Tayyibbah Heritage Museum has to have one of the best locations of museums here, set at the edge of a village in the Hajar mountains overlooking farms and itself in lush green grounds. Walking through the grounds, up and down winding paths, passing traditional houses and climbing narrow steps, you may feel like you’re not in the UAE at all.
Amongst the artefacts, you can find traditional items from Bedu and mountain lifestyles like water carriers, shields and weapons along with later additions such as old TVs and gramophones. There are even rocks with petroglyphs.
What’s even better is that you can stay there! The ‘resort’ area has two bedrooms, kitchen, pool and a majlis (seating area) with a stunning view of the mountains with the greenery in the foreground. I could quite easily just sit there gazing over the mountains all day long.
Other accommodation just down the road is Al Qalaa Lodge. Click here to see more.
Combine your trip to the museum with a walk on the nearby gentle hiking trail (around an hour) or a visit further down the road to the fort and Governor’s Palace in Masafi. It’s also a good stop off point on the scenic route to/from Dibba.
Wadi al Hilo is one of Sharjah’s several enclaves. Just off the old Kalba Road, the valley lies on the old caravan trade route and has applied to be listed as a UNESCO Heritage Site as part of the Gateway to the Trucial States.
One of three watchtowers up on the hilltops overlooking many of the ruins.
Helo, as you may know, means sweet, so it is called The Sweet Valley. This is mainly attributed to the sweet water in the area which has made the land very fertile and particularly good for growing fruit. Farms can still be seen in the area growing different fruits and dates as well as fodder for animals such as goats.
It is also one of the many protected areas in the Emirate of Sharjah due to its biodiversity. It is home to many species of birds, rodents and reptiles as well as fish.
But Wadi al Helo is most famous for its rich history. It has ruins, graves and other archaeological sites from several periods and evidence from digs points to it having been more or less continuously inhabited for at least 10,000 years.
Sites and relics have been carbon-dated as far back as the Neolithic Period with dates given as at least 8000 BC. Later sites indicate settled life in the Bronze Age, Iron Age, Pre-Islamic and Islamic Ages.
A copper mining workshop dating back to 3000 BC was discovered during one of several archaeological digs. The larger area was one of the important copper mining centres and it was exported to Mesopotamia. Some relics can be seen in Al Hisn Museum, Khor Fakkan. And if you look closely at the surrounding mountains, you may still see copper veins running through them.
Copper ingot found at Wadi Al Helo, displayed at Al Hisn Museum, Khor Fakkan.
Rock art of people, animals, symbols and inscriptions was also discovered in the area dating back to different periods.
Credit: Michele Ziolkowski, Rock on Art: Petrogylph sites in the UAE, 2007
The mosque, which has been restored, and the village nearby are around 120 years old. The main house had a courtyard and a staircase and was surrounded by about twenty other houses as well as stores, fields, tobacco drying rooms, cemeteries, wells and the nearby watchtower. This indicates that they were fairly well off.
On one side, on top of the hill, you can see three watchtowers in a row which safeguarded the area. If you’re fit it’s a fairly easy climb up from the road in good weather and you can enjoy the view over the valley. There are also hiking groups which run organised trips.
You might see goats on a field trip too.
Park near the fort and explore the ruins from different ages nearby and then as you drive further up, you will pass many other structures on your way. It just goes on and on! The road itself is not paved, but it is a firm surface with grit and small stones. It is also one-way so you may find yourself backing up if you meet someone en route. Watch out for goats suddenly appearing on the road. As always, make sure you’re prepared for going off the beaten track.
Al Tawyeen Heritage Village in northwest Fujairah is a nice little stop on the way to or from Dibba if you’re taking Shohada Rd. It has several small buildings of different olden styles and small play areas.
One of the buildings houses a collection of artefacts and more recent items like old telephones, televisionss and radios.
Entrance is free and is from 8 to 8.
What else to do around Tawyeen
If you take the road to the right of the heritage village, you will find remains of a number of old buildings along the way.
If you have an interest in rock formations, on the other side of Shohada Rd, there are some great ones there. Click here to see more.
A little known treasure in Masafi is the Governor’s Palace not far from the fort. It lies within the Fujairah territory of Masafi and was home to Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad al Sharqi although it was more of a stopover when travelling to other parts and, like the fort, was of strategic importance.
It has been restored and is open to the public. Its setting amongst the mountains makes it a beautiful place to stop off en route to the cities, beaches or desert and the gardens at the front provide a perfect place to just sit on one of the benches and enjoy the peaceful surroundings.
