Al Badiyah Mosque

United Arab Emirates


Considered the oldest mosque in the UAE, this curvaceous, squat mud-brick structure dates to 1446. I's adorned with four pointed domes and rests on a single internal pillar. Badiyah (also spelt Bidyah and Bidiya), 8km north of Khor Fakkan, is famous for this bijou structure. Non-Muslims are free to enter but must be modestly dressed and remove their shoes; women must also cover their hair. Headscarves and abayas (a robe-like dress worn by women) can be borrowed from the attendant.

The inside prayer hall, with colourful rugs laid out on palm-leaf plaited matting and Qurans stacked into the niches of its smooth plastered walls, has a tranquil, contemplative feel. Note the simple geometric designs on the domes and the minbar (mosque pulpit) made from stones and coral-block. The mosque is built into a low hillside along the coastal road just north of Badiyah village and guarded by two ruined watchtowers. It's well worth walking up here for the sweeping views of the Hajar Mountains and the Gulf.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby United Arab Emirates attractions

1. Corniche

5.73 MILES

Khor Fakkan's long corniche, meandering for several kilometres from the port to the Oceanic Khorfakkan Resort, is flanked by well-tended gardens with…

2. Fujairah Fort

20.82 MILES

Enter the double-turret gate of the fort compound with its vestiges of Fujairah's old village and spy this dollhouse of a fort, draped over a rocky mound…

3. Fujairah Museum

20.95 MILES

This old-school local-history museum holds a wealth of significant archaeological finds from local sites at Badiyah, Dibba and Qidfa inside its two ornate…

4. Sheikh Zayed Mosque

21.66 MILES

Fujairah’s grand mosque is the second largest in the UAE, after the one in Abu Dhabi. Festooned with six 100m-high minarets, the white granite and marble…

5. Al Hayl Fort

25.64 MILES

Built around 1830, this small, well-preserved fort is tucked deep into the jagged Hajar Mountains near the village of Al Hayl, about 13km southwest of…

6. Rawdah Bowl

29.27 MILES

Beneath Jebel Harim, a gap in the mountains leads to an almost circular plateau known as the Rawdah Bowl. A beautiful depression of mature acacia and ghaf…

7. House of Locks

29.5 MILES

An interesting feature of Jebel Harim is the type of local stone-built house known as bait al qifl or ‘house of locks’. So called on account of their…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "united-arab-emirates/the-east-coast/attractions/al-badiyah-mosque/a/poi-sig/1308662/361170",
      "destination": "United-Arab-Emirates",
      "continent": "Middle-East",
      "country": "United-Arab-Emirates",
      "position": "superzone"
    }