[1] Fili west fort, located on a small hill in the Madam plain, was established around a watchtower, or Muraba'a, and is said locally to be 500 years old,[2] a dating not supported by archaeologists, who estimate both forts as C19th constructions.

[2] Fili Fort was at one stage used as a police station and a more modern, smooth-walled section attached to the square fortification (on the opposite corner to the two-story tower) attests to this later use.

[2] The ruin of an old souq, a four-roomed flat-roofed structure, stands nearby Fili Fort.

Finds of ceramics in the area date from Iron Age to C19th Chinese trade ware.

[2] Fili Fort formed part of Sharjah's 2018 bid for UNESCO World Heritage Status, under the heading 'Sharjah, Gateway to the Trucial States',[3] which also included the Heart of Sharjah; Sharjah Fort; the former barracks of the Trucial Oman Scouts in Mirgab; Al Mahatta Fort, the first airport in the Gulf; the coastal town of Khor Fakkan; the oasis and settlement of Wadi Helo, all following the theme of a return to the simplicity and natural lifestyles of the late 1950s.