U.A.E. Map

 

 

 

       Middle East Map

latest picture: April 28, 2013

• click a picture to see details

230  From Jebel Hafeet, a 4’070 ft.

high limestone mountain 9 miles south

of Al-Ain, we look towards

Al-Buraimi, the Omani oasis .....

231  .....from one of the viewpoints we

enjoy the sunset behind the bizarre

peaks that rise abruptly from the plain

232  A good tarmac road and patches of

green interrupt the monotonous desert at

the foot of Jebel Hafeet 9 miles south of

Al-Ain, a city with about 500’000 people

233  At the lobby of the ‘Mercury Grand

Hotel’ on Jebel Hafeet south of Al-Ain the

walls are covered with vines, inspired by

the ‘Hanging Gardens of Babylon’

(rooms from US$120/night)

234  From a plateau of Jebel Hafeet

south of Al-Ain we enjoy at sunset

the desert plains below us

235  At the foot of Jebel Hafeet an

irrigation system has created the

"Green Mubazzarrah" park, popular

with families and school classes. Besides

barbecues there is also a man-made lake

236  The 1891 constructed and freshly

restored Al-Jahili Fort at the Al-Ain

oasis shines in its new glory .....

237  ..... it houses the permanent exhibit

of the great British adventurer Sir Wilfred

Thesiger who in 1940 crossed the

"Empty Quarter" twice by foot

(95 miles each time) .....

238  ..... the Al-Jahili Fort is one of

the largest forts in the UAE. It was

built as a royal residence

239  Finally we find "Saeeh Sabra", also

called Lake Tilapia or Zakher Lake – the

lake in the desert – close to Al-Ain along the

Abu Dhabi truck road. Unfortunately picnic

tables and rubbish decrease its charm

240  A red ‘virgin’ sand dune in front

of a towering mountain wall in Al-Ain.

The sand patterns change constantly

241  A camel farm at the base of a

dune near Al-Ain. Desert people make

often a living from breeding camels

242  Ibises are attracted to the lawns

of the "Green Mubazzarrah" park at

the foot of Jebel Hafeet near Al-Ain

243  Fruits hang heavily from a date

palm tree at "Green Mubazzarrah" Park

near Al-Ain. Date palms play an important

role in the culture of the Arabian desert

244  This partridge (perdix perdix)

at the "Green Mubazzarrah" Park near

Al-Ain dashes around, stops abruptly

and then continues running

245  Near Kalba at the east coast we

find a peaceful desert night spot behind

a dam. Emil does some computer work

246  Fort Hayl 6 miles west of Fujairah

enchants by its traditional modest architec-

ture. It is praised being one of the finest

mountain forts in the UAE .....

247  ..... we especially like also the

setting, embedded into a jagged mountain

scenery at the base of a steep cliff

248  The “Sheikh Zayed Mosque of Fujairah”

with six minarets, funded by UAE President

H.H.Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahian from

Abu Dhabi is, after the one in the capital (see

pic. No.197 “Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque”)

the second tallest mosque of the Emirates

249  In the middle of Fujairah town

we have a flat tire. Emil makes it from

the busy street to the sandy side

and changes our 169th tire

250  Roundabouts in the UAE are

always imaginative. In Fujairah

impresses the one of the eagle

with outspread wings near

the Fujairah Tower

251  The Sharjah Emirate’s village of

Nahwa (about 2-3 sq.mi.), a UAE

counter-enclave embedded in the Omani

exclave of Madha (29 sq.mi.), which itself

is surrounded by the Emirates of Sharjah

and Fujairah, lies southwest of Khor Fakkan

252  The sight of the village of

Hajar Bani Hamid on the western side

of the Omani enclave Madha is breath-

taking. No Omani visa is required

to visit Madha

253  A glorious start of a new day

in the mountains of Wadi Madha

southwest of Khor Fakkan.

Can life be more beautiful?

254  The white balls of the flowering globe

thistle (echinops) are a feast for the eyes in

the arid landscape of the Hajar Mountains

255  The high walls of loose rocks of the

Omani Wadi Madha, which enters after

one mile the Wadi Shis on the UAE side,

make our LandCruiser to appear dwarflike

256  In Wadi Wurrayah west of

Khor Fakkan we make a lunch break

in the shade of our LandCruiser

257  An Oleander bush (nerium mascatense)

with a bunch of bright pink flowers. Oleanders

are a common sight in stony wadis. All parts

of the plant are poisonous

258  Lonely rough camping spots

are plentiful. Here in Wadi Wurrayah

west of Khor Fakkan

259  A typical picture: View from the

tower of the Bidiyah mosque north

of Khor Fakkan over a date palm

garden and mountain ridges

260  The Bidiyah Mosque, 5 miles north

of Khor Fakkan, dates back to the middle

of the 15th century and is the oldest

mosque in the UAE .....

261  ..... wearing mandatory a black

Tschador, Liliana is admiring the

traditional modest construction made

of gypsum, stone and mud bricks .....

262  ..... view from the tower of the

Bidiyah Mosque to the same named

village that is said to be one of the

oldest settlements on the east coast

263  The quaint village Sharm with

mooring fishing boats at the east coast

264  Clay pots are a popular adornment

of roundabouts. Here the “Pot-Round-

about” entering Dibba in the northeast,

situated on the border of the Omani

exclave of Musandam

265  A bakery in Dibba: The Arab

bread is freshly taken out of the oven.

The man from Afghanistan does

not want to take any money

266  Our LandCruiser bravely tackled

the extremely steep and stony 4x4 track

to Wadi Sana. On a tiny plateau with good

views we install ourselves for the night

267  A picture book morning at our

camping spot at Wadi Sana. The

red-yellow sun is rising slowly behind

the ragged mountain ridge

268  We install our “office” behind

the LandCruiser on our

Wadi Sana-Camp on an

altitude of 2’000 ft.

269  A blue longtailed Sinai Agama

lizard (pseudotrapelus sinaitus) is bathing in

the sun on a rock on our Wadi Sana-Camp

270  "Did you see that strange car?"

Mother camel and her young watch us

curiously along the Wadi Sidr track

271  Camels are said to be intelligent.

They are as old as the Arabian Desert

272  Two travellers with their cars in

Ajman/UAE: Ralf from Germany with his

yellow ex-fire truck Mercedes 310 4x4 has

been travelling Africa for five years and Emil

from Switzerland is on the road with his

blue LandCruiser FJ60 since 1984

273  View from our rented studio at

the Habib Hotel Apartments in Ajman

over the city roofs and the towering

skyscrapers .....

274  ..... and a glorious evening sky

over Ajman from our hotel window

 

More websites from the United Arab Emirates:

Fairytale Wedding in Dubai - United Arab Emirates - with our car from February 7th, to May 20th, 1999

Sharjah + Dubai: United Arab Emirates - without our vehicle from February 19th, to 27th, 2011

Sharjah/Dubai/1st Traveler's Festival/Emirates National Auto Museum - UAE with car Nov. 2012 to Jan. 2013 - part 1

Liwa - UAE with car in January 2013 - part 2

 

More websites from the Middle East:

Welcome to Kuwait on March 3rd, 1996

Yemen car trip (from Oman to Saudi Arabia) - from May 16th, to June 15th, 1996

Sandstorm in Saudi Arabia on February 4th, 1999

Trip to Dubai in January and February 1999

Oman 1999 - from mid-March to mid-April 1999

Oman 2013 – Part 1 - February 2013: Musandam Peninsula

Oman 2013 – Part 2 - February 2013: Sohar - Muscat - Rustaq - Nizwa

Oman 2013 – Part 3 - March 2013: Sur - East Coast - Island of Masirah - Dhofar

Oman 2013 – Part 4 - March 2013: Salalah & Surroundings (Dhofar) - Nizwa

Oman 2013 – Part 5 - March 2013: Western Hajar Mountains

Iran 2013 – Part 1 - May 2013: Continuation of the journey Bandar Abbas-Shiraz-Persepolis-Pasargad (= between Shiraz and Yazd)

Iran 2013 – Part 2: Pasargad (excl.)-Yazd-Esfahan – May 2013

Iran 2013 – Part 3: Esfahan (excl.)-Chelgerd-Hamadan-Sanandaj-Orumiyeh – May 2013

Turkey 2013 – Eastern Anatatolia - June 2013

Socotra - without our car from February 9th, to 19th, 2011:

Part 1: Socotra trip in Yemen (East) – Hadibo - Dihamri - Arher Beach

Part 2: Socotra trip in Yemen (South) – Homhil - Aomak Beach - Wadi Daerhu - Dicksam Plateau

Part 3: Socotra trip in Yemen (West) – Qalansiya - Shouab Beach - Qadama Beach - Momi Plateau - Wadi Ayhaft

Saudi Arabia 2016: Transit from Sudan to the United Arab Emirates

Iran 2016 – Part 4: Ferry Port Bandar Abbas-Kerman-Mashad-Bajgiran – April/May 2016

 

Articles in newspapers etc. about us in the United Arab Emirates:

Website: "Award Traveler's Festival Dubai 2012", Blog "HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum", Dec. 27, 2012

Article: "Human bond knows no borders", Daily Newspaper "Gulf Today" - December 27, 2012

Article: "Still on the road 28 years later, Swiss couple attends Dubai Travellers Festival", Daily Newsp. "GulfNews" - Dec. 27, 2012