_listing_1481212452382.jpeg)
Planning your own trip? Prepare for your trip
Use Rough Guides' trusted partners for great rates
written by
Rough Guides Editors
updated 26.04.2021
updated 26.04.2021
South of Musandam, about halfway between Dibba and the Omani border at Khatmat Milalah, lies the curious Omani exclave of Madha – a tiny dot of Omani territory (comprising just 75 square kilometres) completely surrounded by the UAE. The area is reached via a single surfaced road off the main coastal highway between Khawr Fakkan and Fujairah city near the district of Qurayya.
The enclave is notable mainly for one geopolitical oddity: the village of Nahwa (a few kilometres further along the road past Madha town, at the end of the tarmac). Bizarrely, this village actually belongs to the UAE emirate of Sharjah, creating a Russian-doll effect whereby the UAE territory of Nahwa is enclosed within the Omani district of Madha, which is enclosed by the UAE emirates of Fujairah and Sharjah – which are themselves bookended by Omani territory on either side.
Travel ideas for Oman
Created by local experts
