UAE Area Guide, Part 5 of 8 – Fujairah
Fujairah is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates or UAE and is a wonderful emirate to visit with many attractions and points of interest to keep visitors busy. Fujairah is steeped in history and there are many historical sites of interest as well as archaeological sites to visit in this emirate. Fujairah is also blessed with a beautiful and diverse natural environment which offers visitors everything from landscaped parks to mountainous rock climbing areas, beautiful natural waddies and waterfalls through to hot springs which people visit for their natural therapeutic properties. The marine environment of Fujairah is also pristine and varied and attracts visitors from all over the world who dive and fish in the waters off this emirate as well as partaking in every imaginable form of water sports.
Fujairah has three ancient castles situated within 15 km of the city, the first Fujairah Fort is a massive mud brick castle that was built in 1670 and was fully restored in 2000. Al Heil Castle is a more modern structure that has been used as a castle by the rulers of Fujairah as well as being used for defence of the surrounding area and as a vantage point for surveillance in years gone by. Al Bithnah Fort was built in 1735 at a strategic location to guard the main passage across the Hajar Mountains through the Ham Wadi; it has long been considered the most important fort and castle in the eastern region of the UAE. 30 kilometers north of the city of Fujairah is the 400 year old Al Bidya Mosque this mud brick structure complete with several domes is an engineering marvel of its time and well worth a visit.