Mleiha — Archaeological Centre and Desert

Mleiha lies in the desert at the heart of the Emirate of Sharjah. The archaeological centre presents the region's history, and sits within the Faya Palaeolandscape, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2025. Excavations in the area have found evidence of human presence from more than 210,000 years ago.

The tours combine the museum with an evening in the desert: dune driving in an off-road vehicle, sandboarding, sunset, and after dark, guided stargazing and dinner on site.

It's a quieter alternative to Dubai's desert safari. It suits anyone interested in history, families with children aged 5 and up, and anyone who wants to see truly dark skies.

Tip: winter evenings are cold in the desert. Bring a light jacket and closed shoes.

The Mleiha Archaeological Centre (also spelled Mleihah) opened in January 2016. It's built around a circular tomb from the Umm Al Nar period, the Bronze Age, constructed around 2,300 BCE. The tomb is 13.9 metres in diameter, was used for about 200 years, and is the second-largest of its era in the UAE.

The display moves between periods, from the Stone Age to the pre-Islamic era. You'll see flint tools, finds from the Bronze and Iron Ages, jewellery, arrowheads, ancient coins and wine jars from Rhodes. There's also a mould for striking coins from the time of Alexander the Great. The finds suggest a trading kingdom existed here between the 3rd century BCE and the 3rd century CE.

The Faya Palaeolandscape inscription was approved on 11 July 2025, at the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee in Paris. It's the second site in the UAE on the list, after the cultural sites of Al Ain, inscribed in 2011. That year, it was the only Arab nomination the committee discussed. The excavations, which have run for more than 30 years with the University of Tübingen and Oxford Brookes University, uncovered 18 archaeological layers. They show that humans returned to live here again and again, not just passed through on their way out of Africa.

Mleiha is also known for a find with no parallel on the Arabian Peninsula: ritual burials of horses and camels. Research in the area has been run by the Sharjah Archaeology Authority since 1973, and the national park is operated by Sharjah's investment and development authority, Shurooq.

The centre sits within Mleiha National Park, an area of more than 34 square kilometres. About half a kilometre away is a fort from the Mleiha period, and the area also has Fossil Rock and Camel Rock, with marine fossils and open desert views. The Mleiha desert safari ties it all together into one evening: a bit of history, a bit of dunes, and a lot of quiet.

The tours set out in the afternoon and return in the evening, so you see the desert at sunset and the stars after dark. We will confirm the exact pick-up time in writing when you book.