Qualla: Fujairah Fort

Fujairah Fort: Introduction

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit SHUHAIB MUSTHAFA, CC BY-SA 4.0. Radiocarbon dating places the construction of Fujairah Fort at around 1500 to 1550, making it one of the oldest standing structures in the United Arab Emirates. It sits on a small rocky hill that rises 20 meters above the surrounding landscape, about a kilometer from the coast and two kilometers from the center of modern Fujairah. The hill's uneven surface gives the fort its irregular shape -- a feature that, far from being a flaw, forced the builders to adapt their design to the rock itself.

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Image: SHUHAIB MUSTHAFA | CC BY-SA 4.0

Fujairah Fort: Built on Bedrock

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Aumars, CC BY-SA 4.0. The fort is constructed from local materials: rocks, gravel, mud, hay, and plaster. It forms part of a complex that includes several old houses and a mosque. Three round watchtowers and one square watchtower guard the perimeter, connected by walls that create a central hall. The ...

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Image: Aumars | CC BY-SA 4.0

Fujairah Fort: The Bombardment

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Mike "fasmike" Che, CC BY-SA 3.0. In the 20th century, Fujairah Fort suffered a blow that neither the Portuguese nor regional rivals had managed to deliver. HMIS Lawrence, a vessel of the Royal Indian Marine, bombarded the fort in 1925. The attack reflected the British Empire's enforcement of its authority over t...

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Image: Mike "fasmike" Che | CC BY-SA 3.0

Fujairah Fort: Rebuilding With the Same Mud

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Artharakan, CC BY-SA 4.0. In 1997, the Fujairah Administration of Antiquity and Heritage began restoring the fort, a project completed by 2000. The restoration used the same materials with which the fort was originally built -- rocks, mud, and plaster sourced locally. This decision was deliberate: the res...

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Image: Artharakan | CC BY-SA 4.0

Fujairah Fort: Old Fujairah

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit SHUHAIB MUSTHAFA, CC BY-SA 4.0. The fort's location in "old Fujairah" places it at the historical heart of the emirate. Nearby stands the Fujairah Museum, and to the north the Sakamkam Fort marks another point in the chain of defensive structures that once protected this coast. The Wahhabists occupied Fujairah ...

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Image: SHUHAIB MUSTHAFA | CC BY-SA 4.0