Al Heera

Last updated

Al Heera
United Arab Emirates location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Al Heera
Coordinates: 25°22′53″N55°24′11″E / 25.38139°N 55.40306°E / 25.38139; 55.40306
Country United Arab Emirates
Emirate Sharjah
Elevation
0 m (3 ft)
Al Heera Police Station, now home to the Al Heera Literature Society. Al Heera Police Station.jpg
Al Heera Police Station, now home to the Al Heera Literature Society.

Al Heera is a suburb in Northern Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, traditionally home to the Al Bu Shamis section of the Na'im tribe. At one stage declaring its independence from Sharjah, with its own Sheikh, it formally became part of the Emirate of Sharjah in 1942 on the death of its Ruler, Abdulrahman bin Muhammad Al Shamsi. [1] A coastal settlement with a small harbour formerly used by a number of fishermen and pleasure boat owners, its main distinguishing feature today is its police station, converted in 2019 into the 'Al Heera Literature Society' building.

Contents

The original coastal fishing village, built mainly of traditional Emirati adobe and coral houses, sat along the corniche in the area immediately behind the Al Heera Police Station but fell into disuse and was home to taxi drivers and illegal labourers through the 1990s until it was cleared. Little remains today to mark where the original settlement existed, although a 'heritage village' has been recently established [2] alongside a beach development project, Al Heera Beach.

History

Although the settlement of Al Fasht (also known as Al Fisht), which forms part of the area now known as Al Heera, was bombarded by the British as part of the Persian Gulf Campaign of 1819, Al Heera is first directly mentioned in British records of 1830: "The people of Heera, a Joasmee dependency, commit a piracy upon a Bundar Abbas boat. Sheikh Sultan bin Suggur of his own accord compels full restitution of the property and punishes the perpetrators." [3]

In 1840, the then-ruler of the town, Sheikh Humeid bin Obeid bin Saeed, invaded the neighbouring emirate of Ajman, and was eventually ousted by a joint force from Sharjah and Dubai, which went on to burn Al Heera in retaliation. [4]

Some 80 years later, the head of the Al Bu Shamis, Sheikh Abdulrahman Al Shamsi, briefly deposed Humaid bin Abdulaziz Al Nuaimi, the ruler of Ajman on 15 June 1920, by taking Ajman Fort. He was convinced to leave the fort after six days by the British Residency Agent in Sharjah. [1]

At the time Al Heera was quite a large coastal pearling village of about 250 houses. Opposed by the Rulers of Ajman and Sharjah, Abdulrahman was promised safe passage by the British Residency Agent as he owed money to a number of British subjects but was prevented from returning to Al Heera by the vengeful Sheikh of Ajman. After spending time in Ru'us Al Jibal (in Oman) and Al Khan (Southern Sharjah), Abdulrahman was allowed to return to Al Heera by the ruler of Sharjah in 1921 in a settlement at least partly enforced by the presence of the British ship HMS Triad under Captain John Pearson. [5]

The son of the former Ruler of Sharjah, Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi, was a minor when his uncle, Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmad Al Qasimi, took power in 1914. Sultan subsequently, on reaching his majority, petitioned Ahmad for the restitution of property and money that Khalid had seized on assuming power, but in vain. Embittered, Sultan left Sharjah in 1921 and settled in Dubai. In 1923, he married the daughter of Abdulrahman bin Muhammad Al Shamsi of Al Heera.

Khaled bin Ahmad took this as a challenge and once again moved against Al Heera, but Abdulrahman appealed to the British Residency Agent who negotiated a peace and put two of his own men to guard the fort at Al Heera. Khalid then appointed a Wali over Al Heera who Abdulrahman then arrested. Khalid then moved once again against Al Heera, which Abdulrahman now prepared to defend against a combined force from Sharjah and Ajman. Another British intervention followed and Abdulrahman went to Dubai to join his son-in-law. [6]

By now, the people of Sharjah had had enough and called on Sultan to rule them. On 1 November 1924, Sultan bin Saqr, backed by a force raised by Abdulrahman, was welcomed into Sharjah and deposed Khalid in a brief, 11-day conflict. [7] [8] Abdulrahman's son-in-law was now Ruler of Sharjah and would come to depend on him almost completely.

Abdulrahman was suspected of an attempt on the life of the British Residency Agent in October 1925, causing a major clash between the British government and the Rulers of the Trucial States, specifically Ras Al Khaimah, whose ruler refused to give Abdulrahman up to the British in 1926, [1] but eventually complied. Abdulrahman was sent onto Bombay and then to a four-year exile in Yemen, although he returned after three years with Sultan guaranteeing his good behaviour to the British. [9]

Al Heera was caught up in an outbreak of smallpox that took place throughout the Trucial Coast in 1936, with British reports of infections and deaths consistently enumerating these in Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain and Al Heera – a recognition of the status of the township at that time among the settlements of the coast. [10]

Abdulrahman ruled Al Heera until his death on 10 August 1942, when the township reverted to rule by Sharjah. [11]

Trucial Oman Scouts

Al Heera was the site of the Mirgab Military Base, the core base of operations for the Trucial Oman Scouts, the paramilitary force established by the British government to ensure internal security and stability in the Trucial States. Consisting of a Medical Centre, Mechanical Transport Squadron, Signals Squadron and Quartermaster, the base was serviced by a dhobi and coffee shop owned and operated by an Emarati, Esa bin Mousa Al Amri, as well as a camp shop owned by a Mr Lalchand and managed by a Sikh gentleman by the name of Hari Singh Bhatia. [12]

The base is used today by the Sharjah Police Special Tasks Section.

Poetry

Al Heera was something of a centre for the development of the UAE's strong tradition of Nabati poetry. Among the first Classical Arabic UAE poets to gain importance in this part of the world during the twentieth century were Mubarak Al Oqaili (1880–1954), Salem bin Ali Al Owais (1887–1959) and Ahmed bin Sulayem (1905–1976). Al Owais was born in Al Heera. Three other prominent Nabati poets in the UAE were Khalfan Musabah (1923–1946), Sheikh Saqr Al Qasimi (1925–1993), a former ruler of Sharjah, and Sultan bin Ali Al Owais (1925–2000). The three poets, known as the Heera Group, grew up in Al Heera and were close friends. [13]

Related Research Articles

Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi (1781–1866) was the Sheikh of the Qawasim and ruled the towns of Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Jazirah Al Hamra and Rams; all within the then Trucial States and now part of the United Arab Emirates. Briefly a dependent of the first Saudi Kingdom, his rule over Ras Al Khaimah ran from 1803–1809, when he was deposed by order of the Saudi Amir and restored in 1820, going on to rule until his death in 1866 at the age of 85. He was Ruler of Sharjah from 1814–1866, with a brief disruption to that rule in 1840 by his elder son Saqr. He was a signatory to various treaties with the British, starting with the General Maritime Treaty of 1820 and culminating in the Perpetual Maritime Truce of 1853.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ajman</span> Capital of the Emirate of Ajman, United Arab Emirates

Ajman is the capital of the emirate of Ajman in the United Arab Emirates. It is the fifth-largest city in UAE after Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Al Ain. Located along the Persian Gulf, it is engulfed by the larger emirate of Sharjah in territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalba</span> City in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

Kalba is a city in the Emirate of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is an exclave of Sharjah lying on the Gulf of Oman coast north of Oman. Khor Kalba, an important nature reserve and mangrove swamp, is located south of the town by the Omani border.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Hamriyah</span> Place in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

Al Hamriyah is the name of a coastal settlement of Sharjah on the northern perimeter of the United Arab Emirates. It is one of nine municipalities of the emirate, and is wedged between the emirates of Ajman (south) and Umm Al Qawain (north). It is notable for its lagoon popular with pleasure boaters and jet skiers as well as local fishermen who moor here, as well as store and repaire both rope and wire mesh fishing nets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trucial States</span> British protectorate 1820–1971 in Persian Gulf, precursor to United Arab Emirates

The Trucial States, also known as the Trucial Coast, the Trucial Sheikhdoms, Trucial Arabia or Trucial Oman, was a group of tribal confederations to the south of the Persian Gulf whose leaders had signed protective treaties, or truces, with the United Kingdom between 1820 and 1892.

Sheikh Salim bin Sultan Al Qasimi was Ruler of Sharjah, a Trucial State and now one of the United Arab Emirates, from 1868–1883. His rule was unusually tumultuous and marked by intrigue, the secession of Sharjah's dependencies and constant conflict. He was also briefly the Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah from 1868–1869 and its wali, or governor, from 1908–1919.

Sheikh Saqr bin Khalid Al Qasimi (1883–1914) was the Ruler of Sharjah, a Trucial State and now one of the United Arab Emirates, from 1883–1914. He took control over Sharjah in a coup during the absence of his uncle, Salim bin Sultan Al Qasimi, and ruled both Sharjah and, from 1900 until his death in 1914, Ras Al Khaimah.

Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmad Al Qasimi was the Ruler of Sharjah, a Trucial State and now one of the United Arab Emirates, from 1914–1924 and Ras Al Khaimah from 1914–1921. He acceded on the death of Saqr bin Khalid Al Qasimi. His rule was tumultuous and unpopular, marked by internecine conflicts and public discontent and saw the final disintegration of the Al Qasimi's joint rule over Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah. Deposed as Ruler of Sharjah in 1924, he went on to become ruler of Dhaid and Kalba and a highly influential figure in the Shamaliyah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi II</span> Sheikh

Sheikh Sultan II bin Saqr Al Qasimi was the Ruler of Sharjah, a Trucial State and now one of the United Arab Emirates, from 1924 to 1951. His father having ceded the rule of Sharjah to Khalid bin Ahmad Al Qasimi, Sultan found himself dispossessed and married the daughter of Abdulrahman bin Shamsi, the headman of Al Heera. Buoyed by Khalid's unpopularity and Abdulrahman's force of personality and arms, Sultan deposed Khalid and became Ruler of Sharjah. However, he found the interior of the country dominated by Bedouin tribes and the East coast increasingly dominated by the former Ruler, Khalid bin Ahmad, leaving Sultan the effective ruler of a cluster of coastal settlements, many of which constantly tried to secede from his rule. He is cited as having presided over a low ebb in the power of the Al Qasimi, formerly a powerful maritime federation.

Sheikh Sultan bin Salim Al Qasimi was Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah from 1921–1948. His long and turbulent rule was characterised by internecine family and tribal disputes and he was finally removed as Ruler in a 1948 coup.

Sheikh Hamad bin Ibrahim Al Mualla was Ruler of Umm Al Quwain from 1923 to 1929, one of the Trucial States which today forms part of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi was the Ruler of Ajman, one of the Trucial States which today form the United Arab Emirates (UAE), from 1816–1838, leading a force of 50 men to take control of the town from members of the Al Bu Shamis tribe who had settled there and also at Al Heera. At the time, Ajman was a dependency of Sharjah. Five years after his establishment at Ajman, the fort was taken by the Darawisha Bedouin who were removed by the action of the Ruler of Sharjah, Sheikh Saqr bin Sultan Al Qasimi.

The Bani Qitab is a tribe of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Sultanate of Oman. The singular form of the name, Al Ketbi, is a common family name in the Northern UAE today. Consisting of a settled southern section and a nomadic northern section, the tribe was long influential in the conduct of affairs in the interior of the Trucial States. The Northern branch mostly settled in the inland towns of Dhaid and Al Falayah.

Abdulaziz bin Humaid Al Nuaimi was Ruler of Ajman, one of the Trucial States, which today form the United Arab Emirates (UAE), from 1900 to 1910. He steered Ajman through a period in which tribal conflicts triggered instability throughout the coast but was to ultimately meet the fate he had himself engineered for his predecessor.

Humaid bin Abdulaziz Al Nuaimi was Ruler of Ajman, one of the Trucial States which today form the United Arab Emirates (UAE), from 1910–1928. His rule was marked by a running conflict with the Al Bu Shamis and their charismatic Sheikh, Abdulrahman bin Muhammad Al Shamsi.

Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Sharqi was the first recognised leader of the Al Sharqi Ruling family of Fujairah, one of the Trucial States and today one of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He led Fujairah in a number of insurrections against Al Qasimi rule, presiding over a turbulent time when the emirate was practically independent but denied recognition of status as a Trucial State in its own right by the British.

Sheikh Tahnun bin Shakhbut Al Nahyan was the Ruler of Abu Dhabi from 1818–1833. Having deposed his brother Muhammad bin Shakhbut Al Nayhan with his father's support, he ruled in his father's name. Under Tahnun, Abu Dhabi became a Trucial State in 1820, eventually becoming the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The Sudan is an Arab tribe of Qahtanite origin in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar and other Gulf states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ajman Fort</span>

Ajman Fort is a double-storey traditional rock, coral and mudbrick fortification in the centre of the city of Ajman in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Its construction is thought to date back to the late 18th century and it is claimed the fort's barjeel, or wind tower, is the oldest such structure in the UAE.

Abdulrahman bin Muhammad Al Shamsi was the Sheikh, or head man, of the township of Al Heera, today a suburb of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. A highly influential and often divisive figure in regional politics during the early 20th century in the Trucial States, he was referred to by one British Political Resident as ‘a stormy petrel of the Trucial Coast, a man feared by everyone in and around Sharjah’.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Heard-Bey, Frauke (1996). From Trucial States To United Arab Emirates. UK: Longman. p. 215. ISBN   0582277280.
  2. ↑ Tesorero, Angel. "Look: Sharjah revives 410-year-old historic town". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  3. ↑ Schofield, R (1990). Islands and Maritime Boundaries of the Gulf 1798–1960. UK: Archive Editions. p. 136. ISBN   9781852072759.
  4. ↑ Kemball, Arnold Burrowes (1985). Arabian Gulf Intelligence (Chronological Table of Events in the Persian Gulf, 1844). Oleander Press. p. 138. ISBN   9781909349964.
  5. ↑ "H.M.S. Triad (1909) - The Dreadnought Project". www.dreadnoughtproject.org. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
  6. ↑ Said., Zahlan, Rosemarie (2016). The Origins of the United Arab Emirates : a Political and Social History of the Trucial States. Taylor and Francis. p. 48. ISBN   9781317244653. OCLC   945874284.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ↑ Said., Zahlan, Rosemarie (2016). The Origins of the United Arab Emirates : a Political and Social History of the Trucial States. Taylor and Francis. p. 49. ISBN   9781317244653. OCLC   945874284.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ↑ Heard-Bey, Frauke (2005). From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates : a society in transition. London: Motivate. p. 84. ISBN   1860631673. OCLC   64689681.
  9. ↑ Persian Gulf Residency - Summary of News from the Arab States, August 1926, Francis Belville Prideaux - IOR/L/PS/10/1177
  10. ↑ Correspondence between Sharjah Agency and Political Resident, Bahrain, 1936 IOR/R/15/2/1070
  11. ↑ British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers IOR/R/15/1/240 14/7 (XVIII) and (XX) Arab Coast. Miscellaneous
  12. ↑ Ward, Terry (2014). Are You the Man?-: Memories of Life in the Trucial Oman Scouts. Createspace. pp. Loc 167. ISBN   9781500598372.
  13. ↑ Ghanem, Shihab. "Poetry in the UAE" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 February 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.