Back
Mleiha Road: Dhaid to Madam, Sharjah interior, Sharjah
Photo: Banja-Frans Mulder · CC BY 3.0

Drives Sharjah, United Arab Emirates Dubai, Sharjah and the Interior

Mleiha Road: Dhaid to Madam

Al Dhaid-Maliha Road, Al Dhaid Road, E55 · Dhaid → Madam

Leisurely24 mi35 min400 ft climbHigh point ≈ 600 ftOne way
Scan to drive it in CarvePoint a phone's camera here. It opens ready to drive.
Drive it in Carve, free

Opens this route in the app, or where to get it.

Drive this road
in the appOpen

The drive

E55 runs south from Dhaid through Mleiha to Madam, 38 km (24 mi) in about 35 minutes. It is a divided road across desert plain and low Hajar foothills, with few bends and open desert views, and it is quiet compared with the coast roads. The Maliha Road is the way into the Hajar foothills for Sharjah drivers.

Mleiha lies about 25 km south of Dhaid and has the Mleiha Archaeological Centre and the Mleiha Fort, a fortified compound discovered in the late 1990s. Near Madam, Jebel Buhais is a limestone outcrop and nature reserve with an extensive necropolis with burials from the Neolithic to the Hellenistic periods. The stops are off the road; the drive ends at Madam.

Along the way

  1. Dhaid (E55, south of the rotary)
  2. Mleiha
  3. Jebel Buhais
  4. Madam (E55)
Elevation
400 ft of climbing · high point ≈ 600 ft
DhaidMadam
Curves
Mostly gentle curves
DhaidMadam
GentleHairpins

Good to know

  • Stay on the paved road; sedans should avoid gravel tracks.
  • Desert trips from Mleiha are run in 4x4s; the paved E55 is the drive.
  • Access to Jebel Buhais has no well-defined roads, so do not follow tracks in an ordinary car.
  • Summer days are very hot; early mornings and the cooler months are more comfortable.

Open all year, weather permitting. Roads close for snow, fire, storms and repairs: before you set off, check Visit Sharjah.

Questions about this drive

How long does the Mleiha Road from Dhaid to Madam take?

E55 from Dhaid to Madam via Mleiha is 38 km (24 mi) and takes about 35 minutes.

Is Mleiha Road twisty?

No. It is mostly gentle with few bends. The draw is the desert plain and the Hajar foothills.

What is there to see near Mleiha Road?

Mleiha has an archaeological centre and a fort, and Jebel Buhais near Madam is a necropolis and nature reserve with Neolithic burials.

Can I go off-road from Mleiha Road?

Visit Sharjah lists a fossil rock hiking trail and 4x4 desert trips from Mleiha. This drive stays on the paved E55.

What you get in the app

Turn by turn, on this roadSpoken directions along the exact route. Carve never reroutes you onto a faster one.
Preview it in 3DFly the whole drive over satellite and terrain before you go.
Drive it with no signalAPEXDownload the map and every turn before you go.
Live Group TrackingAPEXEveryone on the route, on the map, by name.
Road conditionsAPEXWet or dry, ice, fog and wind along the road before you go.
Record your drivesAPEXRecord a drive and turn it into a route to drive again or share.

Free on iPhone and Android. CarPlay and Android Auto come with Apex.

Download on theApp StoreEarly access onGoogle Play

More drives near here

All 4 drives in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates ›

Distance, time, elevation, curves and intensity are from Carve's route. Checked 2026-10-28.

+ Plan a new route
Map of Mleiha Road: Dhaid to Madam, from Dhaid to Madam