Sharjah is known as the art capital of the UAE (United Arab Emirates). Due to its extensive effort to protect and preserve the history of the Arab, it has got the title of Cultural Capital of the Arab World by UNESCO in the year 1998. For people who are much interested in Arabic art and culture, Sharjah is an excellent sightseeing option.
Apart from being a historic destination, Sharjah is also known to be a family-friendly destination in UAE. One can visit this place with all your family members.
How to get there?
Before getting into the list of top destinations in Sharjah, let us figure out how we are going to get on the Islamic land of UAE. One of the best options is the Saudi Arabian Airlines. The airline provides well-priced flights all around the Arabic land, as well as Asia, North America, Africa, and Europe. If you are from Pakistan then you have the boon of cheap flights from PIA flight booking platforms which is regarded as one of the best options to travel to UAE.
Let’s look upon some of the best places to visit in Sharjah.
Sharjah Fort
Sharjah Fort, also known as Al Hisn in Arabic, resides on a court situated at the corner of the Heritage District. The fort was constructed 200 years ago and has served as the traditional residence of the family who ruled in Sharjah and the town’s defensive facility.
The rooms of the fort consist of themed display describing the historical backdrop of Sharjah, as well as the importance of the town as part of the trade network in the Gulf. From the roof of the fort, one can have an amazing glimpse of the Heritage District.
Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization
The Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization is the most important place to get accustomed to the past history of Islamic and Arabic culture. The museum has several religious and scientific manuscripts, apart from Islamic crafts and art which are dated from 7th to 19th centuries. Highlights of specific notes incorporate the show of glass, pottery, and clay, as well as metallic crafted works trimmed with brass, silver and gold.
The museum also has items that are from the Umayyad and Abbasid period, including a collection of coins of silver dirhams and dinars, yet also follows the expansive limbs of Islamic culture, with displays of Ottoman and Mughal craftwork.
Sharjah Heritage Area
The Sharjah Heritage Area comprises several museums that include the Calligraphy Museum, Sharjah Heritage Museum, which displays all features of conventional Emirati life and Bait Al Naboodah, a finely re-established traditional family home, once provided shelter to the Al-Shamsi family. It’s a great area to get in-depth knowledge about traditional Emirati culture and discover the lifestyle of Arabic people before oil was discovered here.
Several souk areas have been restored, like Souk Al Arsah. This souk has been revived in its traditional style including several shops featuring wooden and silver handicrafts, traditional garments, jewelry, and beauty products.
Sharjah Arts Museum
The Sharjah Arts Museum is one of the largest art museums in the UAE. It was opened in the year, 1997 and consists of a feature program of temporary displays, as well as some permanent collections. Some of the permanent collections include artwork by Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qassimi. The museum has seventy-two galleries covering three floors of the building, with attention on works by Arab artists from all through the Arab world.
Other works of art are by eighteenth-century painters who visited the Middle East and got entranced by the indigenous habitat, engineering, and culture. The gallery of Ali Darwish consists of watercolors of Sharjah. The contemporary segment comprises over 300 works by Arab, local as well as foreign artists. If you are an art lover then you will be fascinated with it.
Central Market
The Central Market in Sharjah is the most famous landmark of the city. The mind-boggling work of blue tile on the exterior has given it the epithet of Blue Souk. There are over more than 600 shops inside the market where buyers will find different sections devoted to jewelry and gold, clothing, electronics, perfume, food, and gift-type items.
The upper floor of the Central Market has the smell of an authentic Arabian bazaar, with items like carpets, antiques, Yemeni and Omani jewelry, and all kinds of other colorful gifts. Apart from these shops, the market area also comes with a number of cafes.
Sharjah Aquarium and Maritime Museum
Sharjah’s Aquarium and Maritime shows the importance of the sea in the development of the city. The Aquarium consists of around 150 species of sea life with sea rays and reef sharks.
The Maritime Museum consists of amusing exhibits on conventional wooden dhows, fishing and pearl gathering-all once critical to the economy here.
Al Noor Island
Al Noor Island is a public park which is located in the Khalid Lagoon. You can go over here through a bridge from Corniche Street in the central city. It is Sharjah’s top spot in case you’re searching for some peaceful personal time to recover from museum exploration and shopping. Al Noor Island’s premier attraction is the butterfly house where one can get nearly 500 different butterfly species.
Hope this article has filled up your mind with an Arabic taste and culture. So what are you waiting for? Pack up your things, google up cheap flights tickets and just take off to Sharjah to get a feel about the Arabic environment.
