We all know that Sharjah is a big Emirate although its geographical position is a little bit complicated on the map of the UAE. When you go to Fujairah and make it to Kalba, it is Sharjah. When you go to Khor Fakkan, again, it is Sharjah. If ever you want to do some ‘Desert Experience’ and go to Maleiha and Madam, it is Sharjah again! I thought that was it, until I learned that there’s something crazier than that fact. And that is…. there’s a territory of UAE INSIDE Oman INSIDE UAE! Woah! Let's do it again one by one....
UAE (Sharjah) INSIDE Oman (Madha) INSIDE UAE (Fujairah)
This unique yet a common situation around the world is called ‘counter enclaves’. According to Wikipedia, and I quote, an enclave is one country to be completely surrounded by a part of another country that is itself an enclave of the first country.
To give you the visuals of the counter enclaves in the UAE, let's check the maps below:
If we zoom in...
Is this real? Yes, it is real! This territory is open to the public and you can come as you please. You can go and visit Madha, Oman (Yes! Oman!) without the need to process any visa.
Oman inside the UAE: Town of Madha
Madha, is an Omani territory inside the UAE. There’s no border control in this area which is the same scenario in Stairway to Heaven. However, that means you won't gain any travel stamps either - if that's what you're after.
Travel stamps aside, you'll:
- see the decorative lamp posts of Oman (you know it’s Oman when you see these lamp posts)
- receive a text right away that your network shifted to roaming (Three of my friends received a text but I didn’t. Though my network suddenly changed to Oman Mobile from Etisalat)
- see vehicles with Oman number plate (it feels different trust me!)
- Oman flags and picture of the Qaboos bin Said Al Said, the Sultan of Oman
Not long after you enter Oman, your network will notify you that you are back inside the UAE territory (Nahwa, Sharjah). We are now back in Sharjah friends sorry!
UAE inside Oman inside the UAE: Village of Nahwa
Nahwa doesn't match the typical image of Sharjah that you know or imagine (err the traffic). It is very much the opposite as it's not crowded at all, instead it's very laid back and peaceful. Here, you will be able to hear the sound of the whistling trees, the chirping birds, the water splashes from the locals (and probably tourists like us!) playing at the pond if there's no vehicle passing by. How's that for Sharjah? 🙂
This town is just a small with three sections: New Nahwa, Old Nahwa (I can barely recall which is which during my first visit) and the small Shis Village.
To reach the destination, we drove to Madha first and explored the area before heading to Nahwa. When we crossed the Oman – UAE Border, I really could not tell if we were in the New Nahwa or the Old Nahwa. Eventually, we just followed the road and the Google Map and arrived at the Shis Village. You will know it’s the Shis Village when you reach this sign post.
The ‘Tourist Road’ is (yes, obviously) for us, tourists. This road was constructed for us not to disturb the residential area and village proper. The residents expect all of tourists to follow this road to respect their privacy.
During our visit, we used the following locations in Google Map:
- Madha, Oman
- Wadi Shis, Sharjah
Otherwise, you can go directly to Wadi Shis from Al Raugh Tunnel (the famous 1.3km tunnel) but then you will miss the lovely Madha, Oman.
One thing is for sure, if you love exploring and the outdoors, you would love to drive here! Not only will you learn something new, but the drive and the view is amazing and refreshing. There are sign posts of rules and regulations (please be reminded that this is still part of Sharjah) so please be mindful of your actions and be a responsible tourist. Let’s not disturb the peace that these territories are enjoying and always take your garbage out. 🙂
