Jazirat Al Hamra

In the still Ghost Town of Ras Al Khaimah, the bronze, rusty coloured coating over Al Jazirat Al Hamra is a remaining symbol of the once flourishing pearl fishing village, whose name in Arabic translates into ‘Red Island’ for the kind of sand upon which it was built. Eerie remnants of houses, schools, a mosque and marketplaces are now nothing more than derelict empty shells – a window into traditions and trades, abandoned when oil wealth gave rise to rapid urbanisation in the creation of the UAE.

Although the question still debated here is whether the demise of Al Jazirat Al Hamra was about tribal conflicts with the Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, or because of the lure of luxury in Abu Dhabi, once the oil was discovered, a visit to this ghost village is nonetheless a unique experience in understanding just how quickly life changed here. The former tidal island was predominantly home to the Zaab tribe, who by 1831 developed the area into a renowned pearling trade centre. It was home to over 4,000 inhabitants and dozens of fishing and trading ships, and with its good fortune, came expansion that continued well into the start of the 20th Century.

The layout and rows of houses remain largely unchanged, and you can immediately sense how compact and community-spirited this village once was. An empty boat and rusting truck that’s said to be the first car in Ras Al Khaimah, alongside the hollow structures, are stark reminders of how instantaneously people left for a new beginning.