I really wish that I could show you a photograph of what I have just been looking at, but I cannot. It will all be word of mouth, I’m afraid. Actually, it’ll be word of newspaper, as I can’t even talk to you, so I will try to not only convey the view, but the impression, as it were.
What am I talking about? The journey from Fujairah, in the north of the UAE to the small town of Dibba, right up on the border between the UAE and Oman – not the normal Oman, but the little pointy bit that sticks out into the Arabian Gulf like an accusing finger and forms the Straits of Hormuz, just a few kilometres from Iran.
To say that the scenery is interesting is like saying that the sun in Bahrain in August is warm! It is quite spectacular. Not in a pretty way, though, in my opinion. It is one of the ugliest, rugged, harsh mountain views I have seen.
The mountains are quite close to Fujairah, where I have been staying, but I was needed daily in Dibba and so drove more than an hour each morning and evening. We had taken the coast road for the first couple of days, which was interesting enough, as I got to see the blot on the landscape that is the industrial side of the UAE, FOIZ, or Fujairah Oil Industry Zone.
If there is one oil tank, there must be hundreds. There is an oil pipeline which connects the oil fields near Abu Dhabi with Fujairah’s port, so as to avoid the journey through the above-mentioned Straits of Hormuz, and I suppose that they have to put it all somewhere, while it is waiting to be picked up.
Nevertheless, the coast road runs alongside the edge of the Hajar mountains, which are just magnificent. Ugly, to my eyes at least, but most impressive. En route we passed Al Bidyah mosque which is the oldest in the UAE, dating from around the fifteenth century. This stands in stark comparison with the beautiful Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Fujairah, which is the second biggest in the UAE. Both are well worth a visit.
This stretch of coast is home to many resort hotels, as the beaches are fabulous. Khorfakkan, a small town, lies here; I was once chased all the way down the beach here by a wasp. My children still chuckle at it, some 30 years on!
The journey from Dibba back to Fujairah took us into the mountains and the views were just wonderful. Little villages, juxtaposing plunging wadis and electricity pylons that defy engineering sense, placed where they are, characterise this route. Inhospitable, grey, Mordor-like jagged peaks, resembling the edge of a blackened serrated blade. Extremely arid, with few living things able to cope with the challenge, they are made from limestone and form the basis of much quarrying, especially in the next Emirate, Ras Al Khaimah. Masafi is a well-known village here, with its eponymous water supplying many in the Middle East.
If anyone asks you if you want to go to the mountains in the Northern Emirates, say yes. They aren’t pretty, but they are impressive.