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Name of Monument:

Al-Hisn Fort

Location:

Sharjah City, United Arab Emirates (Sharjah)

Responsible Institution:

Sharjah Museums Authority / Sharjah Heritage Directorate

 About Sharjah Museums Authority, Sharjah City

Date of Monument:

First built 1820

Architect(s) / Master-builder(s):

Unknown

Description:

The first fort at Sharjah town was destroyed by the British in 1819-20. Under Shaikh Sultan bin Saqr II al-Qasimi a new fort was built 1823/4. From sources we can assume that the original fort was of traditional square one-storey design with tall corner towers and an inner courtyard. Its most unusual element was the design of its al-Mhalousa tower, mhalous meaning 'twisted' in Arabic. Originally, Sharjah's fort, known as al-Hisn, was built onto the desert side of the previously existing town wall and incorporated a round tower known as al-Kabs. The fort served as the residence of the ruling Qasimi family until the early 14th/20th century. In 1970 it was partially demolished to make way for urban development, but several key parts, including the so-called al-Kabs tower on its northwestern side, survived. The current fort – a reconstruction and a museum – stands as a reminder to an important building of crucial importance to Sharjah's history, witnessing key political, social, commercial and military events in its history.

Citation of this web page:

Ulrike al-Khamis "Al-Hisn Fort" in "Sharing History", Museum With No Frontiers, 2026.
https://sharinghistory.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monuments;AWE;ua;2;en

Prepared by: Ulrike Al-Khamis

MWNF Working Number: UA 002