Al Khan

This article is about the city in the UAE. For people, see Al Kahn (disambiguation).

Al Khan
Country	United Arab Emirates
Emirate	Sharjah
Elevation	7 m (26 ft)

Al Khan is a southern suburb of the city of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The suburb is located on the Al Khan Bay, which serves as a boundary between Sharjah and Dubai. Until recently, the area was deserted and home to a collection of crumbling traditional coral and adobe houses, but it now houses the Sharjah Aquarium. A number of the older buildings are being restored to create a heritage area.

History

Around the turn of the C20th, Al Khan was administered by a tribal ruler and consisted of some 75 pearling boats and a settlement containing families of the Al Bu Mahair, Mazari and Manasir tribes. A British man-of-war was called to Al Khan in 1917 following an argument between the ruler of Sharjah and the headman of Al Khan over absconding debtors from other pearling communities taking refuge in the township. The uneasy relations between Al Khan and Sharjah continued until after 1934, when the Ruler of Sharjah appointed his brother, Mohammad, as Wali over Al Khan.

In 2011, archaeological finds of neolithic and medieval times were made at Al Khan. Curioulsy, it seemed that the tradition of using the shoreline of Al Khan for mooring fishing boats and enjoying a cookout, had been kept up for thousands of years from the neolithic age to the present day. The survey being carried out by the Maritime Archaeology Stewardship Trust, has recovered the remains of houses, courtyards, and remnants, which pointed to the place having roads or tracks in the ancient times. According to the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture & Heritage, the project aims at conserving UAE's coastal heritage.