Into the desert

After 5 years, I finally returned to the United Arab Emirates – a trip I had long planned with my father but which we had to postpone several times due to Covid. This time around, I wanted to exprience the Arabian desert so after landing in Dubai, we first headed to Al Ain, a desert oasis right on the border with Oman.

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Al Ain Oasis and Fort

Al Ain rises from the desert like a green garden – and has been for more then 7000 years been one of the most important oases on the Arabian peninsula. Control over the oasis was coveted by the Bedouin tribes as it would give them control over trade routes on the Eastern peninsula and served as an important stop-over on the way to Mekka. This can still be felt today as even the modern border between the UAE and Oman cuts right through the formerly unified settlement areas of Al-Buraimi and the cityscape of Al Ain is dotted with defensive forts built in the 19th century. The Al Ain Oasis is still being tended to using the traditional “falaj” irrigation system, where small plots of land are assigned a limited amount of water from the wells to grow plants such as date palms.

Zayed Palace Museum

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder of the United Arab Emirates, spent much of his life in the palace in Al Ain before moving the seat of the family and government to Abu Dhabi. The palace was restored into its state in the early 20th century and nowadays serves as a museum, beautifully showing the architectural style and culture of the emirates before unification and the discovery of oil.

Moonlit nights and Sunrises

Al Ain was also instrumental in the early spread of Islam and is said to have been the location of the first mosque being built in the area of today’s UAE in the 7th century. The historical remnants of Al Ains’s first mosque were uncovered during the construction of the new Sheikh Khalifa Mosque.

Nearby the city, right on the border to Oman rises Jebel Hafeet, offering stunning views over the mountain ridges and a chance to glimpse the Arabian Tahr living on the slopes of the mountain.

From Al Ain, we then headed to Telal Desert Resort, (possibly the best hotel we ever stayed in, highly recommended!) a hotel located in the desert, where I could finally catch some desert sunrises…

In the desert

…and some incredible desert views. I wanted to get out of the city and into the desert since I was in the UAE last time. Because as the cities and highways are pretty much protected and cut off from the desert, you actually need to put some effort into getting out of the built-up areas.

Our hotel was located right adjacent to an area of protected landscape where Oryx and Sand Gazelle roam, so we could essentially walk from our room over the dunes and into the desert – or take a 4×4 into the dunes as we did.

Experiencing the desert like that was an amazing experience – a landscape that changes its shapes and colours throughout the day and where you loose the feeling for distances.

Eat, drink and be merry

One thing that absolutely amazed us was the hospitality and the food on our trip. The variety, quality and amount of food we got served at every dinner put every European male to shame. 😉 Somewhat unexpectedly, foreigners can actually buy all kinds of alcohol at certain supermarkets or shops – but locals are not allowed in, just like in hotel bars. On the other hand, we were surprised that Tobacco shops abound and offer a wide range of products.