Sharjah Ruler inaugurates Khor Fakkan Amphitheatre, attends 'Khorfakkan' film screening

Sharjah - His Highness also inaugurated the waterfall tourist destination.

His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, on Monday inaugurated Khor Fakkan Amphitheatre.

His Highness also inaugurated the waterfall tourist destination and attended the first screening of the historical cinematic epic ‘Khorfakkan’. This came in the presence of Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and Chairman of the Sharjah Executive Council and Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah and Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs (SCFA).

Also read: New film captures Khor Fakkan's 16th century heroics to resist invasion

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The inauguration witnessed the playing of the national anthem along with a presentation of military parades by Sharjah Police Academy and the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT), Khor Fakkan Branch.

The Ruler of Sharjah toured the amphitheatre, inspecting its facilities and services, while listening to a detailed explanation about it from Engineer Salah Bin Butti Al Muhairi, Adviser to the Sharjah Department of Town Planning and Survey. His Highness also watched a documentary film about the stages of construction and building of the amphitheatre.

The Khor Fakkan Amphitheatre is a prominent artistic addition to the cultural landmarks in Sharjah. The building of the amphitheatre, which is the largest development project in the city, is located at the foot of ‘Al Sayed’ mountain facing the beach of the city of Khor Fakkan, allowing visitors to see the natural side of the city.

The amphitheatre was built on a total area of 190,000 square feet, and is characterised by its use of the latest technology in lighting and acoustics. It is unique in its design that accommodates 3,600 individuals, and includes a cooling system that ensures the efficiency of use throughout the year by visitors. In also holds various activities for the people of the region in particular and the UAE in general.

The amphitheatre contains a distinctive lobby and accompanying services section with a total area of 75,000 square feet. The lobby is equipped with six main elevators, divided into two entrances with three elevators for each entrance, to serve visitors and facilitate their movement in the amphitheatre. It is also accommodates people with special needs.

The Sharjah Ruler also inaugurated the waterfall concrete building that was built from the rocky nature of the city, overlooking the Khor Fakkan Corniche, an addition to the series of tourism and development projects in the city.

The waterfall is one of the most prominent tourist and entertainment additions to the tourist scene in Khor Fakkan in particular, and Sharjah in general.

It is 45 metres long and 11 metres wide, with a height of 43 metres above sea level, and consists of a number of windows through which one can see the waters of the waterfall sloping from the top of the cave above to the bottom of the mountain. In addition, it gives a panoramic view of the Khor Fakkan beach, and contains a restaurant and cafe that can accommodate more than 80 visitors, and includes an outdoor site that can accommodate more than 30 visitors, a service room, and other facilities to serve visitors.

The waterfall is equipped with the latest technologies that can be used for tourism or professional purposes. It has also been equipped to hold meetings or dialogue sessions and serve visitors to the Khor Fakkan Amphitheatre.

The waterfall is linked to the Khor Dakkan Amphitheatre by elevators and a walkway that allows visitors to spend an enjoyable time together.

After the inauguration of the projects, His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah witnessed the screening of the historical cinematic epic "Khorfakkan", produced by the Sharjah Broadcasting Authority (SBA), showcasing the heroic events of the Khor Fakkan city’s people, adapted from the historical book of His Highness (Khorfakkan’s Resistance Against the Portuguese Invasion of September 1507).

The film is directed by Irishman Maurice Sweeney and Britain’s Ben Mole, and revolves around a series of heroic historical events of the people of the city of Khor Fakkan against the Portuguese invasion. The invasion swept the region in the year 1507 by naval commander General Afonso de Albuquerque, during which the film documents the history of the city over a period of 27 years.

Before the film screening, His Highness visited an art gallery that contained photographs that documented the stages of preparing the film and the locations in which the scenes were filmed, in addition to an exhibition of the costumes and tools used in the film.

The new development projects in Khor Fakkan are the largest of their kind in the history of the city. They are part of a series of projects that the Ruler of Sharjah ordered the implementation of to enhance the tourism and cultural movement in the city, supervised by the Authority of Initiatives Implementation and Infrastructure Development.

The inauguration witnessed an innovative display of drones painting the flag of the UAE on the sky of Khor Fakkan, the image of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, and a phrase thanking him, followed by a fireworks display.

The inauguration of Khor Fakkan Amphitheatre, the waterfall and the screening of the film "Khorfakkan" witnessed the attendance of Sheikhs, top officials, a number of representatives of local and international media, guests of the Emirate, and a large number of people from Khor Fakkan.

• Sharjah