Sharjah: Leisure-seekers will get a rare chance to visit the protected Sir Bu Nair island in Sharjah during the Sir Bu Nair Festival on May 10-11, officials said on Thursday.
The nature reserve is open to the public once a year, and a host of leisure activities await visitors during the festival this year. The activities include scuba diving, sightseeing, boating, dhow racing and heritage shows.
Visitors must arrange their own transport by sea to the water drop-shaped island as no passenger or tourist service exists for the island, located around 120km north-west of Sharjah.
The Sharjah Environment and Protected Areas Authority (EPAA) is organising the 19th edition of the festival, in association with multiple government and non-government entities, under the theme ‘The Sea Is Our Life’.
The EPAA is expecting thousands of visitors during the two-day festival.
Shaikh Sultan Bin Ahmad Al Qasimi, chairman of Sharjah Media Council and chairman of the High Organising Committee of Sir Bu Nair Festival, told Gulf News that this year will witness two new and important things during the festival ... the launching of a scientific research centre and planting of fruit and vegetable [plants] under water to see how they affect coral underneath.
Hana Saif Al Suwaidi, EPAA chairperson, told Gulf News: “Sir Bu Nair is very important for us in the UAE ... Coral aquaculture helps restore coral reefs and maintain sustainable marine ecosystem.”
Al Suwaidi was talking on the sidelines of a press conference at the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Thursday to unveil the details of the festival.
The festival aims to promote the tourist and environmental importance of Sir Bu Nair Nature Reserve as well as its ecotourism importance as a destination for leisure activities.
The festival raises awareness among visitors to the island about the importance of adhering to the ecosystem conservation regulations and it encourages them to contribute to biodiversity conservation activities
Sir Bu Nair Island is located to the south of the Arabian Gulf in a total area of 49.6 square kilometres, with a land area of 13.3 square kilometres. It was announced as a protected area by Decree No. 25 of 2000 issued by His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.
The island is characterised by different geological formations, such as mountains, sand beaches, rock hills and mud surface. Sir Bu Nair was listed on the Unesco World Heritage tentative list in 2012 in recognition of its environmental and cultural importance as the first natural site in the UAE.
