Umm Al Quwain Fort stands on the creek in the centre of Umm Al Quwain city. It is a traditional fortification of coral stone, gypsum and mud, with round corner towers, a defended entrance and a central courtyard, and it dates from the eighteenth century.
Use
The fort served as the residence of the ruling Al Mualla family and as the seat of local administration, and it has also been used as a police post. In 2004 it was restored and reopened as the Umm Al Quwain Museum, which holds finds from the emirate's archaeological sites — most importantly Ed-Dur — together with ethnographic material on pearling, fishing and traditional domestic life.
The museum
The collection covers the emirate's long occupation, from the prehistoric and Iron Age periods through the pre-Islamic port at Ed-Dur to the pearling era, and it includes ceramics, coins, metalwork and traditional weapons and household objects. The museum is small and is usually visited together with a walk along the creek.