Sharjah 24: His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, inaugurated Saturday, the first phase of the restoration project of Bait Sheikh Saeed bin Hamad Al Qasimi in the city of Kalba.

The restoration is part of the development projects which His Highness directed coinciding with the launch of the Sharjah Heritage Days activities in the city of Kalba.

Last March, His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah entrusted the task of restoring, managing and operating Bait Sheikh Saeed bin Hamad Al Qasimi to the Sharjah Institute for Heritage to make it ready to receive visitors as a heritage tourist destination.
 
Bait Sheikh Saeed bin Hamad Al Qasimi is considered one of the most important heritage monuments in the Emirate of Sharjah, and one of the most prominent evidence of the ancient economic and cultural role of the emirate, as it was built between 1898 and 1901 in front of the historic fortress of the city on the beach of Kalba, which witnessed at that stage an active commercial movement that impacted the general cultural scene of the emirate, and enriched it with expertise that sailors and merchants brought with them to the shores of the emirate.

Bait Sheikh Saeed bin Hamad Al Qasimi had undergone previous restoration works, which began in 1993, following which His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah directed that it be opened for visitors to learn about its historical holdings and its architecture that bears an Arab and Islamic historical imprint, and then transform it into a museum to be added to the Sharjah Museums group, which tells through its holdings the story of the emirate and its historical role in the region in general.


Touring the Bait, His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah listened to a detailed explanation from Dr. Abdul Aziz Al Musallam, Chairman of the Sharjah Institute for Heritage, about accomplished works, which reached 40% and the remaining  time needed to open for visitors who will derive from it the values of the past, its heritage and its importance in strengthening the elements of national and human identity.

His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah commended the maintenance and restoration efforts made by the Sharjah Institute for Heritage, and stressed the need for maintenance work to keep pace with other development projects in the city of Kalba so that it becomes an integrated tourist destination.

His Highness also directed pavement of roads leading to Bait Sheikh Saeed bin Hamad Al Qasimi from the north and the south, and levelling of the land surrounding the Bait to provide the biggest number of parking spaces to accommodate the largest number of visitors.

The inauguration was attended by Sheikh Saeed bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Deputy Chief of Sharjah Ruler's Office in Khorfakkan; Sheikh Haitham bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Deputy Head of the Ruler's Office in Kalba, and a number of senior officials and dignitaries.