The beach
Fine white sand on the Gulf.
Mahmoud Farrag — CC BY 3.0 · Carole Marxer — CC BY-SA 4.0 · en:User:MMuzammils — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mathurrajat2109 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mahmoud Farrag — CC BY 3.0
Ajman Corniche is Ajman city's seafront: a promenade of about 4 km along Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi Street, known as Corniche Street, beside a public beach of fine white sand on the Gulf. Lined with cafés, restaurants and hotel towers, it runs from the roundabout just past Coral Beach Resort, near the Sharjah boundary, to Ajman Hotel. Ajman grew up here as a small pearling town: in 1822 a British survey found one fortified building, the ruler's house, and up to 1,700 men in the pearling season. Al Murabbaa Watchtower, a square tower built in the 1930s to defend the town and restored in 2000, still stands on the corniche. A redevelopment under way by 2024 used sand dredged about 3 km offshore to push the beach some 150 m seaward and quadruple the beachfront to about 220,000 square metres. The sea is usually calm but can turn rough in strong wind. Families come on evenings and weekends to stroll and picnic; the new waterfront adds walkways, a 2.5 km cycle track, green areas, shaded seating and accessible paths to the sand. Beach hotels such as Fairmont Ajman arrange water sports, from paddleboarding and kayaking to jet skis. The beach faces north-west, so the sun sets over the sea; come from November to March, or at sunset in summer, when the heat eases. Parking is available and taxis are easy to find. As the crow flies, Ajman Museum, in the old fort, is about 1.2 km east of the central stretch and Dubai Creek about 21 km south-west.
Fine white sand on the Gulf.
Walkways and a 2.5 km cycle track.
A 1930s tower that guarded the town.
Corniche Street, north-western shore of Ajman city
In calm weather, yes, if you keep to permitted areas, ideally where lifeguards are on duty, and obey no-swimming signs, as currents can be strong in places. Stay out of the water when a red flag flies, when the sea is rough and after dark, take extra care at high tide, and never let children swim without an adult beside them.
Swimwear is fine on the sand and in the sea, but cover up before walking onto the promenade or into cafés and shops, where women are expected to cover shoulders and knees. Do not photograph other beachgoers without their permission.
