In 2000, I spent several days in the UAE. I stayed with my cousin Dilip, his wife Shobha, and their children Lavanya and Vidyut. They stayed in Sharjah back then. I spent most of my time seeing the sights of neighbouring Dubai, but I also got a flavour of Sharjah. I liked whatever little I saw, but I had one slightly avoidable experience - I remember exploring the Central Souk and admiring its beautiful architecture, when a policeman accosted me, asked me what I was doing, and told me not to loiter around! I was in a market - I wasn't in a high security zone, so that unnecessary episode left me a little shaken.
Then in 2016, I spent a week in the UAE. I again stayed with Dilip and Shobha. The kids had grown up and moved out of the country by then. Dilip and Shobha had moved from Sharjah to Dubai. I spent most of my time in Dubai - it was like seeing an entirely new city because it had transformed beyond recognition, with its glitzy new skyscrapers, malls and other attractions. The perfect hosts that they were, on my request, Dilip and Shobha did take me to Sharjah for a day. Unfortunately, it was a Friday and most things in the city were shut that day, because Sharjah is a conservative Islamic city, and most places are shut on Fridays. I still got to see most of the city's highlights from outside, and I also managed to spend time in the reputed Natural History Museum, which was open that day.
In the early 18th century, the Qawasim
clan made Sharjah
their base. In 1820, Sheikh Sultan signed a treaty with the British to keep the
Turks out. In 1971, Sharjah became part of the United Arab
Emirates, along with five other emirates, namely Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Umm
Al Quwain and
Fujairah. The seventh emirate, Ras Al Khaimah,
joined the UAE the following year.
Sharjah is the cultural capital of
the UAE. Sale and consumption of alcohol are prohibited in the emirate, without
a license. Despite its proximity to Dubai, Sharjah is a lot more conservative
than its larger, more cosmopolitan neighbour. Sharjah is
known for its splendid Islamic architecture, its mosques, its souks, its large
malls, its museums and its university.
Quran
Roundabout is a large roundabout
that has a Quran Sculpture in the centre. It dates back to 1987. It originally
had a large flame, but that was removed out of safety concerns. Around the
circular park in the centre, there are grand building like the Culture Palace, Sharjah Library, Al Emem Ahmad Bin Hanbal and Sharjah Information and E
Government Centre.
 |
| Culture Palace, Quran Roundabout |
 |
| Quran Sculpture |
 |
| Sharjah Library |
 |
| El Emem Ahmad Bin Hanbal |
|
|
Sharjah Information and E Commerce Centre
|
King
Faisal Mosque was
completed in 1987. It is named after King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. It was the
city’s largest mosque until Sharjah Mosque came up in
2019. The mosque has two minarets that are 70 meters high. The mosque can take
up to 16,000 worshipers.
 |
| King Faisal Mosque |
Al
Noor
Mosque is located is located
at the Corniche. It has been
influenced by the Turkish style of mosques. It is one of Sharjah’s few mosques open to
the public. In 2014, the mosque set a record for having the world’s largest
wooden charity box for the Ramzan donation campaign.
 |
| Al Noor Mosque |
The Corniche is a strip of land
around Khalid Lake that has residential complexes, parks, supermarkets and
restaurants.
 |
| The Corniche, with the Radisson Hotel and Bin Darwish Mosque |
 |
| Palm Trees around the Corniche |
The Central Souk, also called the
Blue Souk, is an important shopping centre and landmark. The market was
completed in 1978. It was built by British architects, but under the guidance
of the ruler of Sharjah. The market has two
large buildings connected by bridges. The
market has wind-tunnels and blue tiles. There are over 600 shops, selling items
like jewellery, souvenirs, electronics, clothes and household goods.
 |
| Central Souk |
 |
| Central Souk with fountain |
Emirates
Sail Tower opened in 2008. The
building has a height of 157 meters, and has 36 floors. It has high end
apartments
.
 |
| Emirates Sail Tower |
Museum
of Islamic Civilization
opened in 2008. It has more than 5,000 objects from the Islamic world. The
collections include ancient Korans, calligraphy, ceramics, manuscripts, coins
and metal works. Located on the Corniche
Street, the museum is an upgrade of the Islamic Museum that opened in 1996 in a
different building.
 |
| Museum of Islamic Civilization |
Sharjah University City is located near Sharjah
International Airport. The well known American University of Sharjah is a part of it. The
sprawling campus is known for its grand buildings, in Islamic architectural
style.
 |
American University of Sharjah,
Sharjah University City |
 |
Library,
Sharjah University City |
The Natural History Museum has a large
collection of stuffed animals and birds from the region. It also has models of
dinosaurs. The museum has a collection of live reptiles (including snakes and
tortoises) and fish. The adjoining Arabian Wildlife Centre has a large number
of Arabian animals (like the oryx, mountain goats and
antelopes) and birds (like the flamingo), which can be observed through a glass
panel in the museum’s cafeteria.
 |
| Dinosaur Skeleton, Natural History Museum |
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| Fossilized Fish, Natural History Museum |
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| Mountain Goat, Natural History Museum |
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| Eagle, Natural History Museum |
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| Owl, Natural History Museum |
Sharjah may not have the glitz and glamour of Dubai, it may have less attractions than Dubai, but if you're going to be in Dubai for a few days, Sharjah certainly warrants a trip. The two cities practically touch each other, and what makes the trip especially worthwhile is the marvelous Islamic architecture that one gets to see.
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