On the surface, a desert doesn’t offer much, but many times there’s more to things than the eye sees on first glance. The same is true for a little strip of land behind the village of Al Madam on the old Dubai-Hatta road, where you can find a lost and abandoned set of houses and a mosque that is slowly taken over by the relentless dunes composed of the fine UAE sands.

Garden Entrance

Some of the houses in the buried village still feature their garden walls and entrance doors.

Who was here?

According to locals, the village was inhabited by the Al Kutbi tribe but no one is really sure why they left.

Moden facilities

A few houses still feature some interior amenities - they seem to have been built in the 70s or 80s.

Identical

The houses all follow the same style, with the exception of the mosque visible in the background.

Interiors

Dunes have made it into most of the rooms.

Disappearing

I wonder if the village will ever disappear completely.

Desert Views

Looking westwards from the village.

Sunset

The late afternoon is probably the best time to visit.

Remains

One wonders what the remains are - a bed frame?

Haunted?

Legend says people left because of the jinn, supernatural creatures that Arabs and Muslims believe exist in this world but not visible to human eyes; the creatures are also mentioned in the Quran.