Julfar |
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SASSANID EMPIRE
Around the 3rd century AD, the region of the present day Ras Al Khaimah and other areas in the Arabian Peninsula came under control of yet another foreign empire, namely the Sassanid Empire (3rd-7th century AD). It was the last pre-Islamic Iranian empire and it is often considered the highest attainment of the Persian civilization. During the expansion of the empire, the Sassanians created colonies along the Gulf coast. The evidence of their occupation was found in Khatt and Al Jazirat Al Hulaylah. However, the most remarkable discoveries were uncovered at the Tell of Kush, which is also considered the first location of the historical town of Julfar. Under the layers of structures from later periods, the remains of a Sassanians fort were unearthed. The fort was probably built to control trading and the adjacent agricultural plains.
THE BEGINNINGS OF THE ISLAMIC ERA
At the beginning of 7th century AD the Sassanians, who practiced the Zoroastrian religion (worship of fire), were forced out by the hinterland Arab tribes that adopted Islam first and then continued to expand their new religion. Nevertheless, the Tell of Kush was never abandoned, making it an excellent example of a settlement that was founded before Islam and which survived into the next historical epoch, the Islamic Era.
The newly established Islamic Empire, with Damascus as its capital, united all Arab Muslims and started to play a key role in the region. Julfar, due to its excellent location, was used several times as a landing station for Muslim invaders. During this time, the settlement was mentioned several times in Arab records. These records report of a Muslim fleet that set out from the Julfar port, situated at the lower Gulf, to invade Persia in 637AD. The port of Julfar was later used again as a base for an Iraqi army to attack the Ibadis (an early Muslim sect) of Oman.
ABBASID ERA
Since 750AD, the large area of the Islamic Empire was ruled by the Abbasid Dynasty of Caliphs (Islamic political leaders), which gave a start of a new era - the Abbasid Era (750AD–1250AD). The Abbasids’ sphere of influence was quickly established along the Gulf shores, and the traces of their presence, numerous pottery and artefacts, were discovered in the Tell of Kush and in the small fishing community of Al Jazirat Al Hulaylah. Under the Abbasid Caliphate economic activities flourished in the Arabian Peninsula. They chose Bagdad as their capital, and with this decision, the Gulf region again became a part of a significant trading route. Julfar, being originally sited on a creek and situated near the entrance to the Gulf, became a prominent port on the Abbasid’s maps. The town also acted as a terminus of inland trade routes, bringing prosperity and development to the local population.
The era of the Abbasids witnessed an extensive copper exploitation, making copper yet again a major export product of the region. The remains of the copper mining industry, still visible in Wadi Safarfir, in the southern part of Ras Al Khaimah, bear witness to those times.
Being an important stop on the extensive trade routes, the city of Julfar was described by geographers and travellers of that time. A Palestinian historian of the 10th century who tried to document various parts of the Islamic world mentioned Julfar as being an important town on the Arabic Peninsula. In the 12th century, another Arab geographer, Al Idrisi, referred to Julfar as a prosperous Gulf town and a pearling centre.
LATER JULFAR
Around the 14th century, the creek that previously was near the Tell of Kush had started to silt, and the coastline shifted around 2.5km further north. The entire settlement moved as well. Even though the location changed, the inhabitants retained the name of Julfar and later notes on Julfar refer to its second location.
By the 15th century, Julfar was under the jurisdiction of a new empire, the Kingdom of Hormuz. It was a Persian kingdom located on the opposite coast of the Gulf and controlled the trade routes in the region. During this time, Julfar being a hub of trade in the lower part of the Gulf was flourishing. From an arish huts settlement, Julfar was transformed into a large town with numerous large sand-brick houses. The importance of the town can be compared to that of present-day Dubai.
It was the main centre for production and distribution of potterythroughout the region. The pottery was made in nearby Shimal and Wadi Haqil and the industry prevailed for more than 500 years, to be abandoned only in the 1970s. Other export products of Julfar were pearls, often called Julfar pearls. The areas surrounding the town provided agricultural products and its inhabitants were also engaged in fishing. Julfar was home to many wealthy merchants, sailors and navigators, of which the most famous was, born in the 15th century, Ahmed Bin Majid. Julfar was as well a cultural centre and birthplace of one of the most valued Arabic poets, Bin Dhaher, who lived there in the 17th century.
By the 16th century, a new power emerged in the region. In 1507, the Portuguese seized the coastal towns of Oman, and in 1515, they seized the Kingdom of Hormuz. They came to control the shipping in the Gulf and the Indian Ocean. They set up a garrison and a customs house at Julfar, but otherwise gave a free hand when it came to internal matters of the people. At the beginning of the 17th century, the advent of English and Dutch competitors in the region worsened the position of the Portuguese who finally lost Hormuz in 1622. When the Portuguese were driven out of Hormuz, they shortly seized Julfar, where in 1631 they built forts. Remains of these forts were never found, but they were recorded in early sketches that can be seen in the RAK National Museum. Two years later, tribesmen from the Peninsula captured the forts and forced the Portuguese out. Around that time, the inhabitants of Julfar started to slowly leave the town.
A century later, in the years 1736-1749, a Persian force occupied the area of Julfar. They built a fort near the town (on the site of the present museum),and stationed by the coast in the district known as Khashm Nadir and in Khatt. After the Persian occupation, the name of Julfar disappeared completely from any records.
Political struggles were not the only reasons why the inhabitants of Julfar started to move out from their homes. In the end, nature, forced once again the people to abandon its town. In the early records of Julfar, a bar or a bank of sand, sometimes used for upload and reload of merchandise, was mentioned. Somewhere around the 17th century, this bar probably gave the beginning of the sand split, which caused the Julfar side of the creek to silt up and thus the port lost its function. As a result, Julfar’s inhabitants needed to look for a new location, an easily defendable site and further from the drying out inner creek. A nearby promontory with a natural creek, called Ras Al Khaimah, offered an excellent location for a new township. The town was already in the process of being developed by the Qawasim family, a tribe that was soon to become a new power in the region. |
Tell of Kush
Ahmed bin Majid, a 15th century Arab navigator born in the town of Julfar. He was a famous seafarer recognized for his sailing and navigational skills, which earned him the name “Lion of the Sea”. Bin Majid was the author of several works of poetry and prose. His most important work is “The Book of Profitable Things Concerning the First Principle and Rules of Navigation,” and includes general and detailed information on navigation, sailing principles, weather, marine science, geographical locations and more. It is often said that Ahmed bin Majid was a navigator of the famous Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama on his journeys to India. In fact, by the time that this voyage took place Bin Majid was an old man or he might have even passed away. Nevertheless, it is more likely that the real Vasco da Gama’s navigators used the books written by bin Majid when crossing the Indian Ocean.
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