Bithnah Fort, Fujairah

Is there an entry fee, and what are the timings?

There's no ticket. Guides, including Property Finder, say entry is free; the tourism authority publishes no price, so treat that as unofficial. A caretaker is sometimes at the gate and may show you around.

Timings are less certain. The official Fujairah Tourism site appears in search results with 8 am–6 pm daily, but the page itself wouldn't load for us. Property Finder and AAA give 8 am–4 pm, with Fridays shorter. The safe bet is a weekday before 4 pm. Cards are accepted almost everywhere in the UAE, but carry some dirham cash for taxis out here.

Bithnah Fort history

Bithnah Fort dates from the 18th century, though the exact year is disputed. The Fujairah Tourism & Antiquities Authority and the Abu Dhabi paper Al Etihad both give 1735. Archaeologists Ziolkowski and al-Sharqi, writing in 2009, are more cautious: it could have gone up any time after 1745, and it was certainly there by 1808, when Wahhabi forces held it.

The location is everything. The fort overlooks Wadi Ham, for centuries the route from the Gulf of Oman coast inland to Masafi, Dhaid and Sharjah. The National describes it as guarding the main overland route to the Fujairah coast and the farms around it. Whoever held the fort held the road. The same article says it also served as a jail, and a single shot from one of nine watchtowers nearby warned of danger.

So it changed hands often. In 1745 the Qawasim and the Na'im beat the army of Oman's Ahmed bin Said at Bithnah, and control later swung between the Qawasim and Muscat. In 1884 Hamad bin Abdullah Al Sharqi took the fort, a key step in Fujairah breaking away from Sharjah — though Britain only recognised Fujairah as a separate emirate in 1952.

In the 20th century the fort fell apart and both towers collapsed. It was patched up in 1974, decayed again and was lived in by a local man until 2009. The latest restoration ran from 2008 to 2012; in July 2012 Khaleej Times reported the fort and its surrounding wall would be finished by August.

Is Bithnah Fort worth visiting?

It's a compact rectangular fort with two round corner towers, stone at the base and mudbrick above, roofed with date-palm beams. Around it are palm groves, the village and the bare Hajar Mountains. Al Etihad calls it the emirate's second-largest fort.

There's no exhibition or café — just a courtyard, rooms, stairs and gun slits. What you get is the building itself and the valley view, usually with nobody else around. It isn't worth a special trip from Dubai, but it's well worth a stop on the way: it's about a kilometre off the E89, the road everyone takes down to Fujairah from Masafi. Allow 30–40 minutes including the detour.

Without a car it's harder to justify: no bus goes there, so it's a separate taxi ride out and back. If you're staying on the coast and only want one fort, start with Fujairah Fort in town instead.

What to see

• The two round towers — the tourism authority places them on the west side, towards the mountains. If a tower is open, climb it for the best view.
• The walls: rough stone at the bottom, neat mudbrick courses on top — easy to see in low sun.
• The entrance and courtyard — you go in through a narrow passage; English Wikipedia says the 2008 restoration found an underground room that may have been a madbasa, a store for dates.
• Gun slits in the walls and towers, all trained on the wadi below.
• The palm groves and the dry bed of Wadi Ham — the reason the fort was built here.
• Al Bithnah village, half a kilometre away — a lived-in village, not a museum, near a tomb dated to around 1000 BC.

Bithnah, Fujairah Fort or Al Hayl?

Al Hayl and Bithnah sit in different valleys, about 23 km apart by road via Fujairah. Bithnah is the easy stop on the drive from Dubai; Fujairah Fort is the one to pick if you're already in town. Dates are from the Fujairah Tourism & Antiquities Authority and English Wikipedia.

Historic sites in Fujairah compared

Forts, mosques and museums in Fujairah rated by YesGo. Tap a column heading to sort.

Bithnah Fort with kids

Fine for a short stop if you're driving: it's free, quick, and towers and gun slits beat display cases for most children. There are no crowds, so they can explore the courtyard freely.

Watch the stairs and wall edges — there are hardly any railings. Stone gets very hot by midday, so come early with little ones, and bring water and snacks: there are no shops or toilets at the fort.

How to do it right

• Driving from Dubai? Stop at Bithnah on the way in rather than doubling back from Fujairah.
• Go on a weekday before 4 pm — the only window every source agrees on.
• Bring water: there's no café or shop at the fort.
• Taxis don't hang around out here — ask your driver to wait.
• For photos, come early or just before sunset, when the mud walls glow.
• Afterwards, head into the old town: Fujairah Fort and Fujairah Museum are 15–20 minutes away.
• Finish at the sea on the Fujairah Corniche.

Questions