The Arabian Nights Village: Among the sands of the Empty Quarters desert

Curves of sand fringe the polished highway. In the dearth of life here, the austerity of the planet seems haunting. Ever-changing dunes move to the rhythm of the wind. Suddenly in my horizon is a settlement that rests in the valley of the desert dunes—the Arabian Nights Village—a resort in the middle of nowhere. I step down from the vehicle to enjoy the pre-booked half-day tour offered by the resort.

The Arabian Nights Village was established in 2012 in the Empty Quarter desert or Rub’ al Khali, 123 kilometres away from Abu Dhabi city. Generosity and hospitality have always been the bedrock of Bedouin culture; imbibing that, the resort goes by the tagline, ‘Every guest is a guest of honour here’. The place offers detached independent huts, a lavish buffet counter serving both Emirati and international cuisines and a host of desert activities like dune bashing, sandboarding, buggy riding, fat bicycling and camel riding.

Al Maqam: The dine zone of the Arabian Nights

The two imposing gate-towers, several-storeys high but primitive in appearance are the first things that I notice. Some camels lounge near it. The staff welcomes me and whisks me away to their indoor dining lounge, Al Maqam. I make myself comfortable under the wooden beam supported palm-thatched roof, sinking in the geometric motif laden dusty hued central sofa. My feet rests on a carpet with al-sadu weave, a specialty of the Bedouins.

On the three small wooden glass-topped tables, a server places fresh mango juice. I gulp it down at one go and move around, inspecting the décor. Dining tables for four are spread spaciously throughout the boundary of the room. Against the walls of palm-fronds, shelves of showcases with intricate woodwork are occupied with dallahs(Arabian coffee-pots) and decorative metal tumblers.

White porcelain with blue artwork hangs on the walls alongside black and white framed photos of the Bedouins. At evenly spaced intervals, metal plates with Arabic inscriptions give company to the porcelains. I am soon called back to my seat; the coffee has been set out.

Arabian life revolves around coffee— cardamom flavored, bitter and served with dates. From a silver hued shiny dallah, shot sized porcelain cups are filled and passed one by one. Kept on an embroidered cushion is a silver tajine filled with dates. As I sip the beverage, the lanterns drooping from various points light up. I follow the path of light and fix my gaze on the overhead collection of lanterns—the chandelier.

On the doorway, above a shield, two decorative swords make a cross. The sandy outdoors is sun dappled—looks promising for a dinner setup but not so much with the glare still in the sky. A large terrace with wood flooring, thatched roof, sofa with Bedouin patterns, simple tables and chairs holds my attention for many minutes.

Desert safari in Abu Dhabi: Dune bashing in Rub-Al Khali

The concierge gives me a call again. Under the watch of the imposing sand dune, our group is piled inside a Toyota Land Cruiser. Random locals cannot just come and drive on the desert dunes. It is permissible only to drivers registered with some adventure organization. An Indian driver is at the wheels, so communication is sorted. I am in the backseat having the right window view to myself. I have no idea of what I am about to experience.

The key is turned, the accelerator pressed. The highway of sand will now be streaked with tyre marks. My heart races as the vehicle paces. Each second it picks up speed. In moments, we are darting upslope on the ridge of a dune in the Empty Quarters desert. If we are going up, we would need to come down—the anticipation consumes me with a fresh bout of adrenaline rush.

My chain of thought is cut short, the agile wheels of the vehicle storm up a sandcloud – I feel my stomach churn, through the window I watch the vehicle responding to gravity. The jerking car modulates the screams inside it. By the time we reach the end of the slope, I fully expect the car to turn upside-down. That doesn’t happen.

We go on riding along the leaps and dips of Rub’ Al Khali desert. The driver manipulates physics just right to suit us. Several minutes of adventures later, he halts the car on a low dune. I board down. The Sun is still visible in the ochre-tinged western sky, just about to disappear beyond the monumental dune that stands like a mountain. To the east, the desert is folded in fine-tuned creases, their tips glowing bronze under the ray of the sinking Sun.

I trample on the sand ripples near me; far beyond, they illusively smoothen out to the plain eye. Nothingness surrounds me. Miles of it. I see wisps of grasses and trees standing kilometres apart from each other. This is exactly how Wilfred Thesiger had described the Empty Quarters in his book Arabian Sands. I wonder if a water-well lies somewhere near. I would like to go on a searching spree, following Thesiger’s footsteps. The driver bursts my thought bubble. I can have Rub’ Al Khali only for half an hour.

Fauna of the Arabian sands

Another round of dune bashing later when I reach Arabian Nights Village, I come across two baby gazelles in a cordoned-off area within the resort. One of these desert natives wags its tail just like how puppies do! There are many wild gazelles in the Empty Quarters.

Far away, I see an encampment. On asking, I learn that there are a few permanent camel encampments nearby. These camels graze in the day and return in the evening. Some of these encampments are in fact run by expatriates. In UAE, camels are prized for milk and meat. The rules to protect them are so strict that if drivers hit a camel in a road accident, they are sent to jail.

Accommodation options at the Arabian Nights Village resort

The staff shows me around a cottage classified as Bayt al Bar (Desert House)—one of the four kinds of cottages available in the resort. They imitate the simple desert homes that the Bedouins started building once they had settled down. The earthy-tinged hut caters to all modern needs except television. Arabian Nights Village does not provide TV and cellphone coverage to help guests do a digital detox. Emergency calls can be made from the reception though.

Bayt al Shaaer (the woven house) are luxury tent accommodations made of sadu weave, created to mimic the Bedouin tents of the past. Bayt al Bahar (houses of the sea) are cottages made of palm fronds, created to mimic the lifestyle of the sea-tribes who lived on pearl-fishing. Al Manhal Fort Tower is the most opulent accommodation here housed inside one of the towers by the gate.

Dinner under the stars

Following true Bedouin culture, dinner arrangements have been made in the outdoor in a majlis-like setup. In front of the low-rise table, I descend into the sofa and grab many cushions and bolsters to surround myself. I remember being this comfortable only in my own bed. Welcome drinks are handed out.

On a wooden platform, a man dressed in a traditional costume of white robe and headscarf sings a song in Arabic and plays an oud, a string musical instrument. Belly dancing, usually the next performance up the line has been called off as it is the month of Ramadan. Once the oud player finishes, songs from the native countries of the guests are played on a music system. Finally, when Bollywood is played, the Indians, including myself, shake a leg onstage. A non-Indian toddler joins us under her parent’s watchful eyes!

Under a thatched-roof, lit by electric lanterns, the buffet has been setup. Indian staff of the resort are distributing a wide array of international cuisines with ample options for Indian food lovers. I find a Bengali server who hails from a village in North Bengal (the northern part of West Bengal in India). He shares anecdotes about his resort life in the desert. He says things here have to be cleaned every day to prevent them from being engulfed by the sand.

Being a sweet-toothed person, the climax of a meal is the most important part for me. I save enough space in my tummy to enjoy dessert in the desert. I sample every dessert on offer and am almost at the point of lying flat on the sofa when the manager of the resort arrives to meet the media entourage (that is us). I force myself to sit straight.

It’s Shisha time

Thankfully, he seems relaxed, hands us two shishas— grapefruit and mint flavoured— and encourages us to just be comfortable. Apparently, smoking shisha is a vogue in Middle-eastern culture. I am not a smoker and I haven’t ever smoked a shisha before but I gather a few drags wouldn’t kill me either (since I am not asthmatic and have taken a few experimental puffs of smoky stuff before, without being an addict 😀 ).

The guests have retreated. The servers have cleared the buffet counters. On our group’s request, the artificial lights have been put off. The burning charcoal glows orange. I take a slow drag from the pipe. When I exhale, a subtle haze of smoke rises up blocking my view of the stars. With time, my eyes adjust to the darkness and I spot a thousand twinkling stars. I couldn’t have asked for more seclusion.

A night walk along the ridge of the sand dunes in Abu Dhabi Emirate

Once the lights are put on, we leave the dining area and take a casual stroll. I learn about the beautiful palm-shaded swimming pool by the dunes inside the resort. A series of halogen light are installed along the arc of the nearest dune. The Arabian Nights Village is apparently a hotspot of wealthy Indian weddings in the UAE – I can see why.

At night, illuminated by halogens, the dune seems strange. It feels like a different planet, the ones they show in sci-fi movies. The well-lit dune rises up and smudges with the inky black sky. To an imaginative onlooker, the uncertainty of the darkness beyond the crest could be disorienting. Intrigued by the visuals, we trek on the mound of sands and walk on the ridge. Some slide down the sand, others trudge back once their adventure thirst is satisfied.

I make a mental note of looking up all the ‘desert trek at night’ options in Google before rejoining my group. At 10’o clock we board our vehicle and bid adieu to the little piece of Empty Quarters desert that I sampled.

To watch my Arabian Nights Village (and wild dune bashing) video on Youtube please click here.

Have you been to a desert before? Did you do dune bashing? Have you read the book ‘Arabian Sands’? Comment below and let’s chat!

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Disclaimer: Tania was hosted by Abu Dhabi Tourism Board. All thoughts and opinions expressed in the post are of her own.

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