RAS AL KHAIMAH // Among the emirate’s many tourist attractions is a small pearling village called Jazirat Al Hamra, containing several houses thought to be about 400 years old, as well as two mosques and other buildings – but there are no inhabitants.
The residents of RAK believe that the village was abandoned by its residents almost 50 years ago because they thought it was haunted.
The island also had a fort that was mainly used for defensive purposes.
The northern emirate is also home to Julphar, one of the largest pharmaceutical manufacturers in the Middle East and North Africa, which distributes medicines to more than 40 countries. It was established in 1980, and produced only five products at the time. That number has now swelled to 800 types of medication and the company distributes more than one million medicine packages a day.
Julphar’s creation came at a time when the UAE was making the transition from herbal medicines to conventional medications.
Another big employer in the area is RAK Ceramics, whose products are distributed in more than 160 countries. It has been officially recognised as the world’s largest ceramics manufacturer with a global annual production output of 117 million square metres of ceramic and porcelain tiles, as well as a million items of bathware and tableware.
The company was established in 1991 by Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah.
It was the first ceramics company to launch Luminous, a tile that glows in the dark, and Antimicrobial, a specialised tile for the hospitality industry.
tzriqat@thenational.ae
