The Point of Inaccessibility for the United Arab Emirates lies in the deserts of Abu Dhabi, between Al Fathiya and Al Sout. It is about 250km from Dubai and 150km from Abu Dhabi City by road.  The coordinates of the POI are:

• Latitude: 23° 29.4130’ N
• Longitude: 54° 33.3437’ E

These coordinates were calculated by Miso for Chris Brown in August 2022.

The UAE point of Inaccessibility is at least 81.5 km from any border (Oman and Saudi Arabia) or sea (Persian Gulf).

Mapped Location of the United Arab Emirates Point of Inaccessibility

Getting to the United Arab Emirates
Point of Inaccessibility

Our journey started in Dubai, early in the morning to try and set off when the temperatures would be at their lowest – though that turned out to be 34° Celsius already!

We took a car on metaled road along the Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Int’l Road (E11) then on to Hameen Road (E65) all the way to Al Fathiya before we turned off into the sand dunes.

At this point we were joined by another vehicle for safety.  Both cars deflated their tyres and we entered the desert proper.

With experienced drivers behind the wheel, we made quick progress towards the Point of Inaccessibility. Although driving through dunes, with the constant rise and fall as if on the ocean, definitely induced some form of motion sickness, casuing flashbacks to Point Nemo!

We were also glad of air conditioning inside the cars.  The wind was blowing sand across the tops of the dunes, temperatures were rising into the forties and the humidity had dropped to around 20% which is uncomfortably dry and affects your lungs.

At one point, the lead vehicle bottomed out on the top of a dune and had to be yanked free by the other car.  Both cars were adapted for the tough off-road conditions, so the chases could take the impact.

When we closed in on the POI, we decided to make the final approach on foot.  The cars remained close by, so we didn’t require any special gear.  The sand was fairly firm underfoot and there were even odd tufts of grass remaining from the April floods which hit the emirates.

As usual, the exact Point of Inaccessibility was pretty unremarkable.  A patch of sand in a huge desert. Nevertheless, we took our photos firm in the knowledge that we were at the furthest point from any border in the United Arab Emirates.

The temperature at the POI was recorded at 44°, still somewhat short of the highest we recorded on the return trip, which reached a scorching 52° C.

Visited by: Chris Brown,  Jimmy de Paris, Samy Memmi and Simika Best
Date of Visit: 9th August, 2024
Coordinates Achieved: 23°29.4130’N 54°33.3437’E
Distance from Pole: 0 metres, exact pole achieved
Weather: 44° Celsius/112° Fahrenheit. Sunny and very low humidity.