Al Madam Ghost Village

A small settlement of about two dozen houses and a mosque was built near Al Madam in the 1970s as government housing for Bedouin families, laid out in two neat rows. It was left within a few decades and the desert has been taking it back ever since: sand has poured through the doors and windows and filled some rooms to the ceiling, while the painted plaster on the outside survives in patches. The result is a photographed curiosity rather than a managed site.

What you actually see

• The sand-filled rooms - interiors drifted to the ceiling in places.
• The two rows - a planned 1970s layout still legible under the dunes.
• The mosque - the settlement's small mosque, also partly buried.
• The surviving plasterwork - painted decoration still visible on some facades.

When to go

October to April; summer heat here is severe. Early morning and late afternoon give the best light and the least heat. Weekends bring photographers and film crews.

Honest expectations

It is unmanaged with no facilities, no shade and no supervision. The buildings are unstable and floors and roofs give way; entering them carries real risk. The last stretch of track is soft sand and ordinary cars get stuck.

Nearby

Mleiha is east, and Fossil Rock is northeast.