Kalba Celebrates Maritime Heritage with Inaugural Jashe and Sahnah Festival
A landmark cultural and economic celebration opens in Sharjah's historic coastal town, bringing together traditional food producers and maritime heritage stakeholders to preserve the UAE's seafaring traditions.
Kalba has welcomed its first Jashe and Sahnah Festival, an innovative gathering dedicated to safeguarding the emirate’s east coast maritime and culinary traditions. Organised collaboratively by the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Kalba City Municipality, the festival represents a significant cultural and economic initiative for the region.
The festival unites more than 85 productive families specialising in traditional seafood preparation alongside ten government entities and six national fishing supply and processing companies. The event centres on two cornerstone elements of UAE maritime heritage: Jashe, traditionally sun-dried fish, and Sahnah, a fermented fish condiment that reflects centuries of coastal culinary practice.
The official opening ceremony, presided over by Abdallah Sultan Al Owais, Chairman of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Counsellor Dr Eng. Salah bin Butti Al Muhairi, Chairman of the Initiatives Implementation Authority in Sharjah, featured traditional heritage performances celebrating Kalba’s maritime legacy. The occasion included formal recognition of participating institutions and veteran fishermen whose dedication has ensured the preservation of these ancestral practices.
The inaugural day proved remarkably successful, with approximately 4,000 visitors exploring the festival’s 4,800 square metres of exhibition space. Attendees visited productive family pavilions displaying traditional seafood creations and maritime products, toured government entity exhibitions, and discovered contemporary fishing technology and fish production solutions offered by national companies and processing facilities.
Abdallah Sultan Al Owais emphasised the festival’s significance as a milestone in the Chamber’s strategy to enhance commercial and tourism activity throughout Sharjah’s eastern region, which continues to experience substantial development. He stressed the importance of harmonising business community expansion with national identity preservation, transforming traditional crafts into sustainable economic activities that strengthen local output whilst empowering productive families and entrepreneurs.
Ali Ahmed Ali Abughazayain, Chairman of the Sharjah Fish Resources Authority, described the festival as introducing a fresh dimension to Kalba’s heritage landscape. He highlighted the occasion as an opportunity to celebrate an integral aspect of UAE maritime tradition whilst engaging younger generations with the knowledge, skills and practices of coastal communities treasured and transmitted across generations.
The festival continues until 27 September in Al Samar neighbourhood, Al Ghail Suburb, with media support from Sharqiya Kalba TV.
Source: WAM