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UAE Moments
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- UAE Moments
Fujairah Just Dropped a Musical Road—And It's Going Viral
Who knew your daily drive could turn into a mini concert? In Fujairah, one stretch of road is doing exactly that. Tucked between the mountains on Sheikh Khalifa Street—just before the Police HQ—drivers are being greeted with the unexpected sounds of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. This nearly 1-km stretch isn't your average rumble strip situation. These grooves are carefully engineered to 'play' music when your tyres hit the right speed. Drive at around 100 to 105 km/h, stick to the rightmost lane, and voilà—your car becomes a piano on wheels. What started as a local art project by the Fujairah Fine Arts Academy has now blown up online. From shocked drivers to full-on road trip plans, people are flocking to hear the road for themselves. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Gulf Moments (@gulfmoments) 'I thought something was wrong with my car at first,' said Fujairah resident Omar Al Obiadi. 'But then I heard the rhythm and realised it was music! Now I purposely drive in that lane every time.' Tourists Are Driving In Just for the Tune Dubai resident Amr Ahmed Kazeem was equally surprised. 'I was alone heading to a meeting when I suddenly heard the tune. I didn't even know roads could do that!' Others are planning whole day trips around the road. Nida Amaan packed snacks, her kids, and made the drive from Dubai after spotting it on Instagram. Her kids now call it "the singing road." Want to Hear the Music? Here's How Speed matters: Stick to 100–105 km/h for the cleanest notes Use the last lane: The rightmost side has the musical strips Align your tyres: Make sure your right tyres are fully over the strip Keep it steady: Any wobble can ruin the melody Turn off your radio: Let the tyres take the spotlight Stay Safe While You Jam Don't record while driving —let a passenger film it Check traffic around you before switching lanes No sudden brakes —you're not in a music video Respect the road —not everyone is there for the vibes What's Next for Fujairah? According to Ali Obaid Al Hafiti, Director of the Fujairah Fine Arts Academy, this musical road is here to stay. And even better? More are coming. Future installations will feature local UAE music, bringing even more cultural vibes to the streets.
Khaleej Times
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Fujairah road plays Beethoven: 7 other countries that have musical roads
Drivers on Fujairah's Sheikh Khalifa Street are being surprised by a one-of-kind musical experience. As they drive over a certain stretch of the road, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony plays, making it a new adventure for motorists in the UAE to try. The rumble strips, carefully engineered into the road surface just before the Fujairah Police Headquarters, produce the classical music piece when driven over at a steady pace. However, musical roads aren't a new concept. Invented in Denmark, these melody roads have become popular in many parts of the world. Here are some well-known ones: Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels. The Asphaltophone The first one in the world, called the Asphaltophone, was built in October 1995 in Gylling, Denmark, by Danish artists Steen Krarup Jensen and Jakob Freud-Magnus. In the clip below, the Asphaltophone is shown after 90 seconds. Second musical road in France The world's second musical road was made in 2000 in Villepinte, Sien-Saint-Denis, France. The road seems to have been paved over just two years later, but some claim that it can still be heard when driving on the road. USA's first America's first musical road was built in 2008 — in Avenue K, Lancaster, California. Called the Civic Musical Road, a quarter-mile stretch was designed to play the finale of the 'William Tell Overture' when driven over at a certain speed. However, due to complaints from residents about the noise created by the road, it was moved two miles out of town onto Avenue G, where it still sits today. Another musical road in the US exists in New Mexico, that plays 'America the Beautiful' to get cars to slow down on a section of Route 66 between Albuquerque and Tijeras. 30 musical roads in Japan! Japan seems to be the most enthusiastic about singing roads. In 2007, a man named Shizuo Shinoda accidentally scraped some markings into a road with a bulldozer before driving over them, realizing they could create different musical tones. There are now at least thirty musical roads in Japan today, with some playing the theme song from the anime Neon Genesis Evagelion and the song 'Always with Me' from the film 'Spirited 'Away'. To prevent drivers from dozing off Several roads in South Korea have installed musical grooves to get motorists to pay attention. The Singing Road close to Anyang, Gyeonggi, created using grooves cut into the ground, plays a version of the nursery rhyme 'Mary Had a Little Lamb'. Accident prevention Indonesia too installed a melody road to reduce the number of traffic accidents. The road, along the Ngawi-Kertosono section of the Solo-Kertosono Toll Road in Java, plays the first six notes of 'Happy Birthday to You' when driven over at the correct speed. In memory Hungary installed a musical road in 2019 as a tribute to László Bódi (stage name Cipő), lead singer from the band Republic. When going on the side of the road, an approximately 30-second snippet of their song '67-es út (Road 67)' plays. Listen to the melody below:
Khaleej Times
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Watch: UAE drivers 'play piano', groove to Fujairah's musical road
It's not every day that your tyres play Beethoven. But on a quiet stretch of Sheikh Khalifa Street, surrounded by the rugged beauty of Fujairah's mountains, that's exactly what's happening, and residents can't get enough of it. Installed just before the Fujairah Police Headquarters, the nearly 1km-long musical street is turning a daily commute into a drive-through symphony. The rumble strips, carefully engineered into the road surface, produce a portion of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony when driven over at a steady pace, a first in the UAE and the Arab world. What started as a creative public arts initiative by the Fujairah Fine Arts Academy has quickly become both a local attraction and a social media sensation. It's no longer just an artistic installation; it's become a reason to change lanes. 'I travel thrice a week on this road, but I first noticed the music on Sunday while returning from Maleiha,' said Omar Al Obiadi, a Fujairah resident. 'At first, I thought maybe my tire pressure was low, you know, that weird humming noise you get sometimes. But then it got louder and more rhythmic, and I realised it was actual music.' Watch a video of cars driving over, below: Now, Omar says he takes the last lane on purpose whenever he drives this route. 'It's become part of my routine now. You won't believe it, but sometimes I slow down a bit just before the stretch, make sure there are no cars behind me, and then cruise at exactly 105 km/h. It feels like the road is welcoming me home.' Even visitors from outside the emirate are making the journey just to experience the road's unusual melody. 'My car suddenly turned into a piano,' said Amr Ahmed Kazeem, a Dubai resident who visited Fujairah on Tuesday. 'I was alone, going for a meeting, and suddenly I heard this tune underneath the car. I thought I was imagining it. I didn't know roads could do that.' 'We are so used to honking and traffic noise, hearing music from your tires is just joyful,' he added. 'It's like the road is telling you, 'relax, you are in Fujairah now'.' Some people are even planning entire trips around the musical road. 'We drove down from Dubai just to check it out,' said Nida Amaan, who came with her husband and two kids over the weekend after watching a video online. 'My husband saw a reel on Instagram, and we were packing snacks and getting in the car.' Her children, aged 8 and 12, had no idea about the reason for the trip. 'They were in the backseat when the music started and were shocked at first. They thought it was a prank or maybe the car's music system acting up,' she said. Now they call it 'the singing road.' How to get the perfect music According to a Khaleej Times analysis, here's how drivers can enjoy the melody at its best: Maintain optimum speed of 100kmph to produce clear, accurate musical notes. Stick to the last (rightmost) lane — the musical rumble strips are laid on this side. Align your right tyres directly over the white rumble strips - ensure the full tyre rolls precisely on the strip. Keep your steering steady and straight, even a slight deviation can distort or mute the melody. Avoid veering too far left or right as poor alignment results in muffled or off-key notes. Turn off the radio and lower windows, if needed, keeping the cabin quiet helps you hear the tune clearly. Safety tips while driving on the musical road Do not record while driving — hand over the phone to a passenger to avoid distraction. Check vehicles around you — be aware of cars ahead and behind before changing lanes. Avoid sudden braking as it can startle drivers behind and disrupt traffic flow. Stay in your lane, don't swerve while aligning your tires over the strip. Give way when needed; not everyone is there for the music. Ali Obaid Al Hafiti, Director of the Fujairah Fine Arts Academy, confirmed that the project will be permanent. 'The chosen musical piece is Beethoven's Ninth Symphony because it is universal and globally recognised,' he said. He added that the emirate plans to launch similar installations in other areas featuring local musical compositions, which will be announced in the near future. So, the next time you are headed toward Fujairah, take the scenic route down Sheikh Khalifa Street. Switch to the last lane, tune out the noise, and let your tyres play a little Beethoven.
Khaleej Times
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Watch: This Fujairah road creates music as cars pass by in first-of-its-kind project
Car wheels play melodies from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony on Sheikh Khalifa Street in a first-of-its-kind in the UAE and the Arab World. The "Musical Street" extends over a distance of 750m on Sheikh Khalifa Street, at the entrance to Fujairah city before the Fujairah Court. Launched by the Fujairah Fine Arts Academy, this innovative project comes as part of the Academy's initiatives to promote arts in public spaces and integrate music into the details of daily life. 'We believe that music is a universal language capable of creating exceptional moments even while driving,' Ali Obaid Al Hafiti, Director General of Fujairah Fine Arts Academy, said. Al Hafiti added that this project connects art with life and embodies the Academy's mission to spread beauty and creativity in every corner of the emirate, especially in artistic fields.
