Nahwa

Nahwa is a small mountain village that belongs to the Emirate of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, yet it lies entirely inside Omani territory. It is a counter-enclave, an enclave inside an enclave: the surrounding land is Madha, which is itself an exclave of Oman within the United Arab Emirates. The village is reached by the northernmost road into Madha south of Khor Fakkan, then by a paved, winding road of about five kilometres from New Madha. It has an Emirati police outpost near the boundary marker, a clinic, and about forty buildings in New Nahwa, with more houses in Old Nahwa and a third part called Shis. The odd border grew out of the 1930s or 1940s, when Madha chose allegiance to Oman while Nahwa stayed loyal to Sharjah; the borders were settled with British help and finalized in 1969. Al Nahwa Cave, an archaeological site, lies nearby.