Sharjah: The Sharjah Archaeology Authority announced the inclusion of the “Coastal Fortification Network of Southeast Arabia” in the Emirate of Sharjah on the tentative list of World Heritage sites by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). This new step enhances the Emirate’s presence on the global cultural heritage map and supports its efforts to document and protect its sites of historical and human value, preserving them for future generations.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the nomination file, prepared by the Sharjah World Heritage Office within the Authority, is based on the historical and cultural significance of the network as a sequential site comprising three interconnected cultural heritage sites: Dibba Al-Hisn, Khor Fakkan, and Khor Kalba. Together, over successive historical periods, these sites formed a strategic maritime passage on the coast of the Sea of Oman.

These sites provide archaeological and architectural evidence of the role played by
coastal communities in trade, navigation, defense, and coastal management, as well as the transformations in maritime power structures and trade exchange in the western Indian Ocean. The network documents a history spanning over two thousand years, beginning with the connection of its ports to Indian Ocean trade networks, through the era of the Kingdom of Hormuz, the Portuguese presence in the 16th and 17th centuries, and culminating in the local administration of these sites under the Al Qasimi dynasty, within a regional system for managing navigation, trade, and coastlines.

Her Highness Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Ambassador of the Al Faya World Heritage Site and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Education and Book Culture, stated that the Emirate of Sharjah is home to six of the 16 Emirati sites on the tentative list for World Heritage status. This reflects a comprehensive cultural project that views heritage not merely as evidence of the past, but as knowledge and a responsibility that extends int
o the future.

This new inscription is an extension of Sharjah’s long-standing commitment to archaeological research, the preservation of its historical sites, and their global promotion. This commitment culminated in July 2025 with the inscription of the “Faya Palaeolandscape” on the UNESCO World Heritage List, making it the second site in the UAE to receive this international recognition, following the cultural sites in Al Ain, which were inscribed in 2011.