One of the first forts I saw in the United Arab Emirates was the fort of Dibba. It has long since disappeared, its mud-brick walls eroded by winds and worn down by rain. In the early nineteen eighties there was not much awareness of the importance of saving the national heritage. Fortunately that has changed and the last decade has seen the restoration of many forts and towers scattered throughout the country.

    The most famous of the UAE forts must be the White fort (al Husn) in Abu Dhabi. It was built on the island in 1793 on the site of the only freshwater well. It is an impressive building covering 6400 square meters and fortified with 4 towers. For many years it stood alone amongst beduin tents and low huts of barasti. It underwent various renovations and was finally restored into its present state in 1995. It is being used as an administrative building.

    The Al Fahidi fort in Dubai stems from about the same time; built in 1799, it has guarded the southeast entrance to Dubai. It was a residence and government headquarters till 1896, after which it became an armory and jail. It was constructed from coral/shell stones and mud, with palm trunks tied together forming the ceilings. It has two round towers, called 'burj' and one rectangular tower called 'moraba'ah'. Since 1971 it has been in use as a museum and it was totally renovated in 1993. Through a wide entrance guarded by impressive canons one gains access to the courtyard, which has some boats and a 'barasti' dwelling on display. The wind tower of the hut is very effective, and worth checking out on a hot summer day. It gives an idea how inventive people were in order to be comfortable in the days before electrical air-conditioning. The right side of the courtyard used to be the fort armory and it still continues more or less as such with a display of many old weapons. The other museum rooms are below ground in the new addition that lies below the open space on which a complete wooden dhow is on display.

     The exhibits in the museum are state-of-the-art dioramas of life in the emirate before oil. The sound effects of carpentry and copper hammering, of recitations by children in a madrasa, and the smells of spices make it hard to believe that this is not a real suq. Other rooms show a plantation with a running irrigation channel (falaj), beduin life in the desert and even a camel plodding along a small lane. This is a taxidermy specimen of a real camel that the author saw being made at the time of the renovation of the museum. The taxidermy artist at the time gave it a touch of "real life" when he stuck a dead fly in the corner of one of the eyes of the camel. However, someone must have shooed that fly away, for the last time I checked it was not there any more. The last room is dedicated to the pearl diving industry that gave Dubai its wealth in the days before oil. Back on ground level, there are rooms with more conventional displays of archeological finds.

    The other fort in Dubai is the Naif fort that guarded the northern entrance into Dubai. It was built in 1939 of coral/shell stones and gypsum and covers 2000 square meters. It functioned as a defense tower till 1956 after which it became the police headquarters and jail. Restored in 1997, it still serves as a police station.

    The fort of Ras al Khaymah is from an earlier date. It was built in 1749 and served as a residence for the Al Qasimi family until 1964, after which it was a jail till 1984. At that time it was fully renovated and turned into a museum. I always like to visit it because of its authenticity and special atmosphere. The entrance, guarded by a couple of canons, is narrow and winding, designed to make it difficult for intruders to enter. It gives way to a cobbled courtyard, shaded by a sidr tree. The stones used for the cobbling come from the nearby mountains and some still contain nice shell fossils. Since the Ras al Khaymah area is very rich in archeological sites, it is logical that most of the exhibition rooms are dedicated to the many items that have been found in the various digs. My favourites are the many square and round soapstone containers with lids, but some of the jewellery is also very interesting. There is also a small natural history collection, mainly shells,  for which the emirate's beaches are famous. A winding staircase with uneven steps leads to the second story, where two rooms are filled with clothing, household items, weapons and documents. Among the latter I always like to read the report of Vasco da Gama on his journey along the coast of this region. He describes the Batinah coast, Dibba and Khor Fakkan as well as Julfar, the bustling trader's city that used to lie just north of present-day Ras al Khaymah.

    The main fort in Sharjah was built in 1820 and consisted of two floors with two towers. Almost the whole building, except for one tower, was completely demolished in the second half of the twentieth century, and it is only thanks to the present Ruler of Sharjah that it was possible to rebuild the fort. When the old building was being demolished, Sheikh Sultan kept records of dimensions and materials while he made descriptions of what the building looked like, so that he was able to order the reconstruction of the fort when he became a Ruler later on. It was restored in 1997 and is now a museum that holds mainly heritage items - jewellery, clothing, weapons, coins, etc. With so much effort having been put into giving this fort a second life, and in view of the many tourists that come and see it, it is a pity that the signs that describe the exhibited items are in very poor English. It is an unnecessary distraction from an otherwise interesting exhibition.

    The oldest fort in the UAE is that of Fujairah, which was built in 1670 on a high strategic hill. It was both, a defensive building and a residence for the ruling family. With three stories it rises high above the surrounding flat gravel plain and for several centuries it was the only stone building along that stretch of the coast. It has two round towers and one square one. Its restoration took a long time and was finished about four years ago. Contrary to the other forts it is not being used as a museum. The Fujairah museum is housed in a modern building nearby.

    The Ajman fort is also old and impressive - the city was probably more important in the old days than it is now. It covers 2500 square meters and has 2 round and one rectangular tower. Built of coral stones and wood it served as the government headquarters and the residence for 11 rulers from 1775 till 1981. After two years of restoration work it was turned into a heritage museum. Besides the usual household items and weapons, it also has an interesting collection of dried medicinal herbs.

    The Umm al Quwain fort dates from 1876 and is square in shape with two entrances, the main one towards the northwest. Built of coral, palm tree wood, chandal and gypsum, it was the government seat until it was restored recently and turned into a museum.

    Al Ain has probably the highest number of forts, the most impressive of which is the Al Jahili fort, built in 1889 as a defense tower and residence. It was originally constructed from mud bricks and palm tree wood and was restored in 1990. Its walled enclosure contains a freshwater well, and a small fort on the western side with decorated arches and a spiked door. On the southern side of the enclosure there is a round fort and a watchtower, while two circular towers guard the entrance to the complex.

    Other forts are the Murabba fort, also called the Police fort, as it served as police headquarters and jail for long time. This is located in the business centre of the town, near the suq, and is surrounded by an ornate wall. Close by is the Eastern fort, with the National Museum on its grounds. This fort was built in 1910 and is the birthplace of the President of the UAE, His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahayan.

    The Rumeilah fort lies in the northern suburbs, close to some major archeological sites, while the Muwaji Fort lies within a date plantation (nakhl) and consists of the main fort with its three towers and a mosque with a free-standing minaret. The Hili fort also lies at the edge of the oases. It is a large round fort with a round central tower and a very ornate entrance, which was recently reconstructed. Finally there is the Mujarib fort that has a main building and a smaller fort with a watchtower, nowadays surrounded by a recreational park. The main fort has an interesting narrow, winding staircase that can only be appreciated if one has brought a torch.

    Some very beautiful restoration work has taken place at Mazyad fort at the foot of Jebel Hafit. The reconstruction of the towers and parapets with original mud bricks is worth a visit.

    Hatta has a fort and two separate towers, all built in the late 1800's of mountain stones and mud bricks. The towers are round and have an interesting feature: the entrance is 2.5 meters above ground level and a rope was used to climb in. Pulling up the rope prevented any unwanted visitors from entering.

    Another inland fort is the fort at Bithna that lies in the middle of a green oasis against a backdrop of the Hajar Mountains. It has not yet been renovated and it is hoped that this will soon happen so that it does not suffer the fate of the mud fort at Hala, which has deteriorated so much over the past decades, that only a few small parts of the wall are standing, still showing the intricate decorative designs of the majlis walls.

     The other fort that has sadly fallen into disrepair is the summer residence of the rulers of Fujariah, al Hail fort. Over the years that I have visited this place more and more of the doors and windows have disappeared, the access to the top floors of the towers has become dangerous and it is now only a ruin. Still, many beautiful details still remain - the palm tree trunk ceilings, the crenellated decorations and the handprints on the walls, which are the 'signatures' of the workers who built the palace.

    A large numbers of defensive towers dot the landscape of the UAE. Just to name a few: Bakhoo tower, Al Jazirah, Al Hamra tower, Al Bedriah tower, Al Maqta tower, Al Khan tower, Nahar tower and the tower of Ghayl, near Khor Kalba. Some have been taken care of, others are hanging on for dear life.

    Most of the forts can be visited at any time, although those in use as museums have specific opening hours. In some cases access has to be arranged with a watchman or with the municipality.

    All the forts and watchtowers are indicative of a past, in which violent attacks were the order of the day and people needed the refuge of the stone walls to save their lives from marauding tribes. Now the only creatures that find refuge in them are the various species of bats that feed around city lights or in the plantations.