Staff Report
Dubai, UAE
Dubai-based Sobha Realty said, it has signed a joint venture agreement with the newly-formed Umm Al Quwain Properties to develop Al Siniya Island in the emirate of Umm Al Quwain, one of the smaller emirates nestled between Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah – the northernmost among the seven emirates that form the United Arab Emirates.
The agreement comes nearly seven years after Sobha Realty signed an earlier agreement with Umm Al Quwain Government to develop the island under the branding of Firdaus Sobha – which didn’t work out. Umm Al Quwain Government had earlier announced a Dh2.47 billion master-planned community on the island.
Sheikh Mansour bin Ibrahim Al Mualla, Managing Director of Umm Al Quwain Properties, and PNC Menon, Chairman and Founder of Sobha Realty signed the agreement on behalf of their companies in the presence of Sheikh Rashid bin Saud bin Rashid Al Mualla, Crown Prince of Umm Al Quwain at Al Diwan Al Amiri.
The new Al Siniya Island master-planned project will see the development of a family golf course, hotels, resorts, residential properties, commercial, retail and leisure facilities including floating pavilion, event halls, Helix Bridge, light and water show, white sand beaches, mangrove and tide trails, fiesta square, community centre Eco Park, and play zone. It offers private waterfront neighbourhoods and eco-friendly facilities for motorised and non-motorised water activities, emphasising wildlife preservation and showcasing diverse flora, fauna, dense mangroves, and vibrant sea life, creating a unique natural living environment.
Siniya Island is a natural island situated off the coast of the emirate of Umm Al Quwain in the UAE. It is the site of the oldest pearl fishing town in the Arabian Gulf, as well as of an Eastern Christian Monastery and Bishop’s Palace. The island’s name means ‘flashing lights’, thought to be a reference to the harsh sunlight of the area.
Siniya has been identified through recent archaeological and archival work as the potential centre of the lost ancient town and region of Tu’am or Tawwam, with the name Tu’am ultimately derived from St Thomas the Apostle of the East.
Following several distinct periods of human occupation, Siniya was eventually abandoned in the 1820s as a result of British bombardment of the settlement as part of the Gulf campaign of 1819, in which a British expeditionary force blew up the town of Ras Al Khaimah before destroying fortifications and the larger boats of the towns of Umm Al Quwain, Ajman, Fasht, Sharjah, Abu Hail, and Dubai on the 17 and 18 January 1820.
Sheikh Rashid bin Saud bin Rashid Al Mualla reaffirmed Umm Al Quwain’s commitment to sustainable development, preserving natural heritage while promoting growth. The collaboration with Sobha Realty for Siniya Island showcases efforts to integrate modern amenities with the emirate’s pristine environment, reflecting the government’s vision for balanced development, he said.
PNC Menon, Chairman and Founder of Sobha Group said, “By collaborating with the Umm Al Quwain government, we seek to transform this natural sanctuary into an uber-luxe destination offering an unparalleled living experience. Our goal is to develop Sobha Siniya Island as a testament to the seamless blend of modern luxury with the island’s rich biodiversity and historical heritage. We are honoured to collaborate with Umm Al Quwain government on this luxury project,” he added.
Located near Al Marjan Island, the project features a motorable causeway bridge for easy access and offers marine travel along the Arabian Gulf coast. Its strategic location enhances its appeal as a regional destination. Emphasising eco-friendliness, the development preserves the island’s habitat while offering a blend of water serenity and natural beauty. Amenities include lagoons, marinas, and zones for water vehicles, balancing nature, leisure, and luxury.
“Al Siniya Island provides a serene escape with tranquil Arabian Gulf waters. It features exclusive waterfront communities, lush mangroves, seagrass beds, and picturesque beaches. Known as the ‘Pearl of the Gulf’, the island boasts mudflats, saltmarshes, natural rock formations, and historic sites such as a sixth-century monastery and stone circles, highlighting Umm Al Quwain’s esteemed history as the region’s oldest pearl trading hub,” a statement says.
Siniya encloses the Khor Al Beida marshland and mangrove swamp off the coast of Umm Al Quwain. Archaeologists located the remains of the oldest known pearl fishing town in the Arabian Gulf on the island, identifying a major settlement of some 12 hectares, comprising a number of houses built of rock and lime mortar. The site is thought to be one of the largest such settlements of its time, comparable to the city of Julfar in Ras Al Khaimah.
The nature of the houses, some larger and more complex than numerous smaller homes, suggests social stratification and finds point to year-round settlement.
Finds at the site have included loose pearls and pearl diver’s weights, used to speed divers’ swim from the surface down to the pearl beds, as well as an extensive pearl shell midden thought to contain millions of shells.
Dated to the late C6th or early C7th CE both using radio carbon and comparative dating techniques on pottery sherds, and therefore predating the rise of Islam, the town was likely Christian. It maintained extensive global trading links, with finds of ceramics, in particular, yielding an unusually high proportion of Indian ware. The nearby settlements at Ed Dur and Tell Abraq have also yielded a number of finds that point to extensive regional and global trading links over the past 5,000 years.
The monastery at Siniya is the second such found in the UAE, following the discovery of a monastery on Abu Dhabi’s Sir Bani Yas Island. It is one of six such monasteries so far identified on the coastal Persian Gulf and has been dated between 534 and 656 CE. The Siniya monastic complex included a kitchen, storerooms, a water cistern and an oven, thought to have been used to bake communion wafers.
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