Doing the Emirate of Fujairah justice with a single day trip is no easy feat. This is due to two simple reasons. Since you need to cross the Al Hajar mountains to get to it, it takes about two hours to reach Fujairah from Dubai, which is significantly longer than an hour or so that it takes to get to most other emirates. You will spend at least four precious hours on the road, though thankfully the views you get of the rugged mountain range will be well worth your time. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, some of the more interesting parts of the Emirate of Fujairah are far away from its capital, which is, to my knowledge, the only place you can get to easily with the available public transportation options. You see, this emirate is divided into three separate parts due to the two exclaves of Sharjah: Khor-Fakkan and Kalba. It just so happens that the oldest mosque in the country, Al-Bidya Mosque, is found on the northern exclave of Fujairah, called Dibba. As far as I could tell, there was no way for me to get there by only using public transportation, and even if there was a way to do it, I simply could not do the entire journey in a single day no matter how early in the day I started my trip. All of this is to say, the following is an account of my travel to the capital of Fujairah and the capital alone, which was a worthy trip on its own.
I arrived at Fujairah a bit later than I imagined, due to the simple fact that I woke up later than anticipated on the day of this particular day trip. This was fine, as I knew I could still see all I wanted to see in the more central parts of the town. After a quick but exceptional lunch at the local Pizza Hut, where I had a wonderful chat with the Bangladeshi manager of the local chain, I made my way to the nearby Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. While this mosque is much smaller than its namesake in Abu Dhabi, it is still grand in its own right.
Unfortunately, I forgot to wear the right clothing once again, so I could not manage to take a closer look into the interior of the mosque. However, from my previous conversation with the aforementioned manager of the local Pizza Hut branch, I had already found out that not only are the interiors quite good looking, but the imam that frequents the mosque is such a well-renowned figure that especially during Ramadan, even people from Oman and Saudi Arabia ends up in Fujairah’s Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque just to be able to listen to that most captivating of orators. With that being said, if you wish to see all that these emirates have to offer yourself, it does not hurt to travel with a more modest outfit. I really do hate the sun, so that hatred of mine did betray my love for this website every now and then, which is why you do not see many interiors of these holy places in my writings on the UAE on the Wondering Voyager.
Fujairah’s historical center with its fort, museum, and heritage village was my next destination. Upon my arrival, I chanced upon a commotion in the area. There were busy people all around, workers operating some heavy equipment, and a very strong smell in the air that must have come from some animal. Well, these animals were none other than horses. There was going to be a public championship of sorts involving horses that night, and a brief talk with a few locals made me realize that I was most welcome to attend it. “I am so damn lucky to be here on this exact day,” I thought to myself, and with a stupid grin on my face, I pushed on with the rest of my plans for the day, surely before coming back here to watch the horses later in the evening.
There was an oasis nearby, though even the lovely map that they provided me with in the local museum did not have the name for it. Perhaps, it was no oasis to begin with, but a farm of some sort. Nevertheless, it was a much welcome greenery in the otherwise desert environment that often dominates the rest of the country.
Without losing much time wondering around, I then made my way to Fujairah’s very own museum. This was a small one, staffed by some of the nicest people ever, which just seems to be a norm in the UAE. The staff wanted to inform me further on the exhibitions, alas, I said that I was in a hurry. This was true, but it still felt a bit rude turning them down like that. To my surprise, I also found a tourist bus that was visiting the place as I was there. In fact, as I went to the beach later on in the day, I would find more and more tourists, often Russians, who seemed to be enjoying the Indian Ocean on the beautiful but mostly empty beaches of Fujairah.
While the museum could be visited in under half an hour, I have to admit that there were some interesting pieces in it, such as a few examples of local rock art. There was also a small corner dedicated to a few nostalgic items that the locals grew up with, which was rather interesting to a 90s kid like me as well. Some of these items were somewhat relatable to me too, though not always. Nevertheless, after a quick walk around the premises, I made my way back to Fujairah’s heritage village, which differed quite a bit from the heritage districts that are more commonly found in the other emirates.
You see, a district often implies a more centralized and urbanized area, and that is exactly what those are. However, a village is, well, a village. This is exactly the vibes you get visiting this place, which is completely free of charge, unlike the humble 5 AED you pay to visit the museum. However, this place seemed unfinished to me at the time of my visit. There was practically no one around to ask what was going on but if I am correct, this village may be even better once it is fully furnished with info boards and exhibits.
Most notably, there were already a bunch of residences like this one, some of which may have belonged to the late sheiks of the region. However, these too seemed to be devoid of life at the time of my visit, which really makes me think that the village was not really open for visitors at that moment. It would be mildly funny if I were trespassing, though I sure hope that was not the case… In any case, I believe there is much potential in this heritage village, and I would like to see it at night when the place likely comes to life.
For now, the best attraction in that area is none other than the city’s fort. This is likely the oldest fort in the entire country, and it is certainly the best looking one as well, though the latter is personal preference. It is perched atop a hill overlooking the city, and its prominent position only makes it look all the more imposing.
Since this fort has seen better days, especially after its bombing by the British in 1925, it was partially restored a few decades ago. However, some of its original parts survived to this date and are quite visible even today. I hoped to see that there may be some information on the inside that filled you in on the history of the site, but the local authorities preferred to provide this service online. I checked out the QR code that was presented to me at the entrance of the fort, and it did have a good amount of information in it, for those that are interested. In hindsight, this just might be a better way to do things. It seemed like the emphasis was put on keeping this place as authentic as possible, using the merits of technology rather than turning it into any other museum is one way to preserve the historicity of the place better.
You can clearly see the rugged terrain that I mentioned earlier on by scaling one of the towers of the fort. These mountains are what you pass through to get to Fujairah from Dubai, and I have to say, I wish I could stop and enjoy them during my day trip as well. The infrequency of the buses made that impossible for me, however, on the way, I did see a few small towns with forts of their own. Some of these also had clearly laid out and very inviting tracks going up to the peaks of some of the nearby hills. A part of me knows that one day I should be back to do a bit of hiking in this emirate, and perhaps a few others.
On the other side of the tower, the view changes significantly. You can see the previously mentioned oasis/garden from above here, and it looks even greener somehow. Out there in the distance, you can make out the Indian Ocean as well. This was where I was going to walk to after I was done with the fort. Seeing the ocean with my own eyes gave me the necessary energy to make the trek, and so I went ahead and crossed the majority of Fujairah on foot, which really did not take all that much time.
This view may not seem like much to most of my readers, however to me, it meant a lot. Indian Ocean was the only one that I could not see with my own eyes up until this point, since I got very lucky with the Arctic one during an unexpected trip to Arkhangelsk, though I suppose it is debatable whether that one counts or not. In any case, I would like to think that I have seen them all, and so now all that remains is to sail on each and every one of them in due time! It did feel quite nice to be able to just sit down and enjoy the ships passing by, imagining what went down on the other side of the ocean. However, I realized that I was a bit too comfortable enjoying the moment, as in, I was not bothered by the sun anymore. Well, that was because thick clouds were now getting in the way of the sun. While this was a welcome change at first, I quickly realized that some rain, surprisingly, was on its way.
This was a most unexpected change in the weather. It was positively getting a bit chilly as well, which, once again, was welcome at the time, but it did mean that it was probably time I got back to the bus station and take the bus back to Dubai. On the way, I enjoyed some small spots around the more central areas of modern Fujairah, such as this gateway which presumably opened to a cultural center of sorts. It was closed at the time, so I am not sure. It may just be an entrance to a courtyard or a marketplace too.
I then chanced upon the local markets, which was a welcome change in pace. There were actually some locals in this part of the town, it was not just me wondering around as I did for the last hour or so. People were very friendly, and offered me some fruits to taste, however, I was in a bit of a hurry to catch my bus. I eventually found the minibus that once brought me from the bus station to Fujairah’s center and used it in the opposite direction.
Frankly, I was glad to be back at the bus station, as the weather only got worse over time. I could feel a few droplets on my skin, and the wind started to be a bit too strong for my taste. I did sacrifice a lot for this comfort though, I will admit that. I had to let go off seeing the horses, and I could not even hike this small hill with five tiny towers on it. This was just above the Flag Park, close to the city’s new bus station. It would have only taken an hour or so to get there, hike around, and come back, but I simply did not have the time for it if I wanted to catch the next bus, and the weather certainly did not seem great for a hike anyways. Already being satisfied with my trip thus far, actually having done all I came here to do, I got on the bus E700 and went back to Dubai’s Etisalat Bus Station.
At the end, I can confidently say that a visit to Fujairah, even if you can only see its capital, is well worth your time. The locals were all extremely friendly and outright smiley, without a single exception. The fort was simply the most authentic looking one I saw during my entire trip in the UAE, and it provided the most dramatic views from atop. Heck, even the lunch I had at Pizza Hut was remarkable both due to the quality of the product, and because of the friendliness of the manager who did not seem bothered by my numerous questions regarding the emirate and its denizens. I understand that there is more Fujairah than what I could write about in this article, and for that reason I would love to be back there one day to hike around its mountains, to see the oldest mosque in the region, and so on. Who knows, maybe I can update this piece over time as well.