Khor Fakkan (or
Khawr Fakkan') is a town in the
emirateAn emirate is a political territory that is ruled by a dynastic Muslim Monarch styled emir.-Etymology:Etymologically emirate or amirate is the quality, dignity, office or territorial competence of any emir .-As monarchies:The United Arab Emirates is a federal state that comprises seven federal...
of Sharjah in the
United Arab EmiratesThe United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven emirates situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman and Saudi Arabia. The UAE consists of seven states, termed emirates, which are Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Quwain, Ras...
(UAE). Located along the
Gulf of OmanThe Gulf of Oman or Sea of Oman is a strait that connects the Arabian Sea with the Strait of Hormuz, which then runs to the Persian...
, Khor Fakkan is geographically surrounded by the emirate of
FujairahFujairah is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates, and the only one on the Gulf of Oman in the country's east instead of Persian Gulf .-Geography:...
. It is a natural deep water port that is now a major container terminal.
In 1580 the
VenetianVenice is a city in northern Italy, the capital of the region Veneto, a population of 271,367 . Together with Padua, the city is included in the Padua-Venice Metropolitan Area . The city historically was an independent nation...
jeweller Gasparo Balbi noted "Chorf" in a list of places on the east coast of the
United Arab EmiratesThe United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven emirates situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman and Saudi Arabia. The UAE consists of seven states, termed emirates, which are Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Quwain, Ras...
, which is considered by historians to indicate Khor Fakkan.
Khor Fakkan (or
Khawr Fakkan') is a town in the
emirateAn emirate is a political territory that is ruled by a dynastic Muslim Monarch styled emir.-Etymology:Etymologically emirate or amirate is the quality, dignity, office or territorial competence of any emir .-As monarchies:The United Arab Emirates is a federal state that comprises seven federal...
of Sharjah in the
United Arab EmiratesThe United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven emirates situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman and Saudi Arabia. The UAE consists of seven states, termed emirates, which are Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Quwain, Ras...
(UAE). Located along the
Gulf of OmanThe Gulf of Oman or Sea of Oman is a strait that connects the Arabian Sea with the Strait of Hormuz, which then runs to the Persian...
, Khor Fakkan is geographically surrounded by the emirate of
FujairahFujairah is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates, and the only one on the Gulf of Oman in the country's east instead of Persian Gulf .-Geography:...
. It is a natural deep water port that is now a major container terminal.
History
In 1580 the
VenetianVenice is a city in northern Italy, the capital of the region Veneto, a population of 271,367 . Together with Padua, the city is included in the Padua-Venice Metropolitan Area . The city historically was an independent nation...
jeweller Gasparo Balbi noted "Chorf" in a list of places on the east coast of the
United Arab EmiratesThe United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven emirates situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman and Saudi Arabia. The UAE consists of seven states, termed emirates, which are Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Quwain, Ras...
, which is considered by historians to indicate Khor Fakkan. The
PortuguesePortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
built a fort at Khor Fakkan, which was a ruin by 1666.
The log book of the Dutch vessel the Meerkat mentions this fort and another one, describing "Gorfacan" as place on a small bay, with about 200 small houses built from date branches, near the beach. It refers to a triangular
PortuguesePortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
fortress on the northern side, in ruins, and a fortress on a hill on the southern side, also in ruins, without garrison or artillery. As well as date palms, the Meerkat's log also mentions fig trees, melons, watermelons and
myrrhMyrrh is a reddish-brown resinous material, the dried sap of a number of trees, but primarily from Commiphora myrrha, which is native to Yemen, Somalia, the eastern parts of Ethiopia, and Commiphora gileadensis, which is native to Jordan...
. It notes several wells with "good and fresh water" used for irrigation.
One reason suggested for the ruinous state of the forts is an invasion by the Persian navy, under the control of
OmanOman , officially the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab country in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It borders the United Arab Emirates on the northwest, Saudi Arabia on the west and Yemen on the southwest....
i Sheikh Muhammad Suhari, in 1623. Suhari, facing a Portuguese counter-attack, withdrew to the Portuguese forts, including that of Khor Fakkan. When the Persians were expelled, the Portuguese commander Rui Freire urged the people of Khor Fakkan to remain loyal to the Portuguese crown, and established a Portuguese customs office as well.
In 1737, long after the Portuguese had been expelled from Arabia, the Persians again invaded Khor Fakkan, with the help of the
DutchThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
, during their intervention in the Omani civil war. In 1765 Khor Fakkan belonged to a sheikh of the
Al QasimiAl Qasimi tribe is from the Huwala; groups of Sunni Arabs who migrated from the Eastern coast of the Arabian peninsula and Oman in the 17th and 18th centuries to the Iranian side of the Persian Gulf. Al Qawasim have ruled some of the shores and Islands of Persia that were opposite to U.A.E in...
, Sharjah's ruling family, according to the German traveller
Carsten NiebuhrCarsten Niebuhr or Karsten Niebuhr was a German mathematician, cartographer, and explorer.-Biography:...
.
Thereafter it belonged to the Al Zaab tribal confederation, half of which lives in the Abu Dhabi city Al Zaab areas, ruled by Sharif Hussein Bin Rahma Al Zaabi.
Town royals
H.E. Shiekh
Saeed bin Saqer bin Sultan Al-QasimiSheikh Saeed bin Saqer bin Sultan Al-Qasimi is the son of the late Sheikh Saqer bin Sultan Alqassimi, Ruler of Sharjah, 1951-1965. Born January 25, 1962, he is a member of the ruling family of Sharjah, which is one of the Emirates that comprise the UAE. Sheikh Saeed is Deputy Chairman of the...
, an Al-Qasimi royal, . He is Deputy Chairman of Amiri Court in Khorfakkan, the Ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah is H.H Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammed Al-Qasimi.
Archaeology
Khor Fakkan has a long history of human settlement. Excavations by a team from the Sharjah Archaeological Museum have identified 34 graves and a settlement belonging to the early-mid
2nd millennium BCThe 2nd millennium BC marks the transition from the Middle to the Late Bronze Age.Its first half is dominated by the Middle Kingdom of Egypt and Babylonia. The alphabet develops. Indo-Iranian migration onto the Iranian plateau and onto the Indian subcontinent propagates the use of the chariot...
. These are clustered on rock outcrops overlooking the harbour.
One site of interest is the Rifaisa Dam, in the mountains of Khor Fakkan. This is believed to have been built over a village, and when the water is very still, the tops of the old houses are still visible.
Tourism
Khor Fakkan is a popular tourism spot, surrounded with huge mountains and attractive beaches. Its most famous hotel is the Oceanic. It also features coral outcrops suitable for diving and snorkeling.
The fish, fruit and vegetable
souq is located at the southern end of the
corniche.
Al Wurrayah Falls is reachable by four-wheel-drive around 4.5 km north of the Oceanic hotel.