SHARJAH, (Pakistan Point News - 13th Jul, 2026) His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, announced the launch of the Salt and Sea Fishing Festival in Dibba Al Hisn on 27th August and the Al Jashea and Sahnah (dried sardines) Festival in Kalba on 24 September.
His Highness thanked the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry for its services and events across the emirate’s cities.
The Ruler of Sharjah also revealed plans for a fish-drying factory in Kalba, with production due to begin next year, alongside two residential projects in the city built on land reclaimed from the sea, offering large numbers of coastal housing units for those who want them.
The Ruler of Sharjah made the remarks in a phone-in on "The Direct Line", broadcast from Sharjah Broadcasting Authority with presenter Mohammed Hassan Khalaf, Director-General of the Authority.
"The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry organises many beautiful and useful festivals and events, and people are asking for more, so I will answer on the chamber's behalf. Every entity in Sharjah is working and delivering, and we shouldn't criticise any of them," the Ruler of Sharjah said. He pointed to the Chamber's existing Calendar, including the Al Dhaid Dates Festival and the Khorfakkan Mango Festival, before the two new additions. "We are giving Kalba the Al Jashea and Sahnah Festival because work is now under way on a factory in the city that will dry fish using scientific methods, and production will begin next year, God willing."
He thanked the Chamber for donating factories in Jebel Deem and explained that the Chamber's original plan to hold the Al Jashea and Sahnah celebration at its Kalba headquarters fell through because the site, next to a farm, was not ready in time. An alternative site next to Victoria school has been provided instead, with a large plot for building an exhibition hall to expand the chamber's premises. "We do not pressure people—we simply ask them to move a little," the Ruler of Sharjah said, adding that work to widen the Chamber's premises in Khorfakkan will also begin.
Turning to Kalba's urban plan, the Ruler of Sharjah said residents of the coastal strip could not be resettled among rocks or mountains, since their way of life is tied entirely to the water. He explained the rationale behind two new sea-reclamation projects aimed at accommodating individuals who wish to reside on the water, stating, "Someone from the coast would feel completely out of place living in the mountains, just as someone from the mountains would struggle to adapt to life on the coast."
He noted the sea is protected from storms by underwater breakwaters and that surface waves flow smoothly to the other side without returning, thanks to plantings that stop water pushing back in.
The Ruler of Sharjah said development across Sharjah is moving quickly and without disruption, with each area developed according to its character—the Central Region, for instance, focused on farming and preserving the privacy of the desert, with towns like Al Madam built around a ring road linking separate village communities, "each place given its own distinct character".
H.H. Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi concluded thanking the Chamber again for its work, confirming the Al Jashea and Sahnah Festival date of 24th September in Kalba, and congratulating the city on its projects. He added that work is currently underway to expedite the development of the sewage network, which will facilitate paving and tree-planting to enhance the area.
