An hour’s drive from Dubai lies the most somber ghost town in the United Arab Emirates. This is al-Ghuraifa, located near the town of al-Madam in the emirate of Sharjah, which hides a dark and captivating past.
Al-Ghuraifa, now attracting the most curious tourists, is one of the sites that became a symbol of the city’s rapid industrial and technological expansion and how a place like this can be left in oblivion.
The ghost town of Dubai that was left in oblivion
Al-Ghuraifa is one of the lesser-known sites of the magnificent Emirates, although its history sets the pace for the growth of the mighty Dubai. This site was built in 1970 to house semi-nomadic Bedouins, but it had a sad ending when it was abandoned in the 90s, as the exponential rise of the country transformed it into a unique metropolis in the world thanks to oil.
The village, which became one of the little-known attractions of the United Arab Emirates, consists of two rows of houses and a mosque, and was built to accommodate the hundred members of the al-Ketbi tribe, who were in charge of raising livestock and transporting it to different oases in the region.
The secrets of Al-Ghuraifa, a site that marks the history of Dubai and Abu Dhabi
The formation of the village of Al-Ghuraifa facilitated the relocation of the al-Ketbi tribe from one site to another. Their houses were built with concrete, and their walls brought life to the enclave with their picturesque colors. There, the elders of the village could hold local councils, known as “majalis” in Arabic. Although the reasons for the abandonment of this mysterious place are still under investigation, experts claim it was due to the search for a better life by tribes moving toward the rapidly growing metropolitan areas in the Emirates.
However, urban legends assume that residents were driven out by evil spirits. Despite these myths, the public service conditions were no better, and the distances from the major urban centers may have also been one of the reasons for the exodus. Today, this site is covered by sand, from which some of the oldest buildings can be seen. The only structure that remains completely protected is the mosque, thanks to the regular sweeping by maintenance workers from the nearby al-Madam.
