Khatt is a mountainous

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

south-east of the city of

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 The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

. Famous for its hot springs, there is evidence that Khatt has been a site of constant human settlement since the stone age – a record of over 5,000 years of occupation.

History

Surveys carried out by a team from the

Durham University Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament (UK), Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by r ...

in the early 1990s showed evidence of

Ubaid Period The Ubaid period (c. 5500–3700 BC) is a prehistoric period of Mesopotamia. The name derives from Tell al-'Ubaid where the earliest large excavation of Ubaid period material was conducted initially in 1919 by Henry Hall, Leonard Woolley in 19 ...

stone age occupation (knapped flint), as well as a collection of 16

Hafit period The Hafit period defines early Bronze Age human settlement in the United Arab Emirates and Oman in the period from 3200 to 2600 B.C. It is named after the distinctive beehive burials first found on Jebel Hafeet, Jebel Hafit, a Hajar Mountains, ro ...

corbelled stone beehive tombs. Umm Al-Nar period burials were also uncovered, as well as evidence of

Wadi Suq Wadi ( ; ) is a river valley or a wet (ephemerality, ephemeral) Stream bed, riverbed that contains water only when heavy rain occurs. Wadis are located on gently sloping, nearly flat parts of deserts; commonly they begin on the distal portion ...

pottery. The discovery of red-ridged Barbar Ware speaks of trade with 'Dilmum', or

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

, during the transitional period between the end of the Umm Al-Nar period and the ensuing Wadi Suq period. Evidence has also been found at Khatt of

Sasanian The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranians"), was an Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, the length of the Sasanian dynasty's reign ...

occupation and pottery, and - contemporaneous with the nearby port and settlement of Julphar - Chinese blue and white porcelain dating to between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries.

Al Qasimi Rule

Khatt was an

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 ...

settlement, populated in the main by members of the

Naqbiyin The Naqbiyin (, singular Al Naqbi) is a tribe of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They are mostly settled within the emirates of Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah and have long been influential in the tribal politics of both emirates. By the turn of t ...

, 'Awanat and Sharqiyin tribes – today the Al Naqbi Tower still stands in the village. Dominating the population, the settlement of the Naqbiyin is said to have taken place over a period of 300 years. The Sheikh of Khatt was a signatory to the

General Maritime Treaty of 1820 The General Maritime Treaty of 1820 was initially signed between the rulers of Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Great Britain in January 1820, with the nearby island state of Bahrain acceding to the treaty in the fol ...

with the British. The treaty was issued in triplicate and signed at mid-day on 8 January 1820 in Ras Al Khaimah by Major-General William Keir Grant together with Sheikh Hassan Bin Rahman. Hassan was styled "Sheikh of Hatt and Falna" (Hatt being modern day Khatt) because he had ceded Ras Al Khaimah town to the British for use as a garrison town. Other tribal Sheikhs of the Omani coast signed soon after. The maritime peace notwithstanding, Khatt was subject to the occasional depredations of bedouin from the interior and, in 1888, a feud between the people of Ras Al Khaimah and the mountain-dwelling

Shihuh The Shihuh (, ') is an Arab tribe living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman. In the singular, the name is Al Shehhi, a common family name in the UAE and Oman today. Inhabiting the northern part of the Hajar Mountain range, specifically in ...

tribe resulted in several townspeople being murdered and over 200 date palms in Khatt being destroyed. '' Lorimer'' noted, in 1908, 100 houses and 20,000 palm trees at Khatt.

Springs

The sulphurous waters of Khatt Springs attain a depth of 90 feet, with a constant temperature of some 40 °C. Due to its mineral content and heat, the water is said to have medicinal benefits soothing skin ailments, rheumatic diseases and muscular problems. The waters rise from limestone bedrock. A total of three springs rise at the site, which has been developed to include a spa hotel managed by French operator Golden Tulip and offering a range of treatments.

References

{{Ras al-Khaimah Villages in the United Arab Emirates Populated places in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah