We only had half-a-day in Fujairah so I selected to take a 4x4 safari to the Hajar Mountains that run north to south down the spine of he peninsular – if you can think back to the map. The first stop was the so-called Friday Market – a traditional, and this case, roadside ‘souk’. Even the name is a little strange since this market opens every day. The origin of the name is mystery but records dating back many decades document that three Emirati farmers would come to the Mosque for Friday Prayers and afterwards unload the produce from their farms for sale at roadside stalls.
There was a huge variety of fresh fruit and veg on sale, including hands of the smallest but sweetest bananas I have ever seen or tasted - as well as local pottery and carpets – albeit that the latter were pretty garish. The call was also for a comfort break before we climbed into the mountains but with literally only one toilet for the men and one for women, and once all the main tours arrived you can imagine the length of the queues!
We wound our way in our four-by-four –wheel drive vehicles through some spectacular and breath-taking scenery with the odd Bedouin encampment.
From the vantage point shown in the photo you can see across the peninsular to the city of Dibba on the Persian Gulf. Dibba is divided into three sectors belonging to Sharjah (Another UAE Emirate), Fujairah and Oman – an independent state and the country I am to visit next.
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