Fujairah is the only one of the seven emirates whose entire coastline faces the Gulf of Oman rather than the Persian Gulf. That geography has shaped its history and its modern economy: its ports sit outside the Strait of Hormuz, which gives them a strategic role in regional shipping.
Forts and mosques
The emirate is unusually rich in fortified architecture. Fujairah Fort, on a hill above the city, is the largest historic fort in the United Arab Emirates and is built of mud brick, stone and gypsum. Further inland, Al Bithnah Fort guards the Wadi Ham corridor through the mountains, historically the main route between the coast and the interior. Al Bidya Mosque, a small four-domed mud-brick mosque in the north of the emirate, is widely described as the oldest surviving mosque in the country.
The ruling family
Fujairah's ruling Al Sharqi family established itself in the region in the nineteenth century, and the emirate was recognised as independent by Britain in 1952 — the last of the seven to gain that recognition before the federation. Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi has been ruler since 1974.
Economy
The modern economy rests on the port and its free zone, on mining and quarrying of the Hajar limestone and aggregates, on agriculture in the mountain wadis, and increasingly on tourism — diving and snorkelling on the east coast, the mountain scenery around Wadi Wurayah, and the heritage sites. Fujairah Terminals handles container traffic, and the emirate hosts a large oil storage and bunkering industry along the coast.
Environment
Wadi Wurayah, in the mountains north of the city, is a protected area of permanent water, rare in the Emirates, and was declared the country's first mountain protected area. The east coast is also the country's best location for coral diving.