Sharjah's interior is a world of red dunes, gravel plains and jagged limestone ridges, and in the middle of it, near the town of Mleiha, the hill of Jebel Faya holds one of the most important records of early human presence outside Africa. Excavations in rock shelters at the foot of the mountain have revealed stone tools spanning many tens of thousands of years, suggesting that early modern humans were present in Arabia far earlier than once thought, during periods when the climate was wetter and the desert greener. The Faya Palaeolandscape was inscribed on the UNESCO list in 2025, recognising its significance for understanding human dispersal out of Africa.
Mleiha itself has a rich archaeological story, with Bronze Age and Iron Age tombs, and the remains of a pre-Islamic town that traded with the wider world. The Mleiha Archaeological Centre presents the finds and organises excursions into the desert, including to fossil sites and rock formations. The landscape is striking: the long ridge of Jebel Faya, the scattered acacia trees, and the dunes that glow orange in the late afternoon sun. At night the sky is dark, and the stars are brilliant.
The roads around Mleiha are excellent in the way that the UAE's roads usually are: wide, smooth and fast, with very little traffic away from the main highways. The road from Dhaid south toward Mleiha and on to the Hajar mountains passes through dunes and gravel plains, and the mountains to the east offer some great riding, with climbs and curves toward the east coast at Fujairah and Khor Fakkan. Watch out for sand on the road, especially after wind, and for camels, which wander freely. Summer heat is extreme, regularly over forty-five degrees, so the cooler months from November to March are the only sensible time to ride here.
Dhaid, about twenty-four kilometres away, is the nearest town of any size, with fuel stations, cafés and shops while Mleiha itself has only limited facilities. Bring plenty of water, because the desert can be dangerous in the heat, even in winter. Visit the centre first to understand the finds, then ride out to see the ridge, and watch the sunset over the dunes before heading back.