Instawalk: The Northeast United Arab Emirates (Fujairah and Sharjah)

on the Dubai DO with Points Summary and Travel Summary (and someone else who doesn’t summarize)

most people who visit the UAE go to Dubai and maybe even Abu Dhabi (especially if you’re from Sex and the City). but there’s more to the country — five more emirates, to be exact. during the DO we drove through and stopped in most of them, though i found Fujairah and Sharjah to be the most picturesque.

Take it from me, you will NOT look this glamorous when the heat index is pushing 130+. BTW, everyone knows I’m normally the Samantha, but look at Miranda!

Fujairah

while less popular than emirates to the west, Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman seemed to be where many expats in the larger cities came to get away from it all.

Fujairah Fort, built in 1670, is the oldest in the UAE. And it’s free to enter!

The interior of Fujairah Fort. Be sure to climb up to the top of one of the towers!

The view from the top of Fujairah Fort

A windswept beach

Al Badiyah Mosque, one of the oldest in the UAE, possibly dating to 1446. Closed to non-Muslims in the afternoons.

One of the lookout towers above Al Badiyah Mosque.

Sharjah

located just north of Dubai, it’s worlds away. while we were only there for a short time, it was quieter, less glitzy (in a good way) yet more classy, and much more down to earth. if i were to come back to the UAE, i think i’d like to spend the majority of my visit here. while a city in a separate emirate, it’s Dubai’s major suburb, and feels like it (again, in a good way).

Al Zahra Mosque (aka Zehra)

A crowded market stall in the indoor Souq al-Arsah.

Souq al-Arsah was technically closed (according to some websites) when we visited, though some stalls remained open. Much of it, though, was devoid of people.

is it odd that now that i’ve been home for nearly a week i kind of miss the heat? there i couldn’t wait to get into a mall or anywhere with air conditioning, but here, where temps top out around 80, it seems a bit chilly!

Car says it's 51°C out. In American that's 123.8°F. pic.twitter.com/5Dz6I2HrYt

— Jonathan Khoo (@jonk) August 15, 2014