Sharjah fishing village brings back memories of earlier time

Only a few of the traditional houses of Al Khan, made of coral rock, remain.

SHARJAH // The old fishing village in Al Khan reminds visitors of the time when the skyline was dominated by buildings of coral rock rather than the glass and steel structures commonplace today.

Only a few of the traditional houses of the settlement, abandoned in the 1960s, remain, but a team of researchers from the University of Southampton in England mapped the remains of the old settlement in 2011 and discovered traces of other houses as well as roads.

“It is a fascinating site,” said Kristian Strutt, a geophysics researcher who worked on the project under the direction of Dr Lucy Blue, a maritime archaeologist.

“It has some of the most impressive architecture I have seen in the UAE and Oman.”

The area ran some 600 metres along the coast and was around 200 metres wide.

“About one third, or half of that, at the southern end, is where buildings still stand,” Mr Strutt said.

The scientists surveyed the area with the help of ground-penetrating radar and magnetometry.

The techniques allow for the remains of structures to be studied regardless of whether foundation stones remain overground or if they have been buried.

Scientists have not visited since the 2011 survey.

Meanwhile, plans to redevelop the area have been discussed by the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq).

An online brochure from the company mentioned a plan to “recreate the historic fishing village of Al Khan into a heritage and beach park”.

Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal, chief executive, said: “Shurooq has been mandated to develop Al Khan.

“We will be announcing further details about this project in the near future”.