Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Wortley built the wooden backpack she used while retracing Alexandra David-Néel’s journey from a chair she found on the street in London.
How Elise Wortley Climbed Mont Blanc in 1830s Women’s Attire
28 days ago
Simplicity is key: Just a slice of bread with a sprinkling of salt and pepper is the perfect accompaniment.
The Sweet Second Life of Creole Cream Cheese
28 days ago
My rendition of frog legs, popping mushroom curry, pad prik khing with salted egg yolk, and sweet khanom thuai.
Recreating My Favorite Meal From Thailand
28 days ago
Inside London’s Gorgeously Curated ‘Art Restaurants’
28 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All United Arab Emirates Al Madam Buried Village of Al Madam

Buried Village of Al Madam

An abandoned desert hamlet swallowed up by sand.

Al Madam, United Arab Emirates

Added By
Nuuskanen
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Some of the houses have blue and green walls.   Nuuskanen / Atlas Obscura User
Some of the houses have blue and green walls.   Nuuskanen / Atlas Obscura User
  Nuuskanen / Atlas Obscura User
One of the slowly consumed buildings in the Al Madam abandoned village   Paul Morgan / CC BY 2.0
Decorative wallpapers.   Nuuskanen / Atlas Obscura User
  Nuuskanen / Atlas Obscura User
  Nuuskanen / Atlas Obscura User
It’s good to have functional shoes. The sand is quite deep and there is some broken glass here and there.   Nuuskanen / Atlas Obscura User
  Nuuskanen / Atlas Obscura User
This is how the town looks from afar.   Nuuskanen / Atlas Obscura User
There are also beautiful dunes all around the village.   Nuuskanen / Atlas Obscura User
  Nuuskanen / Atlas Obscura User
Abandoned home   alainechristian / Atlas Obscura User
  MissBez / Atlas Obscura User
Approaching the village   alainechristian / Atlas Obscura User
Decorative tiles and ceiling   alainechristian / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

On a strip of desert behind the town of Al Madam lies a tiny ghost village lost in sand. It consists of two rows of colorful houses and a mosque at one end, all long-deserted and engulfed by the dunes. There is something poetic in the way nature has taken over these old abandoned buildings, and something eerie as well.

The small houses have rusty iron gates, and inside are colorful blue and green rooms decorated with ceramic tiles and wallpapers. Each room is filled with piles of sand, sometimes stretching halfway up the walls, pocked with scorpion footprints all over. 

Local legend holds that it was the jinns—supernatural creatures that Arabs and Muslims believe exist in a plane invisible to humans—who drove the people away from their village. The settlement was likely first built in the 1970s or '80s and inhabited by the local Al Kutbi tribe. It was abandoned not long afterward.

Though this strange and silent place does indeed feel haunted, in reality, it was almost certainly the encroaching desert that drove residents from their homes. Today the little lost hamlet is referred to by locals either as the "old village," or "buried village" of Al Madam. Some buildings are now entirely inside the dunes and have windows on the roof, so explorers should take care where they step. 

 

Related Tags

Villages Ghost Towns Abandoned Deserts Dunes

Know Before You Go

The buried village can be found from Google Maps by the name "The old area of Madame." It's about 37 miles from Dubai. There is no public transportation to take you there, so a taxi is a good option. It's about 300 dirhams there and back from Dubai. It's good to tell the driver that the road near the village is sandy desert road. You can use the small sand road that is marked on Google Maps, and turns from Umm al quwain AI Shuwaid RD. There are also some abandoned shops and building sites near the village. The dunes around the village are also very beautiful.

Community Contributors

Added By

Nuuskanen

Edited By

raymondwinn1941, Omar Elsiddig, Michelle Cassidy, alainechristian...

  • raymondwinn1941
  • Omar Elsiddig
  • Michelle Cassidy
  • alainechristian
  • MissBez

Published

April 3, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Buried Village of Al Madam
Al Madam
United Arab Emirates
24.898266, 55.760202

Nearby Places

Dubai Miracle Garden

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

miles away

The Dubai Frame

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

miles away

Museum of the Future

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates

Middle East

Places 30

Nearby Places

Dubai Miracle Garden

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

miles away

The Dubai Frame

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

miles away

Museum of the Future

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates

Middle East

Places 30

Related Stories and Lists

15 Places to Find Buried Treasure

List

By Roxanne Hoorn

33 Deserted Places Around the World

List

By Meg Neal

Related Places

  • Al `Arish.

    Qatar

    Al `Arish

    An abandoned fishing village in pre-oil Qatar.

  • Borgo Fazio (administration building)

    Trapani, Italy

    Borgo Amerigo Fazio

    A never-inhabited village that was built as part of Mussolini's agricultural reforms.

  • The ruins of the ancient fortress of Rocchettine

    Rocchette, Italy

    Rocchettine

    This long-abandoned village sits across a narrow gorge from a still-inhabited settlement that was once its twin.

  • East Haddam, Connecticut

    Johnsonville Village

    This picturesque Victorian ghost town was once a thriving mill community.

  • Abandoned Scar House Village

    North Yorkshire, England

    Abandoned Scar House Village

    The remains of a remote village that once housed over 1,200 dam workers and their families.

  • Dana Village.

    Bsaira District, Jordan

    Dana Village

    A ghost village sits atop a mountain within Jordan’s largest biosphere reserve.

  • Abandoned graffitied building.

    Central Aguirre, Puerto Rico

    The Ruins of Central Aguirre

    This nearly abandoned "company town" is a ghost of Puerto Rico's once-lucrative sugar industry.

  • Film City

    Film City, Qatar

    Film City

    A creepy, deserted mock Arabian village can be found in the middle of the Qatari desert.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.