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Khor Fakkan ( ar, خَوْر فَكَّان, Khawr Fakkān) is a city and
exclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...
of the Emirate of Sharjah, located on the east coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), facing the
Gulf of Oman The Gulf of Oman or Sea of Oman ( ar, خليج عمان ''khalīj ʿumān''; fa, دریای عمان ''daryâ-ye omân''), also known as Gulf of Makran or Sea of Makran ( ar, خلیج مکران ''khalīj makrān''; fa, دریای مکرا� ...
, and geographically surrounded by the Emirate of Fujairah. The city, the second largest on the east coast after
Fujairah City Fujairah City ( ar, الفجيرة) is the capital of the emirate of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. It is the seventh-largest city in UAE, located on the Gulf of Oman (part of the Indian Ocean). It is the only Emirati capital city on the ...
, is set on the bay of Khor Fakkan, which means "Creek of Two Jaws". It is the site of Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in the UAE. The Port of Khor Fakkan faces the Emirate of Sharjah’s eastern seaboard, extending connections with Asia and the Far East. This port is one of the Emirate’s three ports. It is also a popular spot among domestic tourists due to its white sand beaches and coral reefs that attract many marine life enthusiasts. Khor Fakkan beach lies to the north of the center of the town. Khor Fakkan is located on the east coast of the UAE, between the Shumayliyah Mountains and the Arabian Sea, with an altitude of 1,023 meters (3,356 ft) at al Hilqah Mountain (Jebel al Hilqah). The bay of Khor Fakkan faces the northeast and is protected from prevailing winds by a jetty serving terminal for container ships. In the mountains of Khor Fakkan and off the Sharjah-Khor Fakkan highway lies the Rifaisa Dam that is considered to have been built over a village, and thus when the water is very quiet, the tops of the old houses are visible. The development of Al Rifaisa Dam spans an area of 10,684 square meters.


History

Khorfakkan has a long history of human settlement. There is evidence of post holes from the wooden uprights of the traditional barasti huts known as ''areesh'', similar to those found at Tell Abraq which dates from the 3rd to 1st millennium BC. Excavations by a team from the Sharjah Archaeological Museum have identified 34 graves and a settlement belonging to the early-mid
2nd millennium BC The 2nd millennium BC spanned the years 2000 BC to 1001 BC. In the Ancient Near East, it marks the transition from the Middle to the Late Bronze Age. The Ancient Near Eastern cultures are well within the historical era: The first half of the mil ...
. These are clustered on rock outcrops overlooking the harbor. Around 1500, Duarte Barbosa described it as a village “around which are gardens and farms in plenty”. The town was captured by the
Portuguese Empire The Portuguese Empire ( pt, Império Português), also known as the Portuguese Overseas (''Ultramar Português'') or the Portuguese Colonial Empire (''Império Colonial Português''), was composed of the overseas colonies, factories, and the ...
in the 16th century by naval commander General Afonso de Albuquerque over 500 years ago, and was referred to as Corfacão. It was part of a serial of fortified cities that the Portugal had to control the access to the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, like Khor Fakan, Muscat, Sohar, Seeb, Qurayyat and Muttrah. The settlement, located on the east coast of the Musandam peninsula, south of the Gulf of Oman, was a tributary of the kingdom of Hormuz. At the dawn of the 16th century, it and its port were defended by a wide walled belt facing the land, closing the gorge that, in the mountain range parallel to the coast, allows communication with the interior. In this monumental structure a single door was torn, defended by a tower. The ensemble was responsible for safeguarding eventual tribal attacks. In 1580 the
Venetian Venetian often means from or related to: * Venice, a city in Italy * Veneto, a region of Italy * Republic of Venice (697–1797), a historical nation in that area Venetian and the like may also refer to: * Venetian language, a Romance language s ...
jeweler Gasparo Balbi noted "Chorf" in a list of places on the east coast of the United Arab Emirates, which is considered by historians to indicate Khor Fakkan. The
Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...
built a fort at Khor Fakkan that was a ruin by 1666. The log book of the Dutch vessel the ''Meerkat'' mentions this fort and another one, describing "Gorfacan" as a place on a small bay, with about 200 small houses built from date branches, near the beach. It refers to a triangular Portuguese 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 myrrh. 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 in 1623 of the Persian navy under the control of
Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
i Sheikh Muhammad Suhari. Suhari, facing a Portuguese counterattack, withdrew to the Portuguese forts, including that of Khorfakkan. When the Persians were expelled, the Portuguese commander Rui Freire urged the people of Khorfakkan 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 some 5,000 men and 1,580 horses, with the help of the Dutch, during their intervention in the Omani civil war. In 1765 Khor Fakkan belonged to a sheikh of the
Al Qasimi Al Qasimi ( ar, القواسم, spelled sometimes as Al Qassimi or Al Qassemi; plural: Al Qawasem ar, القواسم and, archaically, Joasmee) is an Arab dynasty in the Persian Gulf that rules Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah, today forming two of ...
, Sharjah's ruling family, according to the German traveler Carsten Niebuhr. There is a map by the French cartographer
Rigobert Bonne Rigobert Bonne (6 October 1727 – 2 September 1794) was a French cartographer, widely considered to be one of the most important cartographers of the late 18th century. In 1773 Bonne succeeded Jacques Nicolas Bellin as Royal Cartographer to Franc ...
dating to about 1770 that shows the Arabian Peninsula and the Persian Gulf and includes Khor Fakkan. At the turn of the 19th century, Lorimer notes that Khor Fakkan had about 5,000 date trees and was home to about 150 houses of Naqbiyin and Arabicised Persians, amounting to some 800 people. The population lived by cultivation and pearling, and the town had seven shops. The German submarine U-533 sank about off the coast on 16 October 1943 during World War II. Divers found the wreck at a depth of in 2009.


Port

The modern Khor Fakkan Container Terminal was inaugurated in 1979, and is the only natural deep-sea port in the region, and one of the top ports in the Emirates for containers. The Dh 300 million ($81.75 million) project involved reclaiming some to increase the storage capacity and to facilitate large cranes, and deep quays to accommodate for major vessels over in length. As of 2004 it handled 1.6 million TEU's. The port is part of the Maritime Silk Road that runs from the Chinese coast to the south via the southern tip of India to Mombasa, from there through the Red Sea via the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean, there to the Upper Adriatic region to the northern Italian hub of Trieste with its rail connections to
Central Europe Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the ar ...
, Eastern Europe and the North Sea.


Geography and climate

Khor Fakkan lies on the east coast of the UAE, between the Indian Ocean and the '' Shumayliyyah'' or
Western Hajar Mountains The Hajar Mountains ( ar, جِبَال ٱلْحَجَر, Jibāl al-Ḥajar, ''The Rocky Mountains'' or ''The Stone Mountains'') in northeastern Oman and also the eastern United Arab Emirates are the highest mountain range in the eastern Arabian ...
. The bay of Khor Fakkan is north-east facing and is protected from prevailing winds by a jetty serving the container terminal. Tourism is well developed thanks to sandy beaches and the coral reefs that attract many divers. Khor Fakkan Beach lies to the north of the center of the town. From November to April Khor Fakkan is sunny and warm during the day; the evenings are cool and humidity low. Daytime temperatures range from . One may expect rain and tropical storms between January and March. The climate warms from May to September with the high temperature at noon in July and August reaching . The nights too are warm, with the temperature reaching , with high humidity.


Landmarks

Khor Fakkan has one 4 star holiday beach resort, the Oceanic Hotel. The fish, fruit and vegetable '' souq'' is located at the southern end of the ''corniche'' and near the main highway. Shees Park, a recreational park is located near the village of
Shis Shis ( ar, شيص) is the name of a settlement to the East of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is the westernmost district of Khor Fakkan Municipality. The village of Shis was previously accessed only by a track leading from the East Coast ...
.


Gallery

File:Al Rafisah Dam near Khor Fakkan.jpg, Al Rafisah dam in Khor Fakkan File:KFAmphi.jpg, Khor Fakkan Amphitheatre File:A breathtaking view of the Khor Fakkan Monument.jpg , Resistance monument in Khor Fakkan File:Mesmerizing Shees Park at Khorfakkan,Sharjah,UAE.jpg, Shees Park File:Khor Fakkan Mosque.jpg, A mosque in Khor Fakkan File:Khor Fakkan, خورفكان, The Gulf of Oman - panoramio.jpg, Khor Fakkan beach File:Khor Fakkan panorama.jpg, East view, with the '' Shumayliyyah'' or
Western Hajar Mountains The Hajar Mountains ( ar, جِبَال ٱلْحَجَر, Jibāl al-Ḥajar, ''The Rocky Mountains'' or ''The Stone Mountains'') in northeastern Oman and also the eastern United Arab Emirates are the highest mountain range in the eastern Arabian ...
in the background File:Khor Fakkan countryside.jpg, View to the western landscape


Notable people

*H.E. Sheikh Saeed bin Saqer bin Sultan Al-Qasimi (1962-), a Qasimi royal, Deputy Chairman of the Amiri Court in Khorfakkan * Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim, visual artist * Hussain Al Jassmi (1979-),
Arabic music Arabic music or Arab music ( ar, الموسيقى العربية, al-mūsīqā al-ʿArabīyyah) is the music of the Arab world with all its diverse music styles and genres. Arabic countries have many rich and varied styles of music and also man ...
ian * Abdullah Yousef, Emirati goalkeeper *
Fayez Banihammad Fayez Rashid Ahmed Hassan al-Qadi Banihammad ( ar, فايز راشد احمد حسن القاضي بني حماد, ) (March 19, 1977 – September 11, 2001) was one of five hijackers aboard United Airlines Flight 175 as part of the September 1 ...
- hijacker aboard
United Airlines Flight 175 United Airlines Flight 175 was a domestic passenger flight that was hijacked by five al-Qaeda terrorists on September 11, 2001, as part of the September 11 attacks. The flight's scheduled plan was from Logan International Airport, in Bosto ...
as part of the September 11 attacks.


See also

*
E 99 road (United Arab Emirates) The E99 is a UAE road starting from UAE/OMAN border through the Hajar mountain range on the eastern coast connecting the two cities of Dibba Al-Fujairah and Khor Fakkan Khor Fakkan ( ar, خَوْر فَكَّان, Khawr Fakkān) is a city and ...
* Shees Park * Khor Fakkan Amphitheatre * Al Rafisah Dam


References


External links


Khorfakkan - Government of Sharjah
{{Authority control Archaeological sites in the United Arab Emirates Ports and harbours of the United Arab Emirates Port cities in the Arabian Peninsula Former Portuguese colonies Populated places in the Emirate of Sharjah Populated coastal places in the United Arab Emirates