Buraimi is situated next to the oasis town of Al-Ain, some 140 km (90 miles) south east of Dubai.
The two towns are literally within a stone’s throw of each other, but Al-Ain is in the United Arab Emirates and Buraimi is in the Sultanate of Oman. The border snakes the west of Buraimi and then the east of Al-Ain, touching Jebel Hafeet or Whale Mountain to the south.
The unusual political geography is a result of a border dispute in the 50s, which was resolved by the amicable dividing up of the land between neighbouring sheikhdoms.
It’s possible to cross from the Emirates into Buraimi without a visa. The main Omani passport control is located further inside Oman on the road to Sohar and Muscat. This arrangement should a free flow of people, goods and traffic between the two towns. However in recent years, controls have been tightened. On my 2000 visit to the Emirates, I noticed a high metal fence had appeared along the border.
On my 2006 visit, I noticed that UAE police maintain a presence at the border, though people and traffic were allowed to pass in either direction without checks. However the situation is developing and if you’re planning a visit, it’s worth checking the current situation with your travel agent, hotel or other reliable source of information.
There are some things to be aware of if entering Buraimi. UAE car insurance may well not apply in Oman, so if you have an accident 100 metres beyond the border, you may not be covered. It’s also important to have your passport and other papers to hand.
I’ve visited Al-Ain countless times. It’s a great place to take an late afternoon or evening walk, especially in the winter months.
On my February 2006 visit, I decided to extend my walk into Buraimi.
Stopping at the apartrment to pick up my passport, I walked from the centre of Al-Ain, near the flyover, towards the big junction and on towards the ‘entrance’ to Buraimi.
On either side of the road was that fence, which I was tempted to photograph but didn’t due to the presence of the police near their red and white Abu Dhabi Mercedes police car. Unlike the East German border guards, they were sitting and chatting and didn’t seem to be paying much attention to the people and traffic passing in both ways across the border.
I walked past the police and across the speed bumps onto Omani territory.
Here a complete change in urban design and planning is noticeable. No longer are you surrounded by the palm trees, irrigated lawns and three-lane carriageways of Al-Ain, you are in an townscape with fewer trees, more open spaces, narrower roads but still plenty of flower beds. Buraimi looks closer to what Al-Ain probably looked like around 30 years ago.
I walked on past the new Toyota dealership and towards the magnificently restored Buraimi Fort, where I took photographs. One of the most impressive sights in Buraimi is the gigantic mosque in the east of the town, but I didn’t have enough time to walk there.
I wanted to get into a good position for my nightly sunset shot, and over to the west, across some empty ground, I noticed there was an abandoned watchtower.
I walked towards the watchtower, and the further away I got from the road, the more it seemed as if I had strayed into a remote part of Oman.
Some battered 4WD vehicles passed by and children smiled and waved at me as if it was the first time they’d seen a westerner.
Over to the right, were some traditional style houses, some abandoned, some occupied. To the left there was an electricity substation.
I stood on a ridge of sand and gazed at the sunset, taking photos every so often. The watchtower was over to the left, silhouetted against the dusk sky.
As the disk of the sun quickly sank below the houses on the horizon - actually the horizon is in Al-Ain - the call to prayer began to echo from numerous mosques on both sides of the border.
It felt as if I’d been transported into a different time and place, yet I was less than a mile from the centre of Al-Ain.
I turned and headed back towards the border crossing, past the policemen, still sitting and chatting, across the traffic interchange, and some 15 minutes later I was back in our apartment having rice and shish tawook from the tiny Indian food outlet on the ground floor.
It was a remarkable cross-border experience, one which is now no longer possible to make in the same way I did in February 2006. If you’re in Dubai, it’s worth making the 90 minute journey to experience the dual attractions of Al-Ain and Buraimi, but now you will need to ensure you have the right paperwork before venturing across the border.
