SHARJAH - His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, inaugurated, on Monday, Khorfakkan Amphitheatre. His Highness also inaugurated the waterfall tourist destination, and attended the first screening of the historical cinematic epic "Khorfakkan". This came with the presence of His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah and Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs The inauguration of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah 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), Khorfakkan Branch.

His Highness 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 Khorfakkan Amphitheatre is a prominent artistic addition to the cultural landmarks in the Emirate of 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 Khorfakkan, 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 3600 individuals, and includes a cooling system that ensures the efficiency of use throughout the year by visitors. In addition to holding of various activities for the people of the region in particular and the UAE in general.

The amphitheatre contains a distinctive lobby and accompanying services with a total area of 75,000 square feet. The lobby is equipped with 6 main elevators, divided into two entrances with 3 elevators for each entrance, to serve visitors and facilitate their movement in the amphitheatre. It is also accommodates people with special needs.

His Highness also inaugurated the waterfall concrete building that was built from the rocky nature of the city, overlooking the Khorfakkan 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 Khorfakkan in particular, and the Emirate of Sharjah in general.

It was built with 45 meters long and 11 meters wide, and is located at a height of 43 meters above sea level, consisting 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 Khorfakkan beach, and contains a restaurant and café 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 Khorfakkan amphitheatre. The waterfall is linked to the Khorfakkan 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 Khorfakkan city’s people, adapted from the historical book of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah (Khorfakkan’s Resistance Against the Portuguese Invasion of September 1507).

The film is directed by Directed by Irish Maurice Sweeney and British Ben Mole, and revolves around a series of heroic historical events of the people of the city of Khorfakkan 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 Khorfakkan are the largest of their kind in the history of the city. They are part of a series of projects that His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah directed to implement 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 United Arab Emirates on the sky of Khorfakkan, the image of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, and a phrase thanking the Ruler of Sharjah, followed by a fireworks display.

The inauguration of Khorfakkan 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 Khorfakkan.

© Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2020.