Al Madam, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An abandoned 1990s desert village nestled in the dunes an hour’s drive from Dubai’s skyscrapers is an eerie remnant of the UAE’s rapid urbanization standing as
Built in the 1970s as a semi-nomadic Bedouin dwelling, the village of Al Ghurifa has grown in popularity 20 years later, as oil wealth transformed the country into a global commercial and tourism hub, home to the futuristic cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Abandoned.
In recent years, the ghost village near the town of Al Madam in the Emirate of Sharjah has become a tourist attraction that offers a glimpse into the emirate’s troubled past, escaping the concrete jungles of coastal cities.
The village of two rows of houses and a mosque “tells us a lot about the modern history of the UAE,” said Ahmad Sukkur, an assistant professor at the University of Sharjah who is part of the team investigating the site.
The building was built as part of a public housing project after the United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven Sheikhdams, was founded in 1971. The discovery of oil 13 years ago was just beginning to change the shape of this country.
Sukkur said about 100 Al-Ketbi people lived in the village. They were one of several Bedouin tribes who until then lived a semi-nomadic lifestyle, raising animals, traveling through desert oases and visiting the small port cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. dependent on fishing and pearling.
Built to ease the transition to sedentary life, modern cement homes featured local prosperity. The interior walls were brightly colored and some walls were decorated with mosaics. These houses also provided a space where village elders could host local councils, known in Arabic as ‘majalis’. One house had wallpaper with a green landscape, contrasting with the drab sandy landscape outside.
It’s unclear exactly what prompted the migration, just 20 years after the house was built.
Local legend has it that the residents were expelled by evil spirits, but Sukkur said they were more likely to leave in search of a better life in the UAE’s fast-growing city. The village has limited access to electricity and water and was hit by sandstorms. The family would also have had to contend with long commutes across the desert to attend government jobs and schools in Dubai.
Now the desert is slowly regaining its village. Sand blasts blow into the houses, and in some rooms the sand covers the walls and reaches almost to the ceiling. Only the mosque remains intact from that time, thanks to regular cleaning by the maintenance staff of the nearby Armadam.
Some descendants of the camel-riding Bedouins who once roamed the desert still live in the Emirates countryside, but many are now shimmering skyscrapers and cavernous air-conditioned shopping malls. , lives in a city with modern highways. Some are curious about its humble past, with foreigners from all corners of the globe making up the majority of his UAE population.
On a recent day, a tour guide was seen leading a group of tourists through an abandoned village. It has also set the stage for his music videos and social media posts featuring foreign models, luxury cars and more. display of luxury Dubai is best known today.
“Why did they leave?” said Nitin Panchal, an Indian expatriate who visited the area. “Maybe it’s a genie, maybe it’s black magic? We’ll never know.”
The city recently installed a perimeter fence, as well as security gates, trash cans and a parking lot. Past visitors have graffitied, scraped wall decorations and climbed onto the fragile roof to take pictures.
New measures have removed some of the mystery from the site, making it more likely to become a new tourist attraction in the country. filled with them.
Danny Booth, an expat from the Isle of Man, a British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, said he was determined to “come here and see how things go before things start to change here.”
“Sometimes it’s better to leave these places alone because they lose their charm when crowded,” he says.