Al Fulayyah, Heritage castle in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates.

Al Falayah Fort is an 18th-century fort in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, traditionally the summer residence and rest house of the ruling Al Qasimi family. It lies inland of Ras Al Khaimah town, and in 1820 it was chosen as the venue for the principal signing of the General Maritime Treaty.

Built in the 18th century, Al Falayah Fort served as the summer residence and rest house of the ruling Al Qasimi family. After the British Persian Gulf campaign of 1819 destroyed much of Ras Al Khaimah town, the inland fort was chosen as the venue for the principal signing of the General Maritime Treaty of 1820, with Hassan bin Rahmah Al Qasimi, Sheikh of Khatt and Falayah, signing there on 8 January 1820. The treaty led to British recognition of the Trucial States and, eventually, to the formation of the UAE on 2 December 1971.

Al Falayah takes its name from the Qasimi summer seat inland of Ras Al Khaimah town, where the ruling family stayed in the cooler months. The fort is remembered as the venue where the General Maritime Treaty of 1820 was signed, with Sheikh Hassan bin Rahmah of Khatt and Falayah and Qadhib bin Ahmad of Jazirat Al Hamra signing there on 8 January 1820.

You can explore the site on foot and look inside the different rooms that give you a sense of life during its military past. The best time to visit is during the cooler hours of the day when the sun is not directly heating the stone walls.

The General Treaty of 5 February 1820 was signed at Falayah Fort on 8 January 1820 by Hassan bin Rahmah Al Qasimi, titled Sheikh of Khatt and Falayah, and Qadhib bin Ahmad of Jazirat Al Hamra. The Arabic source adds that Rashid bin Hamid Al Nuaimi of Ajman and Abdulla bin Rashid Al Mualla of Umm Al Quwain signed at Al Falayah on 15 March 1820.