Wadi Shis, Sharjah, UAE

To reach Wadi Shis you begin in Murbah, UAE on the Gulf of Oman. Heading due west you pass through the Omani enclave of Madhah. Not long after, the road becomes gravel and 4 wheel drive (or in my case a rented Honda Civic) is appropriate. Along the way you pass some new "public housing" provided courtesy of the Emirate of Sharjah. Many of the seven emirates of the UAE touch both the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman (the Indian Ocean side).

In the time before borders were significant many nomadic tribes found it advantageous to visit both gulfs. Later when the British began taking an interest in the internal affairs in East Arabia, with the discovery of oil, they formed a group, the British Scouts, to survey inhabitants to ask to which local leader they pledged their loyalty. The borders of the current emirates were determined from this survey. (Before the discovery of oil the British policy in the region was to control the external or foreign affairs of East Arabia -- for the purpose of controlling navigation in the Gulf. (Some insist on calling the Gulf the Persian Gulf, but that is another story.))

Some enclaves claimed allegience to Oman. Thus, within the UAE today you find small pockets of Oman scattered about, especially where the geography is more mountainous.

Moreover, it's hard to tell from a map which of the emirates are contiguous and which are not.