Al Falayah fort is an 18th-century fort in

Ras Al Khaimah Ras Al Khaimah (; ), often referred to its initials RAK, is the largest city and capital of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah in the U.A.E. The city had a population of 191,753 in 2025, and is the sixth-most populous city in UAE after Dubai, Abu ...

, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Traditionally the summer residence of the ruling

Al Qasimi The Al Qasimi (, spelled sometimes as Al Qassimi or Al Qassemi; plural: Al Qawasem and, archaically, Joasmee) is an Arab dynasty in the Persian Gulf that rules Emirate of Sharjah, Sharjah and Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, Ras Al Khaimah, today for ...

family, the fort was used as a rest house. The ''Preliminary agreements'' to the treaty had earlier been signed on 6 January 1820 by Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi, then at mid-day on 8 January 1820 in Ras Al Khaimah by Major-General William Keir Grant together with Hassan Bin Rahmah Sheikh of 'Hatt and Falna' (Hatt being modern day Khatt) and Rajib bin Ahmed Al-Zaabi, Sheikh of 'Jourat al Kamra' ( Jazirat Al Hamra). A translation was prepared by Captain JP Thompson. Further ''Preliminary Agreements'' were then signed on 9 January by the Sheikh of Dubai, 11 January in Ras Al Khaimah by Sheikh Shakbout of 'Aboo Dhebbee' (Abu Dhabi) and on 15 January by Hassan bin Ali, Sheikh of ' Zyah'.at

Sharjah Sharjah (; ', Gulf Arabic: ''aš-Šārja'') is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It is the capital of the Emirate of Sharjah and forms part of the D ...

. The General Treaty for the Cessation of Plunder and Piracy by Land and Sea, Dated February 5, 1820 was then signed by Hassan bin Rahmah Al Qasimi, ‘Sheikh of Khatt and Falayah’ (who had, by signing the Preliminary agreement, given up his title as ruler of Ras Al Khaimah) and Qadhib bin Ahmad of Jazirat Al Hamra, both signing at Falayah Fort on 8 January 1820. Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi signed at Ras Al Khaimah on 11 January on behalf of his son, Sheikh Tahnun bin Shakhbut, and Hussein bin Ali of Rams and Dhayah on 15 January, coincidentally the day of his release by the British from captivity. Zaid bin Saif signed on behalf of the Ruler of Dubai, who was still in his minority, on 28 January. Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi of Sharjah signed the treaty in

town on 4 February and, on 5 February, the treaty was signed in Sharjah on behalf of the Sheikhs of Bahrain (who themselves ratified it in Bahrain later that month). The treaty was to lead to the recognition by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

of the

Trucial States The Trucial States, also known as the Trucial Coast, the Trucial Sheikhdoms, or Trucial Oman, was a group of tribal confederations to the south of the Persian Gulf (southeastern Arabia) whose leaders had signed protective treaties, or truce ...

, to a series of further treaties formalising the British Protectorate over the

and eventually to the process leading to the formation of the modern United Arab Emirates on 2 December 1971.

References

{{Ras Al Khaimah Forts in the United Arab Emirates