# Al Hayl Fort, Fujairah > Al Hayl Fort is a sheikh's fortified house and watchtower on a rocky spur in Wadi Hayl, 13 km south-west of Fujairah city. Entry is free (unofficial). Timings vary: the tourism portal says 8 am–6 pm, guidebooks give split hours with a midday break. Allow about an hour. You'll need a car or taxi. Web page: https://yesgo.io/united-arab-emirates/fujairah/al-hayl-fort - City: [Fujairah](https://yesgo.io/united-arab-emirates/fujairah), United Arab Emirates - YesGo score: 29/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 1 h - Opening hours: Daily 8 am–6 pm per the Fujairah tourism portal; guides say Sat–Thu 8:30 am–1:30 pm and 4:30–6:30 pm, Fri from 2 pm - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry fee: Free (unofficial — no official price published) - Timings: 8 am–6 pm per the tourism portal; guides say 8:30 am–1:30 pm and 4:30–6:30 pm, Friday from 2 pm - Time needed: About an hour; half a day with a walk to the dam - Location: Wadi Hayl, about 13 km south-west of Fujairah city - Road: Paved almost all the way; narrow with loose stones near the mountains — a normal car is fine - Getting there: Car or taxi: about 17 km, roughly 30 minutes from Fujairah Fort - Payment: Nothing to pay at the gate; carry some cash for a caretaker's tip and a nol card for the Dubai bus - Tourism & Antiquities Authority phone: +971 9 222 9085, +971 9 223 1554 - Coordinates: 25.08528, 56.22389 - Facts checked: 03.11.2026 ## Key facts - **1930 or 1932** — build date: 1930 by carbon-14 analysis, 1932 by historians; some guides say 1830 (source: Fujairah Tourism & Antiquities Authority; English Wikipedia; Lonely Planet) - **A sheikh's home** — Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamdan Al Sharqi lived here for about two decades before moving to Mirbah in 1958 (source: English Wikipedia (after Tribulus); Glimpses of UAE) - **≈ 40 m** — height of the rock above the wadi floor (source: Fujairah Tourism & Antiquities Authority) - **≈ 13 km** — south-west of Fujairah city; about 17 km by road from Fujairah Fort (source: Fujairah Tourism & Antiquities Authority; OpenStreetMap and OSRM) - **Watchtower** — built at the same time on the facing hill; the sheikh's younger brother lived in it (source: English Wikipedia; Glimpses of UAE) - **2006–2008** — restored by Fujairah's heritage department (source: Glimpses of UAE; Property Finder) - **Late 1970s** — villagers moved to a new village down the wadi, behind the dam (source: English Wikipedia; Glimpses of UAE) - **Stone and mud** — mountain rock in mud mortar, timber and palm-frond ceilings (source: English Wikipedia; Fujairah Tourism & Antiquities Authority) - **Petroglyphs** — Iron Age rock carvings in Wadi Hayl (source: English Wikipedia; Glimpses of UAE) - **Mosque and majlis** — part of the complex with the house and tower (source: English Wikipedia; Glimpses of UAE) ## Al Hayl Fort timings and entry fee There's no published ticket price, and every guide we checked says entry is **free** — treat that as unofficial. Timings are less clear. The Fujairah tourism portal lists **8 am–6 pm daily**; Property Finder and other guides give **8:30 am–1:30 pm and 4:30–6:30 pm**, with Friday opening only after 2 pm. Some visitors find the gates locked and are let in by a caretaker, who may also show you round — a small cash tip is a kind gesture. Card payments are accepted almost everywhere in the UAE, but out here there's nothing to buy, so bring water and a little cash. > **Call ahead before a long drive** Because sources disagree on hours, avoid the 1:30–4:30 pm gap and Friday mornings. If you're driving out from Dubai specially, ring the Fujairah Tourism & Antiquities Authority first: **+971 9 222 9085** or **+971 9 223 1554**. ## How to get to Al Hayl Fort 1. There's no bus to the fort — you need a car or taxi. From [Fujairah Fort](https://yesgo.io/united-arab-emirates/fujairah/fujairah-fort) it's about **17 km, around 30 minutes**. 2. Driving: take **Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Road (E84)**, turn south near Fujairah City Centre mall and follow the “Al Hayl” signs. "Al Hayl Castle" works in most map apps. 3. The last stretch runs up the wadi on tarmac. Near the mountains it narrows, with a couple of rain-damaged patches and loose stones; a normal car copes, and a 4x4 only matters if you want to explore further up the valley. 4. From Dubai without a car: RTA bus **E700** to Fujairah Bus Station takes about 2 hours, paid with a **nol card** (fare and Dubai departure stop differ between sources — check the S'hail app). From the bus station it's about 12 km to the fort by taxi. 5. Driving from Dubai: about 120 km, roughly 1 h 40 min without traffic. 6. Taxis don't wait at the fort and phone signal fades up the wadi, so ask your driver to wait for the hour you're there. ## Is Al Hayl Fort worth visiting? Yes, if you have a car and like mountains, photography and quiet places. This isn't a garrison fort but a **ruling family's fortified home**: a two-storey courtyard house on a rocky spur, a square watchtower on the hill opposite, and a restored mud-brick village below with its mosque and majlis, all ringed by bare Hajar peaks. Inside there's little more than rooms, staircases and a courtyard. The pull is the setting. If you're without a car and have already seen the fort in town, skip it: the taxi there and back takes longer than the visit. ## History: 1830, 1930 or 1932? You'll see three dates. The Fujairah Tourism & Antiquities Authority says **1930**, based on carbon-14 analysis, and notes that local elders link it to the reign of Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Sharqi. English Wikipedia, drawing on research published in the journal Tribulus, gives **1932** and names **Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamdan Al Sharqi** as builder. Lonely Planet and several travel sites say 1830, without citing a study. Sheikh Abdullah made it his main home for about twenty years before moving to Mirbah on the coast in 1958. The watchtower went up at the same time and for a while housed his younger brother. In the late 1970s the villagers moved down the wadi to a new settlement protected by the Al Hayl Dam, and the fort was restored in 2006–2008. The valley is far older than the fort: Bronze Age tombs and Iron Age rock carvings have been found here. ## What to see - **The sheikh's house** — two floors around a courtyard with bedrooms, sitting rooms, a kitchen and stores. - **The watchtower** on the facing hill, with views both ways along the wadi. - **The madbasa**, a date-press room where syrup ran out of stacked sacks of dates — a later addition, according to Glimpses of UAE. - **The old village** below: mud-brick houses, a mosque, a majlis and a walled graveyard. - **The mountains** — dark, bare and at their most dramatic in morning light. - **Al Hayl Dam** on the drive in; the reservoir only fills after heavy rain, so it's often dry. ## Wadi Hayl hike, dam and petroglyphs From the fort you can walk up the wadi bed — a dry valley that only runs after rain. It's an easy walk but rocky underfoot, so wear proper shoes. Higher up there's less greenery and more sun-baked rock: go early and carry plenty of water. Some petroglyphs are fenced off beyond the watchtower, according to Glimpses of UAE. Don't touch the carvings or wander into private farms. Stay out of the wadi in rain or when storms are forecast — it floods quickly. ## Before you go - [ ] Called or checked that it's open today - [ ] Arriving before 1:30 pm or after 4:30 pm (Friday: afternoon) - [ ] Car, or a taxi that will wait - [ ] Water and snacks — no shops nearby - [ ] Shoes with grip for rocks and the steep tower stairs - [ ] Shoulders and knees covered — there's a working mosque - [ ] A little cash for the caretaker ## Al Hayl, Fujairah Fort or Bithnah? | | Al Hayl | Fujairah Fort | Bithnah | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Where | Wadi Hayl, ≈ 13 km south-west | Old Fujairah, in town | Wadi Ham, ≈ 13 km from the city | | Dated to | 1930 or 1932 | 16th c. – c. 1800 (disputed) | 1735 | | What it is | Sheikh's house and watchtower | Fort with three round towers and one square | Fort guarding the mountain road | | Getting there | Car or taxi | Short taxi from the centre | Car or taxi | Fujairah Fort if you're in town without a car; Al Hayl for mountains and silence; [Bithnah](https://yesgo.io/united-arab-emirates/fujairah/bithnah-fort) if you're driving over the mountains from Dubai — it's about 23 km by road from Al Hayl. Dates from the Fujairah Tourism & Antiquities Authority and English Wikipedia. ## Guided tour or on your own? With a car, going alone is easy: the map app gets you there and entry costs nothing. Without one, a Fujairah heritage tour usually makes more sense — they often combine Al Hayl with the town fort, Bithnah and Al Badiyah Mosque, and you don't have to negotiate waiting time with a taxi driver in the valley. ## Historic sites in Fujairah compared Forts, mosques and museums in Fujairah rated by YesGo. - [Fujairah Fort](https://yesgo.io/united-arab-emirates/fujairah/fujairah-fort) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free (unofficial) - [Fujairah Heritage Village](https://yesgo.io/united-arab-emirates/fujairah/fujairah-heritage-village) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · ≈ AED 5 (unofficial) - [Fujairah Museum](https://yesgo.io/united-arab-emirates/fujairah/fujairah-museum) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · ≈ AED 5 - [Bithnah Fort](https://yesgo.io/united-arab-emirates/fujairah/bithnah-fort) — YesGo score 31/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free (unofficial) - [Al Badiyah Mosque](https://yesgo.io/united-arab-emirates/fujairah/al-badiyah-mosque) — YesGo score 30/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free - [Al Hayl Fort](https://yesgo.io/united-arab-emirates/fujairah/al-hayl-fort) — YesGo score 29/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free (unofficial) ## Fujairah's forts in a day by car Town first — the fort and heritage village — then into the mountains for Al Hayl and Bithnah. 1. [Fujairah Fort](https://yesgo.io/united-arab-emirates/fujairah/fujairah-fort) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free (unofficial) 2. [Fujairah Heritage Village](https://yesgo.io/united-arab-emirates/fujairah/fujairah-heritage-village) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · ≈ AED 5 (unofficial) 3. [Al Hayl Fort](https://yesgo.io/united-arab-emirates/fujairah/al-hayl-fort) — YesGo score 29/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free (unofficial) 4. [Bithnah Fort](https://yesgo.io/united-arab-emirates/fujairah/bithnah-fort) — YesGo score 31/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free (unofficial) ## Don't mix up Al Hayl isn't Hail, the city in Saudi Arabia. Fujairah Bus Station sits in a district also labelled Al Hayl on maps — the fort is still about 12 km further. And it isn't Fujairah Fort, which stands in the old town near the coast. ## Tips - Go in the morning: softer light on the mountains and cooler rocks. - Ask your taxi to wait — there's no way back from the valley otherwise. - Stop at Al Hayl Dam on the way; after rain there may be water in it. - Pair it with Bithnah Fort, also in the mountains west of town. - Climb towards the watchtower for the best photo: the house and village below with peaks behind. - October to May is the time to come; summer in the wadi is brutally hot. ## Questions ### Where is Al Hayl Fort? In Wadi Hayl in the Hajar Mountains, about 13 km south-west of Fujairah city and roughly 17 km by road from Fujairah Fort. ### Is Al Hayl Fort free to visit? Yes, according to every guide we checked, though no official price is published. Tipping the caretaker is optional. ### What are Al Hayl Fort timings? Sources differ: 8 am–6 pm daily on the tourism portal, or 8:30 am–1:30 pm and 4:30–6:30 pm with Friday from 2 pm in guides. Call +971 9 222 9085 before a long trip. ### How do I get to Al Hayl Fort? By car or taxi: Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Road to Fujairah City Centre mall, then south following the Al Hayl signs — about 30 minutes from the old town. ### Do I need a 4x4 for Al Hayl Fort? No. The road is paved almost to the end, though narrow and stony near the mountains. A 4x4 only helps if you drive further up the wadi. ### Can I get there by public transport? Only part of the way: bus E700 from Dubai or a Sharjah bus to Fujairah Bus Station, then about 12 km by taxi. ### How old is Al Hayl Fort? Carbon-14 analysis cited by the Fujairah tourism authority gives 1930; Wikipedia says 1932. The 1830 date in some guides isn't backed by a study. ### How long do you need there? About an hour for the house, tower and village; half a day with a wadi walk and the drive. ### Is it good for kids? For children steady on rocks, yes — but the tower stairs are steep and the rocks get very hot. Avoid midday heat. ## How we checked Location, rock height and the 1930 carbon-14 date come from the Fujairah Tourism & Antiquities Authority; the 1932 date and Sheikh Abdullah's story from English Wikipedia, which relies on research in Tribulus. Lonely Planet's 1830 is shown as an unsupported version. The restoration, watchtower and the villagers' move were checked against at least two sources. No official entry price exists — "free" comes from guides and is unofficial. The 8 am–6 pm timings appear in search results for the official tourism portal, but the page wouldn't load from our server; guides give split hours. Drive times are OSRM estimates without traffic. ## Sources - Fujairah Tourism & Antiquities Authority (fujairahtourism.ae) — Museum and Forts; Contact Us - Official Fujairah tourism portal — fort timings (seen in search results) - English Wikipedia: Al Hayl Fort (after Ziolkowski & Al Sharqi, Tribulus); Wikidata Q21737892 - Glimpses of UAE — Al Hayl Fort and Square - Property Finder — Al Hayl Castle guide - Lonely Planet — Al Hayl Fort (seen in search results) - OpenStreetMap and OSRM — distances and drive times --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.