Khor Fakkan () is a city and an exclave of the Emirate of Sharjah, located on the east coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), facing the Gulf of Oman (Indian Ocean), and geographically surrounded by the Emirate of Fujairah. The city, the second largest on the east coast after Fujairah City, 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.

It is also a popular among domestic tourists due to its white sand beaches and coral reefs that attract many marine life enthusiasts. 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.

Etymology

Khor Fakkan in Arabic means "Creek of the Two Jaws" which the city is named due to its position in a crescent shaped bay and being flanked by two headlands.

History

left|thumb|Painting of Portuguese Fortress Khor Fakkan (Corfacão) in 1635.

left|thumb|A 1973 postal stamp showing the city of Khor Fakkan.

Khor Fakkan 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.

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 in the 16th century by naval commander General Afonso de Albuquerque and was referred to as Corfacão. It was part of a serial of fortified cities that the Portuguese used to control access to the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, including Muscat, Sohar and 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 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.

thumb|The restored heritage village of [[Najd Al Miqsar, located in the suburbs of Khor Fakkan, is a popular tourist spot.]]

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, Sharjah's ruling family, according to the German traveler Carsten Niebuhr. There is a map by the French cartographer Rigobert Bonne dating to about 1770 that shows the Arabian Peninsula and the Persian Gulf and includes Khor Fakkan.

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, 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.

Landmarks

thumb| Al Rabi hiking trail in Khor Fakkan

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. The highest building in the city is the Al Suhub Rest House, which overlooks Khor Fakkan from a height of 580 metres above sea level.

<gallery class="center">

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 in the background

File:Khor Fakkan countryside.jpg|View to the western landscape

</gallery>

Notable people

  • H.E. Sheikh Saeed bin Saqer bin Sultan Al-Qasimi (born 1962), a Qasimi royal, Deputy Chairman of the Amiri Court in Khorfakkan
  • Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim (born 1962), visual artist
  • Hussain Al Jassmi (born 1979), Arabic musician
  • Abdullah Al-Naqbi, (born 1993), Emirati footballer
  • Mohammed Khalfan (born 1992), Emirati footballer
  • Fayez Banihammad (1977–2001), hijacker aboard United Airlines Flight 175 as part of the September 11 attacks.

See also

  • E 99 road (United Arab Emirates)
  • Shees Park
  • Khor Fakkan Amphitheatre
  • Al Rafisah Dam

References

  • Khorfakkan - Government of Sharjah