The Oman–United Arab Emirates border consists of three non-contiguous sections totalling 609 km (378 mi) in length. Tc-map

Description

Northern (Musandam) section

The northern section of the border divides the Omani

exclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...

of Musandam from the UAE

Emirates Emirates may refer to: * United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective ...

Fujairah Fujairah City () is the capital of the emirate of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. It is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, seventh-largest city in UAE, located on the Gulf of Oman (part of the Indian Ocean). It is the only Em ...

and

Ras Al Khaimah Ras Al Khaimah (; ), often referred to its initials RAK, is the largest city and capital of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah in the U.A.E. The city had a population of 191,753 in 2025, and is the sixth-most populous city in UAE after Dubai, Abu ...

. This

peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

commands the strategic

Strait of Hormuz The Strait of Hormuz ( ''Tangeh-ye Hormoz'' , ''Maḍīq Hurmuz'') is a strait between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. It provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean and is one of the world's most strategica ...

, with the Oman-UAE border consisting of a series of irregular, though roughly horizontal, lines running through mountainous terrain, from the western

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

coast to the eastern

Gulf of Oman The Gulf of Oman or Sea of Oman ( ''khalīj ʿumān''; ''daryâ-ye omân''), also known as Gulf of Makran or Sea of Makran ( ''khalīj makrān''; ''daryâ-ye makrān''), is a gulf in the Indian Ocean that connects the Arabian Sea with th ...

coast.

Middle (enclaved) section

The middle section of the border consists of the Omani enclave of Madha, within which is the UAE counter-enclave of Nahwa, belonging to the

Emirate of Sharjah The Emirate of Sharjah (; ') 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 it is named, and other minor towns and exclave ...

. This territory is the only territory between UAE and Oman which is not lined with any barrier and there is no border crossing between Madha, Nahwa, or the rest of the UAE.

Southern section

The southern, and by far the longest, section of the frontier starts in the north on the Oman Gulf coast, just south of

Kalba Kalba () is a city in the Emirate of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is an exclave of Sharjah lying on the Gulf of Oman coast north of Oman. Khor Kalba (Kalba Creek), an important nature reserve and mangrove swamp, is located south ...

in the Emirate of Sharjah. It then proceeds inland roughly south-westwards via a series of irregular lines, arcing southwards so as to include Hatta within the UAE. The border then proceeds roughly south-westwards down to the Omani tripoint, save for a piece of Emirati territory south-east of Al-Ain that juts into Oman.

History

During the 19th century, Britain had signed a number of protectorate treaties with seven emirates on what was then known as the 'Pirate Coast', giving rise to the so-called

Trucial States The Trucial States, also known as the Trucial Coast, the Trucial Sheikhdoms, or Trucial Oman, was a group of tribal confederations to the south of the Persian Gulf (southeastern Arabia) whose leaders had signed protective treaties, or truce ...

. Britain also exercised protectorate control over Oman via its

sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

. 2014. Boundaries in this part of Arabia remained indistinct; Britain and the Ottoman Empire theoretically divided their realms of influence in Arabia via the so-called '

Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB color model, RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB color model, RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between Violet (color), violet and cyan on the optical spe ...

' and ' Violet lines' in 1913–14, however these agreements were rendered null and void following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The enclaves of Madha and Nahwa appear to have arisen in the 1930s-40, following a dispute over the ownership of the area between Oman and the local emirs, which was settled by a vote amongst the village elders. The boundaries of the enclaves were fixed in 1969. In the 1950s Britain appointed Julian Walker to survey more precise boundaries between the Trucial States and Oman. However, by the time of independence of the Trucial States (as the United Arab Emirates) in 1971, much of the border remained undemarcated, resulting in several disputes. The Ras Al Khaimah section of the boundary was settled in 1979 after a dispute arose in 1977-78 following the discovery of oil in the area.Marc Valeri, ''Oman: Politics and Society in the Qaboos State'', C Hurst and Co, 2009, pgs. 76-7 Relations between the two states warmed in the 1980s-90s, resulting in a border agreement for the southern section of the frontier in 1999, followed by a complete border delimitation ratified in Abu Dhabi on 22 June 2002.

Barrier

In 2002, the UAE announced that it was installing a fence along the UAE-Oman border (minus the Madha-Nahwa enclaves) in an effort to curb the flow of illegal migrants, illicit drugs and

terrorists Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...

into the country. The barrier constructed is a 4-meter barbed wire border fence. In 2003, Oman introduced an exit toll on crossing to the UAE border. In July 2004, Oman and the UAE jointly launched a three-day coordinated crackdown in and around Al Buraimi and arrested approximately 1,000 illegal immigrants.

Settlements near the border

Oman

* Tibat * Quroon as Said * Dibba Al-Baya * Al Wajajah * Aswad * A'Tuvayah * Hadf *

Al-Buraimi Al Buraimi () is an oasis city and a ''wilayah'' (province) in northern Oman, on the border with the U.A.E. It is the capital of Al Buraimi Governorate and is located approximately from the national capital Muscat. It is bordered by the U.A.E. ...

* Mahdah * Hamasa * Al Qabil * Sahl al Arba * Safah * Al Khuwayr

United Arab Emirates

Sha'am Sha'am is a village in Northern Ras Al Khaimah Ras Al Khaimah (; ), often referred to its initials RAK, is the largest city and capital of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah in the U.A.E. The city had a population of 191,753 in 2025, and is the ...

* Al Jeer * Dibba Al-Fujairah *

Dibba Al-Hisn Dibba Al-Hisn (, ''white Dibba'') is a pene-exclave of the emirate of Al-Sharjah, one of the seven United Arab Emirates. It is bordered by the Gulf of Oman from the East, Dibba Al-Baya (a province of Oman in Musandam) from the North, and Dibb ...

* Shis * Qidfa * Sayh Mudayrah * Mirbah * Wahla * Al Nasla * Mosfuj * Al Qor * Fili * Al Madam * Shwaib *

Al Ain Al Ain () is a city in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and the seat of the administrative division of the Al Ain Region. The city is Oman–United Arab Emirates border, bordered to the east by the Omani town of Al-Buraimi. Al A ...

* Al Ghafan * Mezyad * Al Arad * Al Qua’a * Umm az Zamul

Border Crossings

There are two border crossings on the Musandam section of the border (Tibat and Dibba) and four on the main southern section (Hatta/Al Wajajah, Hilli,

Jebel Hafeet Jabal Hafeet (, "Mount Hafeet"; variously transcribed Jabel or Jebal and Hafit – literally "empty mountain") is a mountain in the region of Tawam, on the border of the United Arab Emirates and Oman. It is often considered an outlier of the Ha ...

and Khatmat Malaha). There are no border controls at the Madha-Nahwa enclaves.(2016) Tony Walsh and Diana Darke, ''Bradt Guide Book to Oman'', pg. 178

Gallery

File:UAE-Oman Border Barrier.jpg, Border barrier between UAE and Oman as seen from the Emirati side. File:UAE-Oman Border Barrier - Dibba.jpg, The barrier between

and Dibba Al-Baya as seen from the Emirati side.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oman-United Arab Emirates border Borders of Oman Borders of the United Arab Emirates International borders Border barriers