Mleiha desert immersion: whisperings from ancient times

Compact but comprehensive, the exhibit uses maps, timelines, graphics and objects to peel back these multiple layers of history in easily accessible fashion. Pride of place goes to 130,000-year-old stone axes that resemble those made in East Africa, the cradle of humanity, roughly around the same time. Their presence in Mleiha indicates that humans may have left sub-Saharan Africa earlier than previously thought, crossing the Red Sea at the end of an ice age when the channel between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula was much narrower than today. A short movie explains just how this migration might have occurred and the hospitable Savannah-like living conditions that awaited these first settlers.

Elsewhere, you get to marvel at locally minted coins, bronze knives, jewellery made from shells and coral, and a 2300-year-old tombstone bearing inscriptions in both Aramaic and South Arabian. Vases, jars and other goods imported from such places as India, Iran and Greece show that Mleiha was once an important caravan town on the overland trade route that linked the Indian Ocean with the Mediterranean. One of the most intriguing exhibits is the recreated grave of a camel and horse dressed in fine regalia and originally buried alongside their owner in a pre-Islamic ritual known as ‘baliya’.

The centre itself wraps around Mleiha’s most spectacular ancient feature, the Bronze Age Umm an-Nar tomb whose circular shape and multiple chambers are best appreciated from the rooftop viewing platform. Although only six skeletons – adorned with necklaces, rings and bracelets – were found, it may have held up to 300 bodies.

A trip to Mleiha would not be complete without venturing out into the desert and experience its beauty first-hand. The centre offers an entire line-up of expert-led activities and adventures, from short hiking treks and stamina-challenging bike rides to thrilling dune-buggy excursions and horseback rides at sunset. Here are a few of our favourites:

If you want to deepen your understanding of Mleiha’s place in history, sign up for the Archaeology Tour. In the comfort of an air-conditioned 4WD, you’ll first steer towards the Faya Cave, the very rock shelter where those Palaeolithic stone axes were unearthed. The tour also visits a pre-Islamic palace and fort as well as a farmhouse with a subterranean kitchen featuring circular ovens. Another highlight is a sprawling cemetery with six monumental tombs and 120 subterranean graves, some of which can be entered.

This mesmerising hour-long tour combines the thrill of jouncing across the undulating dunescape in a 4WD with visiting the area’s most stunning natural landmarks. First up is Camel Rock, a solitary outcrop shaped like a kneeling camel. It pops straight out of the sand and looks especially eerie when silhouetted against the moonlit night sky. The tour then climbs up to Fossil Rock, a monolith that looks like a pile of petrified popcorn from close up. It’s riddled with tiny snails, corals and other marine creatures deposited here some 65 million years ago when the area was flooded by an ancient sea. Pouring some water over the rocks makes them easier to spot. Take a moment to soak in the spellbinding view of dunes and mountains unfolding before you as far as the eye can see.

If you’re the active type, you might prefer to visit all these caves, graves and ruins under your own steam with a FatBoy, a sturdy bicycle outfitted with extra-wide tires for tooling around the desert. Shutterbugs with stamina should book the Landscape Tour that will have you pedalling to spectacular vantage points for images that might send your Instagram account into a tailspin.

Sunset Lounge

Produced by Lonely Planet for Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority. All editorial views are those of Lonely Planet alone and reflect their policy of editorial independence and impartiality.