Ancient Coastal Fortresses Reveal How South-Eastern Arabia Connected With the Indian Ocean World

Three historic coastal locations in Sharjah are drawing renewed attention to the maritime history of southeastern Arabia after being submitted to UNESCO’s Tentative List for potential future World Heritage recognition.

The Coastal Fortified Network of South Eastern Arabia brings together Dibba Al-Hisn, Khor Fakkan and Khor Kalba. Together, these locations represent a network of fortified settlements and maritime landscapes connected to navigation, trade and political control along the Gulf of Oman.

A Maritime Corridor Across Centuries

The three locations were not isolated coastal settlements.

Archaeological and historical evidence indicates that they formed parts of a wider maritime corridor linking the Arabian Peninsula with trading networks extending toward Persia, India, East Africa and the Mediterranean.

Their geographical position gave them importance because ships moving along the eastern Arabian coastline could use sheltered harbours and coastal settlements as places for trade, navigation and resupply.

Dibba Al-Hisn, Khor Fakkan and Khor Kalba consequently became connected to a much wider history of movement across the Indian Ocean.

Dibba and the Indian Ocean Trade Network

Dibba has a particularly important place in the region’s maritime history.

Its location allowed it to participate in exchange networks linking Arabia with territories across the Indian Ocean.

Goods, people and ideas moved through these networks, creating connections between communities separated by hundreds or even thousands of kilometres.

The importance of such routes shows that long-distance globalization was not exclusively a modern phenomenon. Maritime networks connected different civilizations long before modern shipping and communications systems existed.

Khor Fakkan: A Naturally Protected Harbour

Khor Fakkan occupies a naturally sheltered bay on the eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula.

The surrounding Hajar Mountains descend toward the sea, creating a landscape that offered natural protection for maritime activity.

This geography helped make Khor Fakkan an important harbour.

Archaeological investigations have identified two principal fortified locations in the area, known as the East Fort and West Fort, alongside remains of historic settlement.

Layers of Fortifications Tell a Political Story

One of the most fascinating features of Khor Fakkan is that its defensive structures represent different historical periods.

The West Fort contains several phases of construction.

An earlier phase has been interpreted as a Portuguese fortification dating to the 17th century. Later construction reflects changing political control during the 18th and 19th centuries.

These successive layers effectively preserve a physical record of changing power along the coast.

Instead of relying only on written documents, archaeologists can study the architecture itself to understand how strategic priorities changed over time.

The Historic Town Wall

Khor Fakkan also preserves a section of its historic town wall extending for more than 155 metres.

Such defensive walls were not merely military structures.

They helped define settlements, control access and protect communities involved in commercial activity.

Their presence illustrates how trade and security were closely connected in coastal societies.

A prosperous harbour could attract merchants and valuable goods, but that economic importance could also make it strategically vulnerable.

Khor Kalba and the Southern Coastal Link

Khor Kalba forms the southern component of the proposed heritage network.

The settlement developed around the mouth of Kalba Creek, where coastal waters, shallow areas and mangrove environments created a distinctive landscape.

Historical evidence indicates that Kalba was associated with the Kingdom of Hormuz before Portuguese control was established in the region.

The Portuguese subsequently constructed a fortified structure using rammed earth on stone foundations.

Fortifications Were Connected to Trade

The defensive structures at these locations were closely connected to maritime commerce.

Ports needed protection because they served as gateways between sea routes and inland communities.

Merchants arriving by ship could connect with routes leading toward the interior, while local products could move in the opposite direction toward maritime markets.

This relationship between commerce and defence explains why fortified ports became important features of coastal landscapes.

Arabia’s Connection With India

The network also provides an opportunity to explore the historical relationship between Arabia and the Indian subcontinent.

Indian Ocean trade connected merchants and communities across South Asia, the Arabian Peninsula and East Africa.

These exchanges involved much more than physical commodities.

Languages, religious traditions, technologies, artistic influences and navigational knowledge also moved along maritime routes.

The coastal settlements of southeastern Arabia therefore formed part of a much larger cultural system.

Geography Shaped History

The landscape itself helps explain the importance of these sites.

Mountains, harbours, creeks and coastal plains influenced where ships could safely anchor and where settlements could develop.

Natural geography consequently became an important factor in political and economic history.

Khor Fakkan’s sheltered harbour, for example, provided a natural advantage for maritime activity, while Khor Kalba’s creek and coastal environment created another distinctive setting for settlement and trade.

From Ancient Routes to Cultural Heritage

The proposed heritage network is significant because it combines archaeological remains with landscapes rather than focusing on a single monument.

UNESCO’s Tentative List identifies the property as a cultural site submitted by the United Arab Emirates. Its listing does not mean that the site has already received World Heritage status; it represents a stage in the process through which countries identify properties that may be considered for future nomination.

Why the Network Matters

Studying these sites together allows historians and archaeologists to examine how coastal settlements interacted with one another.

Instead of viewing individual forts as isolated buildings, the network approach places them within a larger historical landscape.

This can reveal relationships between ports, trade routes, defensive systems and political authority.

Preserving a Shared Maritime Past

The history represented by these sites extends beyond modern national boundaries.

The Indian Ocean was historically a space of interaction involving communities from Arabia, Persia, India, East Africa and other regions.

Preserving the archaeological evidence of those connections can help future generations understand how different societies interacted before the emergence of the modern international system.

A Story Written in Stone

The forts, walls, harbour landscapes and settlement remains of southeastern Arabia provide physical evidence of centuries of political and economic change.

Every layer of construction tells part of that story.

The result is a historical landscape in which Portuguese, Arab and earlier maritime influences can be studied alongside the wider commercial networks that connected the region with the Indian Ocean world.

The proposed UNESCO heritage listing could bring greater international attention to this history while encouraging continued documentation and preservation.