Al Madam

Madam 'old town' or 'ghost town', an abandoned village in the desert south of the Sharjah town of Madam.
Madam 'old town' or 'ghost town'.

Al Madam is an inland town of Sharjah, UAE. Located at the intersection of the Dubai-Hatta (E44) and Mleiha-Shwaib (E55) roads, its development has mainly centred around these road links and the road traffic through Hatta to Oman. The volume of traffic to Oman through Madam and Hatta has lessened since the closure of the 'soft' Omani border at Mahda in 2016,[1] although traffic volumes remain at some 5,000 travellers daily.[2] The road from Madam to Hatta is now only open to UAE or Omani nationals and permit holders.[1]

The strip development of Madam along the E44 towards the 'dune bashing' tourist centre[3] of Badayer (with its celebrated 'Big Red'[4] sand dune) has resulted in the town becoming elongated, and includes the 'first shopping mall' to open there.[5] This is in addition to municipal facilities, a medical centre,[6] wedding hall[7] and a large number of shops located along the main street of the town. Al Madam is home to an annual shopping festival.[8]

In an area of desert to the south of Madam, a small and deserted development of houses and a mosque can be found, referred to locally as both Madam Old Town and Ghost Town.

The area around Al Madam is also home to a number of Iron Age archaeological sites, including those of Al Thuqaibah and Jebel Buhais, as well as aflaj water systems dating back to the 1st millennium BC.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 Guides, Dona Cherian, Special to (2016-01-05). "Al Madam-Hatta diversion: Expats not allowed on Oman E44". GulfNews. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
  2. ↑ Reporter, Ali Al Shouk, Staff (2018-01-09). "5,000 travellers crossing Hatta border daily". GulfNews. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
  3. ↑ Guides, Angitha Pradeep, Special to (2016-11-29). "Top 5 UAE desert locations for 4x4 dune-bashing". GulfNews. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
  4. ↑ Publishing, Explorer. "Big Red". www.askexplorer.com. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
  5. ↑ "First shopping mall opens in Al Madam | Sharjah Update". www.sharjahupdate.com. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
  6. ↑ "Ministry of Health and Prevention announces 24-hour operations of Al Madam Medical Center". Al Bawaba. 2016-04-19. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
  7. ↑ "Sharjah Al Madam Wedding Hall". www.protenders.com. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
  8. ↑ Abdullah, Afkar. "Al Madam festival to honour 'Zayeds'". www.khaleejtimes.com. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
  9. ↑ "Another ancient Sharjah site found by archaeologists". The National. Retrieved 2018-04-15.

See also

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