How this Emirati turned his 100-year-old mountain home into UAE’s most charming Airbnb

Waleed Khamis Al Abdouli moved out of his ancestral home in 2015. But he couldn’t really move on. His thoughts kept wandering back to his 100-year-old mud-walled house in Tayibbah village set amidst the rugged Hajjar mountains of Fujairah.

This is where he grew up and spent most of his adult life. “I remember how our place would resonate with laughter. It pained me to see it suddenly go quiet and languish in obscurity,” the Emirati recalled. “I had two choices — wallow in the memories of the house or do something to preserve it.”

The father of three, who works with the UAE’s armed forces, chose the latter. He dipped into his life’s savings to transform the two-storied accommodation into a charming mountain abode now known as the Al Qala Lodge.

Opened just four years ago, the unpretentious retreat is already a big hit among tourists and staycationers thirsting for an authentic Emirati experience in the unfailing company of nature. It’s hard to miss the place as you drive past Fujairah’s Masafi market. The lodge has a portrait of the UAE’s founding father Sheikh Zayed painted on its front, and sits next to the Flag Fort which has also been conceptualised and built by Al Abdouli.

You are unlikely to find Flag Fort in a tourist guide book but this hidden gem is worth visiting as it has some great spots for Instagram pictures. Al Abdouli welcomed us ceremoniously with Gahwa coffee — the traditional Arab drink — when we showed up at Al Qala Lodge after an hour-and-a-half-long drive from Dubai.

Walking around the picturesque time-warp house seems like stepping back into history. Adding to the old world charm are majlis-style settings, carved wood beds, vintage home décor and wind towers that have defied the vagaries of nature.

The two-bedroom property, which can comfortably accommodate six adults, is also perhaps the UAE’s only Airbnb with a thatched roof — a rare and treasured design feature that keeps the building cool in summer and warm in winter.

“I haven’t kept count of how much I’ve spent but it’s fair to say that I have exhausted all my savings. Thankfully, it’s worth it. This is still a work in progress as I am planning to build two more rooms.” Al Abdouli said he wouldn’t have been able to restore the century-old house to its original glory without the support of his family. “They backed me to the hilt, particularly my wife Hajjar Khalifa.”

He waved a hand around the large living room. “All these Arabic lanterns, Persian rugs and ceramic pots you see here are Hajjar’s idea. She got these period-accurate things so that our guests could have a true immersive experience of how our forefathers lived in the past.”

The bedrooms have retro black-and-white television sets and rotary dial phones. The television works. The phones don’t.

mazhar@khaleejtimes.com