Masfout

Masfout
Masfout
Coordinates: 24°48′54″N 56°5′52″E / 24.81500°N 56.09778°E / 24.81500; 56.09778Coordinates: 24°48′54″N 56°5′52″E / 24.81500°N 56.09778°E / 24.81500; 56.09778
Country United Arab Emirates
Emirate Ajman
Elevation 387 m (1,269 ft)

Masfout is a village that forms part of an exclave of Ajman, one of the seven emirates forming the United Arab Emirates. It is surrounded by Ras Al Khaimah, the Dubai exclave of Hatta and Oman (Mahdha Wilayat of Al Buraimi Governorate). It is only accessible from Ajman itself by crossing territories of Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, and Oman.

The village has a number of government facilities and municipal centres, including a dedicated courthouse built in 2017.[1] The 13,500 square metre Waraqa Park surrounds the former house of the founder of Ajman, Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi.[2]

In 2017 the Masfout Heights Resort Project was announced, intended as a mixed use hotel and tourism project.[3] Digging water wells in the exclave was banned by the Ajman government as water depletion became an issue with over 80 unregulated wells sunk into the area's aquifers.[4]

Masfout is home to UAE Division One football club Masfout CFC.

Masfout Castle is located on the craggy mountains above the village, restored in the 1940s by Sheikh Rashid. It was originally intended to protect against bandits from Oman.[5] The village is also home to the 1815 Bin Sultan Mosque.

The nearby village that forms the other part of the exclave is Sayh Mudayrah.

History

Masfout Fort, overlooking the town of Masfout, Ajman, UAE.

Masfout was traditionally home to the Na'im tribe, who were originally from Buraimi.[6] They found themselves under threat in 1905 when the Bani Qitab built a fort at Wadi Hatta and started to harass caravans passing through the pass to the Omani Batina coast. Appealing to Zayed bin Khalifa, and following a meeting of the Trucial Sheikhs in Dubai in April of that year, they gained Zayed's support (against the Sheikh of Umm Al Qawain, who supported the Bani Qitab) and retained Masfout.[7] The Na'imi of Masfout were in almost constant conflict with the people of Hajarain, which later became a dependency of Dubai known as Hatta.[8]

Emarat gas station in Masfout

In 1948, Masfout was seized from its Na'imi Sheikh, Saqr bin Sultan Al Hamouda, by Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuami of Ajman when Hamouda was unable to raise a force of men to oppose Rashid.[9] A period of uncertainty followed as the various Sheikhs of the region attempted to jostle for influence in order to sign petroleum concessions, with the Sultan in Muscat and the Saudis paying tribute in return for fealty which often turned out to be short-lived. This activity among the rulers and tribes eventually led to the Buraimi Dispute.

Masfout has been part of the Emirate of Ajman since.

References

  1. ↑ Shaaban, Ahmed. "Projects worth Dh1.43b to boost UAE infrastructure". www.khaleejtimes.com. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  2. ↑ "Parklife on the increase in Ajman". The National. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  3. ↑ "Ajman reveals plan for major new tourism resort". ArabianBusiness.com. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  4. ↑ Abdullah, Afkar. "Ajman to draw water map, bans digging of wells for commercial use". www.khaleejtimes.com. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  5. ↑ "Masfout Castle | Ajman". ajman.travel. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  6. ↑ Said., Zahlan, Rosemarie (2016). The Origins of the United Arab Emirates : a Political and Social History of the Trucial States. Taylor and Francis. p. 71. ISBN 9781317244653. OCLC 945874284.
  7. ↑ 1941-, Heard-Bey, Frauke, (2005). From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates : a society in transition. London: Motivate. pp. 51–2. ISBN 1860631673. OCLC 64689681.
  8. ↑ 1941-, Heard-Bey, Frauke, (2005). From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates : a society in transition. London: Motivate. p. 433. ISBN 1860631673. OCLC 64689681.
  9. ↑ 1941-, Heard-Bey, Frauke, (2005). From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates : a society in transition. London: Motivate. p. 61. ISBN 1860631673. OCLC 64689681.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.