Culture & Education | Tuesday 31 December, 2019 1:29 am |

As part of its strategy to position museums as learning destination, Sharjah Museums Authority (SMA), has announced a wide array of educational and entertaining programmes and activities at Hisn Khor Fakkan (Fort) to take place during the first quarter of 2020. 

 

The Fort, which was inaugurated in April this year by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammed Al-Qasimi, member of the Supreme Council, Ruler of Sharjah, is a prominent tourist, cultural, and entertainment destination, where families and individuals can enjoy services and facilities that are in line with highest international standards. 

 

The latest addition to SMA museums offers all members of the family a gamut of educational and entertainment activities, including interactive guided tours, crafts and workshops, in addition to educational contests and leisure activities for its young visitors.

 

School programmes

Pupils from private and public schools will enjoy a one-hour long guided tour to all the Fort’s galleries, associated with an interactive discussion highlighting the history of the Emirate’s eastern region and archaeological findings. 

 

The Fort also offers “self-guided” tours to schools with the aid of various educational resources made available to school teachers onsite and through SMA’s website.

 

Workshops

The free-of-charge school field trips allow pupils and teachers to avail from a host of workshops and activities that are suitable for various age groups, including the “My illuminating bottle” workshop that introduces pupils to the different types of coloured glassware, such as the ones used in the past.

 

Pupils will also learn how to make and decorate their own Al-Khars vase, which is an ancient clay pot that was used to keep water warm during winters and cool in the summer time.

 

Meanwhile, the “Colours from the Heritage” workshop, which accommodates up to 16 students and have to be reserved two weeks in advance, will introduce children to painting on glass techniques that were used in the first century BC.

 

 

Family programmes

 

Family-dedicated programmes and activities include the “Aromatic Blends” workshop, which presents the secrets of oils and herbs used in creating perfumes to participants, while “My Beautiful Patterns” workshop reveals to them how the Fort’s designs were achieved using decorative templates comprising multiple squares, rectangles and triangles.

 

Additionally, the Al-Hawwai (a local term for the pharmacist) workshop introduces participants to herbal traditional medicines used previously to cure ailments in the region. 

 

A hands-on experience as part of a crash-course in restoration through “The Archaeologist” workshop will allow students and visitors to renovate pieces of ruins using the necessary special tools. 

 

Participants will also be able to design and decorate their own lanterns following a “Al-Fanar” workshop which showcases ancient lanterns that were used to illuminate residences before the introduction of electricity.

 

Meanwhile, the “Necklaces through Ages” will highlight pendants made from seashells, agate, gold and silver that were used to adorn the region’s inhabitants during the pre-Islam era.

 

All workshops have a maximum capacity of 16 individuals and are presented in both English and Arabic. 

 

The programmes target children aged 7 through 13 accompanied by their families and are offered on Saturdays from 4:30-6:30PM.

 

Community programmes

Open to all members of the community, these programmes include “Scents from the Past” workshop, which highlights the significance of incense in UAE’s customs and traditions and teaches its participants how to make incense using white musk and amber.

 

For individuals with cognitive disabilities and their caregivers, SMA holds the “Batheetha” workshop, which examines the importance of the palm tree in the local community. It also shows them how to make dates molasses and the local dessert of Batheetha.

 

First century BC hand engraving techniques will be highlighted in a special workshop on how ancient civilisation used it to decorate their pottery citing examples of findings from the Dibba Al-Hisn area. 

 

Given the importance of pearling in the local community, especially in Khor Fakkan, an oyster shucking workshop will teach visitors how pearls were extracted from seashells and how it contributed to trading and fashion.

 

All community programmes designed for participants no younger than 16 years of age, are conducted in Arabic language from 10 AM until noon.