Al Heera
| Al Heera | |
|---|---|
  Al Heera | |
| Coordinates: 25°22′53″N 55°24′11″E / 25.38139°N 55.40306°ECoordinates: 25°22′53″N 55°24′11″E / 25.38139°N 55.40306°E | |
| Country | United Arab Emirates |
| Emirate | Sharjah |
| Elevation | 0 m (3 ft) |
Al Heera is a suburb in Northern Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, traditionally home to the Darawishah, part of the Al Bu Shamis section of the Na'im tribe. At one stage declaring its independence from Sharjah, with its own Sheikh, it formally became part of the Emirate of Sharjah in 1942.[1] A coastal enclave with a small harbour used by a number of fishermen and pleasure boat owners, its main distinguishing feature today is its police station.
The original coastal fishing village, built mainly of traditional Emirati adobe and coral houses, sat along the corniche in the area immediately behind the Al Heera Police Station but fell into disuse and was home to taxi drivers and illegal labourers through the 1990s until it was cleared. Little remains today to mark where the original settlement existed.
History
Rather charmingly, Al Heera is first mentioned in British records of 1830: "The people of Heera, a Joasmee dependency, commit a piracy upon a Bundar Abbas boat. Sheikh Sultan bin Suggur of his own accord compels full restitution of the property and punishes the perpetrators."[2]
Almost a century later, they were still a lively bunch. The head of the Al Bu Shamis, Sheikh Abdul Rahman bin Muhammad, briefly deposed the ruler of neighbouring emirate Ajman on 15 June 1920. At the time Al Heera was quite a large coastal pearling village of about 250 houses. Opposed by the Rulers of Ajman and Sharjah, Abdul Rahman was promised safe passage by the British residency agent as he owed money to a number of British subjects but was prevented from returning to Al Heera by the vengeful Sheikh of Ajman. After spending time in Ru'us Al Jibal (in Oman) and Al Khan (Southern Sharjah), Abdul Rahman was allowed to return to Al Heera by the ruler of Sharjah in 1921 in a settlement at least partly enforced by the presence of the British ship Triad.
Continuing to be a troublesome subject, Abdul Rahman was suspected of an attempt on the life of the British Residency Agent in October 1925, causing a major clash between the British government and the Rulers of the Trucial States, specifically Ras Al Khaimah, whose ruler refused to give Abdul Rahman up to the British in 1926[1] He ruled Al Heera until his death in 1942.