On the 17th day of the war that is happening in the West Asia, Iran attacked Fujairah city of the UAE. The city is the capital of the Emirate of Fujairah and is located on the Gulf of Oman.
Iran bombarded the port city with missiles as it is a crucial one near the Strait of Hormuz, enabling supplies and ensuring the smooth passage of containers and ships.
The port city is a major one, and near it lies a region called Madha. Despite being inside the UAE, this town belongs to Oman. Inside Madha there is another settlement called Nahwa, which belongs to the Emirate of Sharjah in the UAE.
In simple terms, a part of Oman lies inside the UAE, and inside that Omani territory lies another piece of the UAE again.
This unusual arrangement has made the region one of the most curious border formations in the world.
THE STRANGE GEOGRAPHY OF MADHA
A short distance from Fujairah lies Madha, a small territory that belongs to Oman but is completely surrounded by the United Arab Emirates.
In geography, such a place is called an enclave, which means a part of one country located inside the borders of another. Madha covers about 93 square kilometres and is located between the Musandam Peninsula and mainland Oman.
The unusual arrangement began in the 1930s, when local tribal leaders were asked whether they wanted to join Oman or Sharjah.
Most nearby villages chose to align with rulers of the UAE region, but the people of Madha decided to remain under the rule of the Sultan of Oman, believing Oman offered stronger protection and support.
When modern borders between Oman and the UAE were later finalised in 1969, Madha officially became an Omani enclave inside the UAE.
Adding to the geographical puzzle, Madha itself contains a small village called Nahwa, which belongs to the UAE’s Emirate of Sharjah, creating a rare case of a territory inside another territory within a different country.
NAHWA: AN ENCLAVE WITHIN AN ENCLAVE
Inside Madha lies an even more unusual case.
Nahwa is a small village that belongs to the Emirate of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. What makes it unusual is its location. Nahwa lies inside Madha, a territory that belongs to Oman, while Madha itself is completely surrounded by the UAE.
In simple terms, Nahwa (UAE) is inside Madha (Oman), and Madha is inside the UAE. This makes Nahwa a rare example of a territory within a territory within another country.
The decision taken decades back created the unusual geographical arrangement that still exists today.
FUJARIAH: THE UAE’S GATEWAY TO INDIAN OCEAN
Fujairah city sits on the eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates, facing the Indian Ocean. Unlike most UAE cities that lie along the Persian Gulf, Fujairah directly connects to the open ocean through the Gulf of Oman.
This location gives the UAE an important advantage. Ships travelling to the port do not need to pass through the Strait of Hormuz from the Persian Gulf side. This allows cargo vessels and oil tankers to reach Fujairah more directly.
The city has grown into the main commercial centre of the emirate. Hamad Bin Abdulla Road runs through the city and connects it with Dubai through the Emirate of Sharjah. Along this route stand offices, markets and government buildings.
Fujairah’s waterfront also has large oil storage tanks and logistics facilities, making it an important energy hub in the region.
When West Asia is burning, the geography of the region, its resources, and thousand-year-old clan rivalries, reshaped by modern politics and the influence of the United States, remain key contributors to the conflict.
The geography of these nations shows how, despite conflicts and competing interests around the world, the two countries continue to exist and cooperate.
