Hidden Gems - Suwaidi Pearl Farm Ras Al Khaimah
Another UAE adventure led me to the Suwaidi Pearl farm in Ras Al Khaimah. Definitely worth the 90min trip from Dubai, exploring the local mangrove area, seeing a camel farm on the beach, and finally the floating pearl farm.
Another UAE adventure led me to the Suwaidi Pearl farm in Ras Al Khaimah. Definitely worth the 90min trip from Dubai, exploring the local mangrove area, seeing a camel farm on the beach, and finally the floating pearl farm.
Buhais Geology Park in Sharjah, UAE
Sharjah is always in the shadows of its larger and flashier neighbouring emirates, yet it has made a name for itself for its historical, cultural and art related venues.
Sharjah is always in the shadows of its larger and flashier neighbouring emirates, yet it has made a name for itself for its historical, cultural and art related venues. A host of museums and destinations like the Mleiha archeology centre are always worth a trip. One of the latest additions to the emirate’s portfolio of somewhat more obscure but nevertheless amazing list of activities is the Buhais Geology Park near the mountain range of the same name, just before the desert slowly gives way to the Hajar mounts. While the architecture of the building embedded into the former seabed - designed by Hopkins Architects - is worth a visit, the exhibits and explanation of the unique geological history of the region make it all the more interesting.
Summer Nights at Buraq Dam, UAE
The UAE is not famous for its landscapes and mountains, but once you dig a little deeper, the country is full of amazing and unexpected scenery. A short drive from Dubai, about 1h, brings you to Buraq Dam, close to the Omani border.
The UAE is not famous for its landscapes and mountains, but once you dig a little deeper, the country is full of amazing and unexpected scenery. A short drive from Dubai, about 1h, brings you to Buraq Dam, close to the Omani border. If you’re lucky, you can see the filled with water and birds flocking its shores. Regardless, the mountainous terrain and cooler air makes for a great hiking or camping spot. Because the location is quite far form city lights, it’s also an excellent spot for some stargazing!
Dubai Partial Solar Eclipse
Dubai was witness to a partial solar eclipse on June 21st, 2020 - the second in the last few months. This time, the UAE did not get to experience the full eclipse as it’s not located in the narrow band that experiences this rare phenomenon, but it was still a spectacular sight, with the skies darkening noticeably and shadows becoming fuzzy.
Dubai was witness to a partial solar eclipse on June 21st, 2020 - the second in the last few months. This time, the UAE did not get to experience the full eclipse as it’s not located in the narrow band that experiences this rare phenomenon, but it was still a spectacular sight, with the skies darkening noticeably and shadows becoming fuzzy.
The sight began at 8:14 (UAE local time) when the moon moved in front of the sun, and the eclipse was over at 11:12. I was lucky enough to be able to capture it from my balcony, and had set up my Olympus OMD EM-1 to shoot a sequence using a star tracker and home made solar filter.
Here are the results.
A full view of the middle portion of the eclipse.
A view of the the eclipse covering almost the entire period of the moon covering the sun.
Here is a video representing the same period - this was very tricky to align and smoothen out, as my tracker was not perfectly polar aligned, requiring some manual movement of the camera.
Sharjah Light Festival
Organised by the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority, the Sharjah light festival illuminates 19 locations across the emirates with light shows accompanied by music and other activities, telling stories and bringing together the community. On the last day of the festival, I ventured out to a few of the locations to capture some of the artistic vision.
Organised by the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority, the Sharjah light festival illuminates 19 locations across the emirate with light shows accompanied by music and other activities, telling stories and bringing together the community. On the last day of the festival, I ventured out to a few of the locations to capture some of the artistic vision.
Buraq Dam - UAE Mountain Bliss
For the Quadrantid meteor shower in early January. we chose to explore a new spot up in the Hajar mountains of the UAE - Buraq Dam.
For the Quadrantid meteor shower in early January. we chose to explore a new spot up in the Hajar mountains of the UAE - Buraq Dam.
While the dam didn’t have any water - in fact most of it looked very dry - during out visit, it offered a beautiful quiet and dark spot to look into the night sky, surrounded by mountains. The only downside: The flight path of the DXB runway runs almost directly above this area, so you get a lot of planes in the sky.
It’s a relatively easy drive about an hour out from Dubai, and only the last few hundred meters need a bit of careful driving if you’re not in a 4x4.
We had a few lucky moments dawn, starting to see some meteors after midnight on the northeastern side, but I could only capture two on photos - can you spot them?
This short timelapse video below gives an idea of the amounts of planes flying into DXB during the night, slightly disrupting the peace and quiet of the Hajar mountains.
Abu Dhabi - A weekend of Sights
While I do prefer Dubai over the capital, Abu Dhabi features a lot of interesting sights. A weekend trip in March 2019 took me to a few new ones: The Presidential Palace, the Founders Memorial, Qasr Al Hosn and the Etihad Towers observation deck, with a quick stop at Emirates Palace as well.
While I do prefer Dubai over the capital, Abu Dhabi features a lot of interesting sights. A weekend trip in March 2019 took me to a few new ones: The Presidential Palace, the Founders Memorial, Qasr Al Hosn and the Etihad Towers observation deck, with a quick stop at Emirates Palace as well.
The Buried Village of Al Madam
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.
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.
Sir Bani Yas Island - Greening the Desert
Bani Yas Island has always been on my UAE To Do List. The island is about a 3,5 hour drive and 30min boat ride from Dubai and lies off the coast of Abu Dhabi in the western region. It’s the largest natural island in the UAE. Its rich history, incredible flora and fauna and the story of how it evolved into a major conservation project truly makes it a globally unique destination.
Bani Yas Island has always been on my UAE To Do List. The island is about a 3,5 hour drive and 30min boat ride from Dubai and lies off the coast of Abu Dhabi in the western region. It’s the largest natural island in the UAE. Its rich history, incredible flora and fauna and the story of how it evolved into a major conservation project truly makes it a globally unique destination.
The Fossil Rock Area
In July 2018 I took another drive into the UAE deserts, this time heading out to Sharjah's famous Fossil Rock area, a beautiful rock formation around the town of Maleha. While not as dark as other spots in the UAE (and therefore not ideal for Milky Way spotting), it makes for an amazing place to venture out at night. Aside from the natural beauty of the rocks dotted into the desert dunes, we spotted a desert fox and scorpions as well.
In July 2018 I took another drive into the UAE deserts, this time heading out to Sharjah's famous Fossil Rock area, a beautiful rock formation around the town of Maleha. While not as dark as other spots in the UAE (and therefore not ideal for Milky Way spotting), it makes for an amazing place to venture out at night. Aside from the natural beauty of the rocks dotted into the desert dunes, we spotted a desert fox and scorpions as well.
The Rain Room - Sharjah Art Foundation
The Rain Room opened in May 2018 and is part of the Sharjah Art Foundation Collection and the first of a series of artist-designed permanent spaces. It's meant to illustrate humanity's interaction with nature through inviting you to walk through a downpour of continuous rain without getting wet.
The Rain Room opened in May 2018 and is part of the Sharjah Art Foundation Collection and the first of a series of artist-designed permanent spaces. It's meant to illustrate humanity's interaction with nature by inviting you to walk through a downpour of continuous rain without getting wet. Learn more here
Fujairah - The other side of the UAE
Took a day trip to Fujairah, passing Masafi Town, Dibba, Khor Fakkan and Fujairah City on the way and stopping at Wadi Shawka on the drive back. Time well spent for sure.
Took a day trip to Fujairah, passing Masafi Town, Dibba, Khor Fakkan and Fujairah City on the way and stopping at Wadi Shawka on the drive back. Time well spent for sure.
The Abandoned Plane - A UAE mystery
Never stop exploring, and you may just find an abandoned plane at the old Umm Al Quwain airfield. Stopped here on the way back from Jebel Jais in October 2017.
Never stop exploring, and you may just find an abandoned plane at the old Umm Al Quwain airfield. Stopped here on the way back from Jebel Jais in October 2017.
