عجمان
Almost entirely urbanised, the smallest of the Emirates
Ajman is the smallest of the seven emirates which make up the UAE, and is surrounded on three sides by Sharjah, with the Arabian Gulf lapping at the fourth. Like much of the rest of the country, Ajman began to experience a building boom in the late 2000s, but was subsequently hit hard by the recession. Ajman remains a quiet working town with a pleasant beach and a small museum and gold souk as visitor draws.
Ajman is easily reached from the surrounding emirates of Sharjah, Dubai and Ras al Khaimah, so I stopped by in 2011 to see what it had to offer. In spite of the recent development the place still felt quiet, I was able to have a good lunch and wander the museum, then take a walk down by the beach.
The top hotel in Ajman at the time was the Kempinski, located at the harbour mouth not far from the centre of the city.
A small blue and white mosque near to the port of Ajman, which also hosts the fish market.
A local fishing boat after unloading its catch by the fish market at Ajman harbour.
The Ajman Museum is a converted fort in the centre of town, which hosts some interesting exhibits on the history of the emirate, including Ajman radio station.
Inside one of the wind towers at Ajman museum. Wind towers were the air conditioning systems of the Gulf before electricity arrived, catching the prevailing wind from any direction and channelling it down inside the family home.
Ajman has its own gold souk, not far from the museum.
Down at the beach new high rise towers form the backdrop of 21st century Ajman.
Beach goers out for a walk on the sand in the January sun on Ajman beach.
Ajman was expanding right up to its desert boundaries, with its most ambitious development at Emirates City as seen from the main highway passing through from Sharjah.
Created 2012
SnapHappyRoss 