Dhaya Fort, Ras al Khaimah

It was in one of my solo trips to this emirate where I first reached Dhaya fort. I was looking for a cool rest house when my GPS brought me to this area. Built on top of a hill, this fort was in a position ideal for defense. It had a commanding vantage point that gave it an advantage in sighting approaching enemies.

This was the last fort to surrender to the British in 1819. Since fort was out of range for the invaders' canons, the British had to take their canon from the ship, drag if a few kilometers over the sand under the unforgiving heat. The fort was not built for long sieges. The inhabitant's surrendered after a few shots were fired. 

At present, this is one of my favorite places in Ras al Khaimah. It currently overlooks dates plantations and rocky mountains in the east. The road leading to the fort is a dead end terminating at the parking lot of the rest house at the foot of the hill with an inviting swimming pool that really offers a relief from the heat.

The climb to the top of the hill may be grueling but the reward of a magnificent view is worth it. remember to bring your water!

Al JAzirat Al Hamra: Ras al Khaima's Ghost town.

Spooky. That's what came to my mind when I first laid eyes on the dilapidated houses and sheds that were reduced to rubbles. It was a glaring, hot noon when we got to the town. Not a soul in sight. rubbish lined on side of what used to be a wall. Yes, this must be the town that stands as a shadow of the former booming village that served as home to the Za'ab tribe or Ras al Khaima.

An hour away from Dubai metropolis, this rubble of artifacts brings one to another dimension of time. A quick hike around the area shows visitors hinds of how life must have been.

Occupied since the 14th century, Jazirat al Hamra, which translates as "The Red Island", served as a major trading post located in the south of Ras al Khaima. The Za'ab tribes were also called Hadhr, which is the local name for coastal Bedouins, whose livelihood depended mainly on fishing and pearling.



Houses in this village were constructed using grounded corals and mud. This stands unique and the area has recently been fenced for renovation.

This village was abandoned around 40 years ago. Reasons for leaving the village vary, depending on who you ask. Some say people were forced out be the ruler while others say residents just left the place for a more comfortable homes. A more trivial reason is that that place was haunted. This gave me the reason to consider this as a place to visit.

Friends who went for a night photo shoot have their own hair-rising stories to tell. Among the unexplained stories is the case of the flash batteries. This group of avid photographers came with fully charged batteries for their flash guns. on the area, none of their flash guns worked, They had to improvise with their camera's pop-up flashes. When they got back to Dubai that same night, all their flash units worked well. 


My last visit to the place showed a lot of changes. The area has been cleaned and major structures such as the bastakiya and mosques have been fenced. This shows that construction will commence in time and if one wishes to see the town known to have jinn and other mysterious goats, the best time to visit would be now,