Sharjah's 'Buried Village' to be reclaimed from the desert

A Sharjah village half-buried in the desert will be reclaimed from the sands of time.

His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, has issued a directive to preserve the legendary ‘Buried Village’ in Al Madam. The authorities concerned have been told to prepare the Ghuraifa village for visitors and tourists. The directive was announced during the ‘Direct Line’ radio programme.

Located 2km southwest of Al Madam, the abandoned village consists of two rows of identical houses and a mosque at the end of the road. Its ‘Buried Village’ name comes from the fact that the neighbourhood is half-buried in the Madam desert.

It’s no ghost town, though, as scores of curious residents and tourists venture into the village for an adventure into the past. Amid whispers about the supernatural, several operators facilitate guided tours to the venue.

Even the peak summer heat does not seem to deter visitors from going to the village. A Google review left on Tuesday has a visitor advising others to get to the place by sunset for some “amazing photos”. Another posted three days ago has a reviewer confirming there was nothing spooky in the place that’s good for some “light off-roading”. Yet another stated that Google location takes one right to the village.

Once a thriving village, its residents left it in 1999 as the government provided them with new houses.

In an interview with Khaleej Times, a former resident had spoken with pride as he recalled memories of the village.

"We lived in the buried village in 1980s after its construction began in the late 1970s. The homes were immune to the sand then,” said Abu Khalfan Al Kutbi. "As the years passed, the quantity of sand increased and covered large areas of the village. Yet, it didn't bury the homes in the village entirely, demonstrating their resilience.”

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