Sharjah has announced the addition of one of its significant sites to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List. The coastal fortified network of Southeast Arabia has been included in this list, marking a new stage in efforts to document, protect, and preserve places of historical and human significance.
This coastal network comprises three interconnected cultural heritage components: Dibba Al Hisn, Khor Fakkan, and Khor Kalba. These sites formed a strategic maritime corridor along the Arabian Sea across various historical periods.
These sites hold archaeological and architectural evidence of the vital role played by coastal communities in maritime trade, navigation, defense, and coastal management. They also illustrate changes in maritime authority and commercial exchange within the Western Indian Ocean.
The new inclusion increases the total number of UAE sites on the list to 16, six of which are located in Sharjah. This reflects the emirate's broad range of scientific and institutional efforts to showcase its archaeological and cultural significance on the international stage, as well as preparing heritage sites according to World Heritage standards.
The network documents a history spanning over two millennia. It begins with the integration of ports into Indian Ocean trade networks, continues through the era of the Kingdom of Hormuz and the presence of the Portuguese in the 16th and 17th centuries. The culmination is the local administration of these sites under the rule of Al Qasimi as part of a regional system regulating navigation, trade, and coastal management.
Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Education and Literary Culture and Heritage Ambassador Faya, stated that the inclusion of six Sharjah sites in the UAE's list of 16 Tentative World Heritage sites demonstrates an integrated cultural project. This project views heritage not merely as proof of the past, but as knowledge and responsibility extending into the future.
She also emphasized: 'Every site we study, document, and conserve adds a new chapter to our understanding of this land's history, while offering the world a broader window into the region's role in trade, connectivity, and cultural exchange throughout the centuries.' She continued that this stance is based on the long-term vision of Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, who established scientific research and heritage preservation as integral pillars of the emirate's cultural project.
Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi added that the importance of this achievement goes beyond the number of sites on the Tentative List. It lies in creating a sustainable system capable of studying, protecting, and presenting our heritage to the world according to the highest scientific standards, ensuring these places remain part of humanity's collective memory, and their knowledge and value are passed on to future generations.
Dibba Al Hisn constitutes the northern component of the proposed serial site and occupies a strategic position in Dibba Bay at the southern tip of the Musandam Peninsula. Archaeological excavations at Dibba Fort have uncovered successive archaeological layers documenting settlement from the Neolithic period to the twentieth century, as well as remains of fortifications and structures related to production, trade, and coastal life.
Among the findings were glassworking workshops where imported Roman and Mesopotamian ingots were melted down to produce local vessels; twelve madabis used for processing dates; pearl processing installations; and a 19th-century fish salting facility. These discoveries confirm Dibba's historical significance as a settled and productive community closely linked to distant trade networks.
Historical and archaeological data also point to Dibba's early importance in Indian Ocean exchange networks and its role in trade routes connecting the Arabian Peninsula with Persia, India, East Africa, and the Mediterranean, before it became one of the main components of the fortified coastal system reorganized under the rule of Al Qasimi.
The central component of the serial site, Khor Fakkan, is located in one of the most naturally protected harbors on the eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Here, the Hajar Mountains descend directly to the sea, forming a sheltered bay that played a key role in maritime navigation and trade.
Archaeological research has identified two main fortified structures in Khor Fakkan: East Fort and West Fort, alongside settlement layers and stone houses dating from the 15th and early 16th centuries, as well as a preserved section of the historic city wall stretching over 155 meters.
West Fort retains three superimposed phases of fortification, reflecting successive periods of maritime control. The earliest features a triangular layout and is interpreted as a 17th-century Portuguese fortification. This is followed by a rectangular structure from the late 18th century, corresponding to the period of Arab consolidation, and finally, a square fort with a round bastion dating to the 19th century under the rule of Al Qasimi.
These successive stages document the changing strategic role of Khor Fakkan and its development into a major port under Al Qasimi's rule, linking maritime traffic along the Arabian Sea with inland routes through the Hajar Mountains.
Khor Kalba represents the southern component of the serial site and is situated on a sandy coastal plain near the mouth of the Kalba stream, within a broader coastal environment that includes the stream, small water bodies, and surrounding mangrove forests.
Historical sources indicate that Kalba was a fortified settlement belonging to the Kingdom of Hormuz until it was captured by the Portuguese in 1624. The Portuguese subsequently built an earthwork fortification on a stone foundation intended to support navigation, trade, and maritime supply operations.
Archaeological excavations have uncovered remains of this fortification, which consists of a quadrilateral defensive wall, two round corner towers, and a main entrance on the south side.
After the decline of Portuguese influence, Kalba entered the maritime sphere of the Al Qawasim and played a crucial role in supplying, defending, and regulating maritime movement along the Gulf of Oman coast.
Despite the transformations that have occurred over centuries, all three sites continue to retain key evidence of this shared history—from fortifications and settlement remains to harbors and the surrounding coastal environment. The survival and interconnection of these elements provide a clear picture of the historical development of the network, demonstrating how ports, defensive structures, and coastal communities functioned as a single integrated system along the Arabian Sea.
The new listing builds upon Sharjah's long-standing commitment to archaeological research, heritage preservation, and drawing international attention to its historical sites. This path culminated in July 2025 with the inclusion of Faya Paleolandscape in the UNESCO World Heritage List, making it the second UAE site to receive this global recognition after the Cultural Sites of Al Ain (Hafeet, Hili, Bidda Bint Saud, and oasis areas) included in 2011.
