Al Madam ( ar, ٱلْمَدَام) is an inland town of the

Emirate of Sharjah The Emirate of Sharjah (; ar, إِمَارَة ٱلشَّارِقَة ') is one of the emirates of the United Arab Emirates, which covers and has a population of over 1,400,000 (2015). It comprises the capital city of Sharjah, after which i ...

, the UAE. Located at the intersection of the

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, wikt:دبي, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates#Major cities, most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 ...

-Hatta ( E44) and

Mleiha Mleiha, also Mileiha or Malaihah ( ar, ملَيْحَة), is a town in the Emirate of Sharjah, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with a population of 4,768 (2015), located some south of the inland Sharjah town of Dhaid. It is the location of archa ...

- Shwaib (E55) roads, its development has mainly centred around these road links and the road traffic through Hatta to

Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of ...

. The volume of traffic to Oman through Madam and Hatta has lessened since the closure of the 'soft' Omani

border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders ca ...

at Mahda in 2016, although traffic volumes remain at some 5,000 travellers daily. The road from Madam to Hatta is now only open to UAE or Omani nationals and permit holders.

Description

Map of the municipalities in the Emirate of Sharjah (UAE)

The strip development of Madam along the E44 towards the 'dune bashing' tourist centre of Badayer (with its celebrated 'Big Red' sand dune) has resulted in the town becoming elongated, and includes the 'first shopping mall' to open there. This is in addition to municipal facilities, a medical centre, wedding hall and a large number of shops located along the main street of the town. Al Madam is home to an annual shopping festival. 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 The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly ...

archaeological sites, including those of Al Thuqaibah and

Jebel Buhais Jebel Buhais or Jebel Al-Buhais ( ar, جَبَل بُحَيْص \ جَبَل ٱلْبُحَيْص, Jabal Buḥayṣ / Jabal Al-Buḥayṣ) is a geological feature, an extensive rocky outcrop, as well as a Rayyan site located near Madam in the cen ...

, as well as '' aflāj'' (water systems) dating back to the

1st millennium BC The 1st millennium BC, also known as the last millennium BC, was the period of time lasting from the years 1000 BC to 1 BC ( 10th to 1st centuries BC; in astronomy: JD – ). It encompasses the Iron Age in the Old World and sees the trans ...

. To the East of the town is the C19th

Fili Fort Fili Fort (''Al Hisn Fili'') is a late Islamic fortification located to the east of the town of Madam, in the United Arab Emirates' emirate of Sharjah. There are in fact two forts at Hili, Fili West Fort and Fili East Fort. However, Fili East Fo ...

References

Archaeological sites in the United Arab Emirates Al-Madam, Sharjah Populated places in the Emirate of Sharjah {{UnitedArabEmirates-geo-stub

Description

See also

References