Jebel Hafit rises out of the flat desert at the edge of Al Ain like a long, pale whale, and on its lower slopes sit some of the oldest buildings in the United Arab Emirates. These are beehive tombs, circular cairns of stacked stone, built around five thousand years ago in the early Bronze Age, which give their name to the Hafit period of Arabian prehistory. Dozens of them survive on the ridges and foothills, and the ones near the wildlife park are easy to reach, standing in the open on a spur of rock with the town on one side and the dry mountain on the other.
The tombs are part of the cultural sites of Al Ain, listed by UNESCO in 2011 together with the old oasis, the Hili archaeological park and the Bida Bint Saud area. The oasis around the town is still green with date palms, watered by the ancient falaj channels, and the old mud-brick fort of Al Jahili, built in the 1890s, is where Sheikh Zayed, the founder of the UAE, was born. Al Ain is called the garden city, and it has a quieter, shadier feel than the coastal cities.
For riders, Jebel Hafit has a special attraction. A road of about twelve kilometres climbs the mountain in a long series of hairpins and bends, widely known for smooth surfacing and an endless run of bends, and rises to a plateau of over a thousand metres with a view across the desert to the Omani mountains. At the top there is a hotel and a viewpoint, and the sunset from here is superb. The road is popular with cyclists and drivers, especially on weekends, and there are speed cameras, so keep to the limit. Sand can blow onto the road, and the evenings can be busy.
Heat is the main issue. From June to September temperatures are extreme, with highs often over forty-five degrees, so ride in the early morning or after sunset. From November to March it is warm and pleasant, with clear skies, and this is the best time to visit. Fuel is cheap and plentiful in Al Ain, and cafes and restaurants stay open late. Across the border, Buraimi in Oman is only a few kilometres away, with the old forts and the market, though the border crossing needs your papers and the right insurance for the vehicle.