event sit cross-legged on the ground quite close to the action. While a wandering bull sees spectators racing for their cars, the judges rarely flinch.
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Mosque (Badiyah)
The small fishing village of Badiyah (also spelt Bidyah and Bidiya), 8km north of Khor Fakkan but in the Fujairah emirate, is one of the oldest villages in the Gulf. Archaeological digs show that it has been settled continuously since the 3rd millennium BC. Today, it is known mainly for its mosque, a charming earth-coloured structure of stone, mud brick and gypsum built between 1446 and 1668. The building’s roof, with its four pointed domes supported by an internal pillar, is particularly distinctive and its simple interior has a lovely contemplative feel. Thought to be the oldest mosque in the UAE, it now functions mainly as a tourist attraction. Non-Muslims may enter if…
reviewed