Falaj Al Mualla

Falaj Al Mualla takes its name from the system that made it possible: an aflaj network, in which water is tapped from underground and led by gravity through channels to the gardens, shared out on a rota measured in fixed time units and administered by an appointed water master. The knowledge, oral traditions and equitable distribution rules of the aflaj were inscribed by UNESCO in 2020. Date gardens and a fort sit in the oasis, with the desert running out around them.

What you actually see

• The falaj channels - gravity-fed water led from underground to the gardens.
• The distribution rota - shares measured in fixed units and administered by a water master.
• The date gardens - the palm plantations the system exists to water.
• The fort - the fortification standing over the oasis.

When to go

November to March; summer here is extreme. Mornings are best for walking the gardens. The date harvest is in the late summer heat.

Honest expectations

There is nothing formally laid on for visitors and the gardens are private working farms. The fort has limited or no regular opening. A car is essential and there is nowhere to eat.

Nearby

Umm Al Quwain town is northwest, and Al Dhaid is south.