On our way to Fujairah Rotana Resort and Spa, a lookout tower on top of a rock mountain along the road caught my attention. If I was behind the steering wheel, I'd immediately pull over! Oh the major disadvantage of not being able to drive! So, there I was, restless on the passenger seat while trying to snap a perfect photo on board a fast-moving vehicle. Our cab driver perhaps saw me sighing over the blurry photos. He immediately offered to fetch us at the resort on our check out time and granted our request to have a quick stop at the historical site!
After a very relaxing stay at Fujairah Rotana in Al Aqah, my most awaited stop over happened. I was there mainly for the lookout tower, but it turned out that there's another landmark worth-seeing: The Al Badiyah Mosque.
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| Al Badiyah Mosque |
The small mosque located at the foot of a rocky hill, between Khor Fakkan and Al Aqah, is the oldest in the UAE. It was built of stone and mud at around 1446 AD and remains to be functional place of worship in this modern day. Visitors can go in, however women should be appropriately dressed. During our visit, only Ed was allowed to go near the mosque since it was prayer time and I was wearing a short dress.
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| Fujairah's must-see historical site |
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| the oldest place of worship in the UAE |
In less than a minute hike, we reached the top of the rocky hill where two lookout towers were built. We stayed there for quite some time and admired the beauty of the Hajar Mountain that stretches from Fujairah to Oman. I was a little worried that our taxi driver would get bored waiting for us inside the car, but instead we saw him standing beside the tower, enjoying the panoramic view as well! :)
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| a lookout tower on top of a rocky hill |
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| panoramic view of the Hajar Mountains |
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| our 'cool' cab driver beside the fortress |
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| Ed and I on top of the rocky hill. |
We explored the area in a matter of mere 15 minutes. Though the friendly cab driver said that we could stay longer if we like, we decided to go on with our journey to the city. We were actually quite scared that the add-on tour could also mean extra charges, but at the end of the trip, he never asked for anything other that the fare shown in the taximeter. Bless him!
Location:
Al Badiyah Archeological Mosque
Fujairah
United Arab Emirates
9 Blogger Comments
Wow, you took amazing photos, sis! Parang post card! The place is absolutely beautiful, you are so lucky you're able to see places like that. Good to know that your friendly cab driver was game, too. :-)
ReplyDeleteThe place looks very peaceful and quiet. Perfect for a religious structure like that mosque.
ReplyDeleteThe infrastructure looks amazing.
ReplyDeleteParang ang sarap sarap ng buhay mo hehehe puro gala lang at kain :)
If I happen to pass that area I see to it I stop and explore. Truly an amazing structure!
ReplyDeleteSuper nice naman ng driver. The place is amazingly beautiful and you took lovely photos as well. It looks like I saw this on amazing race last year.:)
ReplyDeleteGanda ng shots Sis! Some tourists don't like those kind of scenery but for me bentang benta yan. Love nature and anything that's part of history.
ReplyDeleteInteresting structures given that they have different shapes! Never been to Middle East but I love the food. As long as it is historical with a gorgeous location, I will surely love it.
ReplyDeleteI love this kind of place. Sadly my husband is not into historical sites, he's more into amusement parks. Haha. But I would enjoy this place if ever given a chance to travel.
ReplyDeleteThe place looks peaceful. Parang ang sarap mamasyal under the sun. Hindi ba mainit?
ReplyDeleteMommy Maye
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