Tag Archives: Khor Fakkan

Khor Fakkan

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Khor Fakkan has always been a favourite place for a nice little getaway but if you haven’t been for a while, you might be surprised at what’s new and also at parts you just never knew about.

It’s also no longer that long drive to Fujairah and up the coast. The new Khor Fakkan road cuts through the desert and the Hajar Mountains and takes not more than an hour from the junction on the E611.

The second half of the new road climbs winding roads through the mountains and five tunnels, the longest of which is 3km.

The road can also be accessed at other points along the way, the last being the Masafi-Fujairah road at Al Dafta. Khor Fakkan is also accessible from Fujairah and Dibba.

If you’ve been before, you’ll be familiar with the main beach, but it has recently undergone development and is now home to sports fields which can be hired, various play parks, a small skate park, food trucks, cafes, beach library, an inflatable water play area and lots of new seating areas.

At the southern end of the Corniche you can visit the archeological site of the Portuguese Fort which was built in 1635 and an adjacent village and farming area. Further down is the Hisn Fort Museum which relates the history of all parts of Sharjah Eastern Region. Behind the Museum is the restored old souq and Al Adwani Tower stands atop a hill at the end of the Corniche.

Up on the hill behind the museum and souq stands Al Rabi Tower which dates back to 1915. These towers and forts formed the defence network of Khor Fakkan. You can climb up to Al Adwani from the road but you need to drive up to Al Rabi Tower. Both offer great views over Khor Fakkan. From Al Rabi Tower, there is a hiking trail that takes you to the top of the next hill, the tallest in the town of Khor Fakkan. (Click here for more on Al Rabi Tower.)

Another place for a good view is Flag Square. You can drive up to the top. At the bottom of the road to Flag Square, there are beautiful fountains on four sides of the large roundabout. They are set in landscaped gardens and you can sit on a bench or on the grass and enjoy watching the mesmerising fountains with the mountains as the backdrop. You will also Resistance Monument on the other side, built recently under the orders of Sheikh Sultan to honour those who resisted against the Portuguese invasion in the 16th century.

As Khor Fakkan is part of the emirate of Sharjah, you will notice the Arabic architecture of all local government buildings. The University of Sharjah has a campus there but it is soon to become The University of Khor Fakkan. A new Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport is also under construction.

Khor Fakkan always participates in Sharjah’s many events such as Sharjah Light Festival. It also has its own Khor Fakkan Festival in March.

Outside of the main city, there are many other places to visit within the municipality of Khor Fakkan. To the north lie the beautiful and quiet Loulou’a and Zobara beaches. Don’t expect facilities here, expect a quieter beach. There are also archeological sites at Zobara.

To the west on the Khor Fakkan road, you can visit Al Rafisah, and Wadi Shis. Al Miqsar Village also lies to the east but at the moment can be accessed through Wadi Shie from inside Khor Fakkan or on foot from Al Rafisa. (Click links to see more.)

Finally, south west is the tiny exclave of Nahwa which lies within the Omani enclave of Madha. The entrance to Madha is in Fujairah just over the border after Khor Fakkan Expo and Sharjah University. If you have a 4WD, you can drive from Nahwa through to Shees. There is no border control here. You can also take another road that comes out at Dafta.

You can also visit Shark Island just off Khor Fakkan either just for a boat trip or for diving. (More info to be added soon.)

Links for our blog posts on places in and around Khor Fakkan – Al Rafisah Dam, Al Rabi Tower, Al Miqsar Village, Wadi Shees

Al Rabi Tower, Khor Fakkan

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Al Rabi Tower was an important part of the defence network in Khor Fakkan, located between Al Adwani Tower and the watchtower at Al Miqsar. The various lookout posts across the town would send warnings to each other by gunshot. It was first constructed by in 1915 during the reign of Sheikh Said bin Hamad Al Qassimi and has since been restored.

The view from the park where the tower stands stretches over the whole valley and out to sea.

For an even better view, take the hiking trail to the top of Khor Fakkan’s highest mountain, but be sure to be well-prepared before setting off. (See the photo with yellow arrows in the gallery showing starting and end points.)

Al Miqsar Village

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The villages also has houses, stores, and a mosque all built of rock and clay. The rocks used were very large and some of the buildings, such as the mosque, are built into larger rocks. As the rocks used were from the mountain area itself, it’s hard to see the village from a distance and you can easily drive past it without noticing it other than the fort.

Al Miqsar Village was built around 300 years ago and is located atop a small mountain in Wadi Shie. The small fort at the top is known as Wadi Shie Castle and has high slits through which to aim a rifle and also to provide ventilation. It is also part of the defence network of Khor Fakkan City which includes Al Adwani Tower, Al Rabi Tower and al Hisn Fort in the city itself. The lookouts would warn each other by gunfire.

The village is currently being restored by Sharjah Planning and Survey Department along with several other historical areas of Khor Fakkan.

It can currently be reached by following the road to Wadi Shie from Khor Fakkan, after going through the underpass, keep to right at all forks. Or take the walkway under the Khor Fakkan Rd by taking The Walk on the dry side of Rafisa Dam (although the underpass is not yet very accessible to all). To take this route, park at Rafisa Dam, follow signs for The Walk and follow the path all the way under the highway. There is later to be a parking area for visitors there.

An enclave in an exclave

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If you have driven around the northern parts of the UAE, you will no doubt have noticed that you pass from one emirate into another and then suddenly back again or you may find yourself in an emirate you thought you were nowhere near.

UAE geography is clearly not straightforward. This goes back to territories owned by different ruling families before the birth of the UAE as well as gifts of land between the families and change of allegiance to rulers. And as in so many countries, there was also a British political officer involved in drafting territorial maps.

Ras al Khaimah has a northern and a southern region separated by a strip of Fujairah. Fujairah itself is separated by Sharjah. The emirate of Ajman has two enclaves, one inland, Manama, and one in the east, Masfoot, whilst Dubai has the enclave of Hatta in the east. To add to this, Oman has a few enclaves within the UAE.

Sharjah is probably the most interesting and most scattered emirate. The main part stretches from the city of Sharjah into the central region which includes Dhaid, Madam, Maleha and many other small towns and villages.

On the east coast, the small enclave of Dibba al Hisn is sandwiched between Dibba Fujairah and Dibba Oman. As you continue your journey down the east coast you chop and change between territories, starting in Oman (the enclave of Musandam) then passing through Sharjah (Dibba al Hisn) then Fujairah, then Sharjah again (Khor Fakkan) then Fujairah, then back to Sharjah ( Kalba) before finally going back to Oman. Dibba, Khor Fakkan, Kalba and Wadi al Helou (a mountainous region to the west of Kalba) are known as the Eastern Region.

The most fascinating of these must surely be the tiny enclave of Nahwa which is situated inside the Omani exclave of Madha. Madha is bordered by Sharjah (Khor Fakkan), Fujairah and Ras al Khaimah and has a population of around 3000. Apart from the area of new Madha, it is mountainous territory with numerous beautiful oases scattered through it.

Madha became part of Oman around 80 years ago when its people chose to align themselves with the Omani Sultan rather than the leaders of RAK, Fujairah or Sharjah as they believed at that time that Oman could help them more.

Nahwa covers an area of just 75km² and contains a tiny village made up of new Nahwa and old Nahwa. It consists of fewer than a hundred houses, a police station with a fire and ambulance service, a health centre, a primary school, a sports centre, a small play park, a grocery and several farms. It is governed and serviced by the municipality of Khor Fakkan.

If you haven’t visited any of these places yet, it’s time to get your map out and start exploring!

Entrance to Nahwa, enclave of Sharjah situated inside an Omani exclave in the UAE
New Nahwa
Farming area in New Nahwa
Road to old Nahwa
Farm at Nahwa
Nahwa
Farm in New Nahwa
Nahwa, Emirate of Sharjah
Oman-UAE border at Nahwa, enclave of Sharjah inside Omani exclave of Madha
And a few photos from Madha.

Ruins at Madha

Memories (3)

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I learned everything from my mother. She taught me how to cook all kinds of food – stews, bread, fish… She taught me how to clean and wash, how to embroider clothes, how to make things. Every day we had to do work before we could play. We helped our mothers cooking, we had to go to the well to fetch water and carry it back on our heads. After we finished all that, we would sit and weave baskets and mats from palm leaves and we would sell them. We also embroidered clothes, such as the decorative cuffs of salwar (undertrousers) and kandoras. We made our own and we sold them too.  

We did everything together as a community. We cleaned together, we fished together, we cooked the fish together, we made things together. We shared our food. After I had a child, I would leave it with a neighbour while I went to do some work. The children were not just the parents’ child, they were the neighbourhood’s child. After we finished our work we would sing songs together. We hardly did anything alone. 

Life was much harder than now, but it was nice. It was a beautiful life. It was simple and everyone stuck together. Now everyone is scattered around and looking to his own affairs only. People don’t do things together like before. 

Umm Ahmed, Khor Fakkan