The UAE on the Indian Ocean side — Hajar mountains, coral reefs, and ancient forts far from the glitter
Fujairah is the only emirate entirely on the Gulf of Oman rather than the Persian Gulf, giving it a completely different character from Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The Hajar Mountains drop sharply to a rocky coastline with some of the UAE's best diving and snorkelling, pristine wadis cut through the rock, and the oldest city in the UAE (dating back 4,000 years) sits above the coast. It is the UAE for people who don't want what the UAE is usually selling.
The area around Fujairah has been inhabited since at least 2000 BCE — the Fujairah Fort (built around 1670 CE) stands above a tell that archaeologists have dated to Bronze Age occupation. The Sharqiyin tribe who ruled the region were the last to join the Trucial States agreement with Britain in 1952, and Fujairah became a full emirate only in 1972. Its Indian Ocean position gave it stronger cultural links to Oman and the seafaring world than to the Gulf states.