A trip into the UAE’s desert for a bit of dune bashing and belly dancing is a rite of passage for any resident or tourist. But there’s much more to the sands than that: How about stargazing and a spot of archaeology? If you’ve got a bit of an Indiana Jones in you, then it’s time to visit Sharjah’s Mleiha Archaeological Centre.
Located on the Al Kalba road, the archaeological centre offers a selection of daytime and night-time activities such as stargazing, fossil rock sighting, ecological tracking and trekking, based around the ongoing research into the UAE’s history that’s taking place there. “[Creating the centre was] actually a recent idea [done] to enhance the ecological tourism of Sharjah,” says the centre’s destination manager Mahmoud Al Suwaidi. “There are still excavations going on.”
The region is teeming with history and based on excavations made in the 1980s, artefacts that date back to the early Stone Age were found, Suwaidi says. After years of research, the centre was opened in February and offers guests a history lesson wrapped up in entertainment and adventure.
I visited the enclosure, about 75 kilometres from Dubai, one evening earlier this summer. The ride is a little lonely and the dim street lights are not very reassuring, so I recommend drivers map out their route before embarking on the journey to avoid getting lost.
Peaceful silence
The hourlong trip from Dubai is worth it once the Archaeological Centre comes into view. The building is in the middle of the desert and is surrounded by small mountains. There is a peaceful silence around the area, well away from the city and the main roads. Here, the dim lighting is welcomed as it not only highlights the Mleiha enclosure from the surrounding darkness, but also helped me feel at one with nature.
The main hub offers visitors a museum tour documenting the different periods of human history, revealing how humans survived in the area in the past. With videos, holographic images and state-of-the art technology, the museum tour is a part of all the packages at the Centre and is a must-see.
Faisal, my tour guide, and one of the best night-time dune drivers, gave my friends and I the feel of the desert by taking us for a brief ride over the orange dunes and stopping to show us fossil rocks that were embedded in the mountains and could only be seen with the help of water.
Majlis
The Mleiha Desert Star Lounge is not a regular feature at the archaeological centre; the majlis is exclusively set up for customers who book it. With a barbecue, Arabic salads and dates, this modest spread is the perfect amount of food before you hit the dunes again (it’s Dh175 per person with a ten person minimum). Sitting under the pitch-black sky, surrounded by lanterns, sand and mountains, it is the perfect escape from the city and makes you feel like you’re in a chapter from Arabian Nights. Feeling the warm sand under your feet with a cold breeze tickling your ears is something else all together. The tranquillity and the minimal lighting helps visitors feel at one with nature and this is what distinguishes the centre from other desert adventures.
Not far from the lounge, a telescope is set up to catch a closer glimpse of the stars and planets that decorate the sky. My friends and I were educated on the galaxy, black holes, constellations and other aspects of astronomy.
“Every other desert safari will take you either to a camp where you’ll sit down, have a barbecue, chill, see the beauty of the desert on a drive somewhere,” Suwaidi says, “but [you don’t] get to see ancient eras, real artefacts mixed with desert adventures [and] adventure sports such as cycling, trekking and more. You don’t get an expert that talks to you about wildlife and planets, either. So that’s why we’re unique.”
Educational experience
The centre offers activities and adventures that suit the entire family and everyone one can take part in the educational experience while having fun. The 90-minute archeological tour, Dh150, takes visitors around the various historical sites of Mleiha; the night-time off-road tour explores natural landscapes and all tours include the museum tour, which is also priced separately at Dh25. Stargazing and planet-watching (Dh45 onwards) can be done with the help of an expert, as can Fatboy bike guided tours, which start at Dh70.
Ajmal Hassan, Mleiha’s wildlife expert, can “tell you each and every Latin name of the animals that exist, [as well as take you] on a trek to show you the animals,” Suwaidi adds.
Many of the new Centre’s activities are still being implemented. The centre, which is managed by the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority, Shurooq, will offer paragliding (Dh800) and paramotoring (Dh500); survival camps (Dh2,500, for those over 18) in the desert wilderness and Hammock Camp (Dh150) by early November.
Transportation
There are also plans for horse riding, and a hotel is also planned in the area so that people can take part in both the daytime and night-time activities and retire somewhere nearby. If you’re a tourist or can’t brave the long journey, the centre also offers transportation (at additional cost).
With my busy schedule, it was nice to take some time out for myself for a change. I’ve always complained that with the pollution in the city and the bright building lights, one can never see the stars in the sky, but after visiting the Mleiha Archaeological Centre; I’ve had my fill for days. Not only did I learn about the history of the region, I also experienced the desert first hand, enjoyed natural views and the tranquillity of the outdoors. It is an escape from the buzzing city and nature lover or not, this place is worth a visit.
— Shreya Bhatia is an intern with Gulf News.
