3 Attractions You Need to Visit in Ras Al-Khaimah
Ras Al-Khaimah is a popular weekend getaway for many Dubai residents with one of the main attractions of this region being Jebel Jais. This is one of the best spots to visit in the UAE for those with a spirit for adventure, whether you want to zipline down the mountain or hike its slopes.
Though it might be the main one, there are a lot more fascinating places that Ras Al-Khaimah has on offer.
Jebel Jais
Jebel Jais, part of the Hajar Mountain Range, is the UAE’s tallest mountain, standing at 1,934 meters, and is located 55 kilometres northeast of Ras Al-Khaimah. A 20-kilometre road to the top winds up the mountain’s slope in a switchback, with viewing platforms along the way to take in the far-reaching vistas of the surrounding barren cliffs.
Viewing Deck Park, located at the top of the road, is a series of terraces from which tourists can gaze out over the rugged peaks all the way to the coastal plain. It’s a great spot to take some stunning photographs, especially in the evening, as the scenery is set aglow by the light of the setting sun.
Jazirat al-Hamra
Jazirat al-Hamra was founded in the 16th century as a fishing and pearling community. Today, this village, around 20 kilometres south of Ras Al-Khaimah city, sits abandoned, filled with slowly crumbling buildings sporting coral-block architecture.
In the 1960s, the village’s residents abandoned it once the pearling industry died out and the oil boom began. Since then, resorts and new urban areas have sprung up all around it on the coastal plain, making it primarily eerie and empty.
Thanks to the dry desert climate, much of the coral-block architecture has survived, allowing tourists to get an authentic look at traditional Emirati village life in the past.
Shimal
The modest village of Shimal, about 12 kilometres north of Ras Al-Khaimah city, near the Hajar Mountains, is the location of several hundred pre-Islamic tombs and a settlement that dates from 2000-1300 BC. The location is one of the most important archaeological sites in the UAE and those history buffs among you are sure to get quite a kick out of a visit to this place.
Pottery, stone vessels, bronze and copper weaponry, and beads have all been found during archaeological digs. A massive circular tomb from the Umm al-Nar period was one of the most important discoveries here.
The modest Islamic-era Husn al-Shimal Fort, positioned on a rocky outcropping above, provides a good perspective of the surrounding area.