Al Jazeera Al Hamra: Walk a Gulf Pearling Village in Ras Al Khaimah
A free, open-air heritage village of courtyard houses, a fort and a mosque, showing how a pearling community lived before oil was found.
Al Jazeera Al Hamra, whose name means Red Island, is described by Visit Ras Al Khaimah as the only remaining historical pearling village in the Gulf region. It was once a tidal island with around 500 houses, home to the Zaab tribe. Visitors can look around a fort, watchtowers, a mosque, a souq and courtyard houses, including a large home that belonged to a wealthy pearl merchant. The buildings use local materials such as coral blocks, fossilised beach rock, mangrove beams and date palm trunks, and one wind tower house shows a passive cooling system. Residents left between 1968 and 1971 after oil was discovered, so the site gives a rare view of life before that change. It is also on the UNESCO tentative list. Practical caution: this is an unmanned open-air site and many buildings are ruined, so do not climb on or enter them, and do not remove anything. Opening hours differ between pages (the village website lists Tuesday to Sunday and closed Mondays), so check the official pages before you go.
- Category: Culture & Heritage
- Emirate: Ras Al Khaimah
- Location: Al Jazeera Al Hamra, Ras Al Khaimah
Questions and answers
Is there an entry fee?
Visit Ras Al Khaimah says there is no entry fee, though special guided tours or cultural events on site may charge one.
What can I see there?
A fort, watchtowers, a mosque, a souq and courtyard houses, including the large home of a wealthy pearl merchant.
When is it open?
The village website lists Tuesday to Sunday, closed Mondays. Other pages give different times, so check before travelling.
Is it safe to explore the buildings?
The site is unmanned and many buildings are ruined. Visitors are asked not to climb on or enter them, and to visit in daylight.
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