The cultural capital of UAE is known for its art installations, and art and culture festivals the year round.
Flanked by the Arabian Gulf on one side and the Gulf of Oman on the other is the Emirate of Sharjah, one of the seven that comprise the United Arab Emirates. It is a place of vast seas, serene creeks, a reddish desert and dry and rugged mountains, as well as modern cities, top class infrastructure and a close affinity to art and culture. Sharjah is known as the cultural capital of UAE, with beautiful art installations and art and culture festivals the year round, making it stand out among the seven emirates. In 1998, Sharjah was given the title of “Cultural Capital of the Arab World” by UNESCO. Of the Indians abroad, a large number are based in UAE, including Sharjah, and it’s cricket that comes to mind of every Indian with the mention of Sharjah, for many a match featuring the Indian team that has been played here. But Sharjah’s connection with India goes beyond cricket and spans centuries. It goes back to the time when Sharjah was one of the largest exporters of pearls in the world, attracting merchants from both east and the west. Much of these pearls went to India and from there to Europe. It was but natural that there would be cross pollination of the two cultures and this is visible at the Heart of Sharjah, especially in the museum there.
The Heart of Sharjah is a preservation and restoration project, the largest in the region. Spread over 35,000 square metres, a whole heritage district has been restored here to reflect what Sharjah has been through history. It is a cultural destination, which now has hotels, restaurants, cafes, art galleries and markets, and merchants’ houses, all retaining their traditional architecture. The Bait Al Naboodah at the “Heart of Sharjah” was once the home of the biggest pearl trader of Sharjah, Obaid Bin Isa Bin Ali Al Shamsi, also known as Al Naboodah. It belongs to a time—the 1800s—when pearl was Sharjah’s main trade, with the Arabian Gulf known for its pearl beds and with pearl necklaces found in ancient burial sites. In the early 20th century, the industry peaked to the extent that 80% of the world’s pearls came just from Sharjah. Because of Al Naboodah’s India connection—the Indian maharajas were apparently some of his biggest customers—his house, now restored, has signs of strong Indian influence especially in its carved doors and wooden columns, the reason being the teak doors and columns were shipped straight out of India and have been restored to look as good as new. Golden hued, the double-storeyed building was built around a huge open courtyard and is now a museum with every section restored to give a glimpse of the way life was in Al Naboodah’s time. The museum has a section that highlights the cultural similarities between India and Sharjah, especially in terms of dressing and applying mehndi.
In the Heart of Sharjah market complex, with its Arabian café and the quaintly named Honeymoon Studio, which is run by an expatriate Pakistani, we meet Fatima, who has a PhD, participates in marathons as a pastime and treats tourists to Arabian coffee and tales about the history of Sharjah as she takes them around.
The Heart of Sharjah is also known for Chedi Al Bait, a recent addition to the luxury Chedi hotel chain. Five heritage houses once owned by local families have been converted into a heritage five-star single storeyed resort by adding some new building compounds, with emphasis given on natural and traditional Emirati interiors. The result is a sprawling and quiet golden hued resort with serpentine lanes, courtyards and date palm trees, an ideal retreat in the middle of a bustling city.
Another major restoration project, which showcases Sharjah’s heritage is the Al Dhaid fort, which is located in the desert in the vicinity of the Hajar mountains and is around 55 km from the city of Sharjah. One of the oldest historical structures in the region, it dates back to around 1750 and was built as a defensive structure to protect the local populace. It served as the summer residence of the ruler during the hunting season and was a place to host dignitaries. Several caravan routes to places like Sharjah city, Ras-Al-Khaima, Kalba, Umm Al Quwain, and Al Ain originated from Al Dhaid. It has recently opened its doors to visitors after around five years of restoration work. A squarish building, which is 32 metres in length and 26 metres in width, the fort has a long corridor and a number of rooms, all air-conditioned, where the way life was in the olden days has been recreated by the use of models and artefacts, including of the weapons from that time. It’s a place for history lovers.
When it comes to hospitality, Sharjah has a lot to offer. Around 65 km from the bustling city, in the middle of complete wilderness is the Mysk Moon Retreat. Located where the rugged foothills of the Al Faya mountains merge into the reddish sand of Sharjah’s desert, it is a glamping destination, where glamour meets camping so that you can camp in luxury. Moon Retreat has 10 half-moon domes and four tents, each with their own decks and some with their own temperature-controlled swimming pools. All airconditioned, the retreat offers its guests the complete camping experience, including the provision to cook your own meals on a gas barbeque in the open, on a table in an area adjoining each dome or tent. So at the snap of your fingers, you can stir up a shakshuka with eggs and sauce, and fry chicken sausages in the shadow of the fossil rocks of Mleiha, while your hair flies in the desert wind.
A ride up the rugged mountains abutting the Moon Retreat can be a hair-raising experience, literally. Sharjah is positioning itself as an adventure sports destination, and companies like XQuarry play an important role in this. XQuarry is the UAE’s first off-road and adventure park catering to thrill seekers. From obstacle courses and mountain bike riding and hiking trails to off-road driving experience, the place is not for the faint hearted. But with the men behind the company, Tom and Daniel, being ace drivers, even though the ride up the mountain in their Chevy Tahoes may not seem like a ride in the park, but is definitely worth the experience for the way man and machine can negotiate a tough terrain. The view of the desert in the Mleiha region from the top of the mountain is an added bonus.
Mleiha is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with remnants of human settlement from the post-Iron Age. It is also a place where the desert’s deep golden hue veers towards orange as dune-bashers race up the sand to catch the last glimpse of a setting sun. As darkness descends, the desert camps come alive, with bonfire, twinkling lights, music and dinner under a star peppered sky. It is also an ideal place for star-gazing, making it a popular destination for desert safaris.
From the Moon Retreat to the city of Kalba, which stands on the Gulf of Oman, is less than 60 km through the mountains. There on an island off the coast is located the Mysk Kingfisher Retreat, where there is a lot of scope to participate in watersports, including kayaking where guests are taught to kayak in the sea by trained instructors.
In fact, not just adventure sports, Sharjah is also promoting sports such as golf and shooting. Back in the city of Sharjah, the sprawling Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club has a 9-hole floodlit golf course which enables golfing in the evening too. In its neighbourhood is every car lover’s dream come true—the Sharjah Classic Cars Museum.
The museum houses more than a hundred cars and is divided into four zones: Early Autos (1915-1939); The Automobile Redefined (1940-1959); New Heights of Innovation (1960-1987); and Large Vehicles and UAE Motoring. The zones start with Dodge Brothers Model 30-35 Touring (1915-1916) and go on to feature Ford Model Ts, Rolls Royce 25/30, Cadillac Fleetwood, Studebaker Champion, Pontiac, Plymouth, Mercedes Pullman and MG Midget among others. Then there is a whole section showing the evolution of Mercedes. The museum is a treasure trove for auto lovers. For this author in particular, generations of Hollywood movies came alive seeing with one’s own eyes cars similar to those used in the films.
Modern and urban, Sharjah has a beautiful waterfront, with a skyline dominated by skyscrapers. The waterfront also has a lively restaurant district, from where motorboat rides in the Sharjah creek are a must try. As evening descends, the shores of the creek twinkle in the dark, with lights from the skyscrapers and mosques reflecting on the water. The 4 km long Al Buhaira Corniche along the waterfront is one of the best walks in town. It is around this creek that some of Sharjah’s amusement and waterparks are located, Al Montazah being one of them. Al Montazah offers a choice of rides and slides, including a waterpark and is an ideal place for some family fun. It also has a Ferris wheel, known as the Eye of the Emirates Wheel, which is modelled after the London Eye.
It is on Sharjah creek that the very impressive Al Noor island too is located. It is a green island with a butterfly house, a literature pavilion and over 70,000 trees and plant species found indigenously and brought from all over the world and grown and nurtured here. It is a place of waterbodies and winding pathways, a cactus garden, a maze garden, a trampoline pathway and 300-million-year old fossil rocks from Brazil. Noor Island also stands out for its award-winning architecture, and art installations almost at every bend of the path. Among them the Butterfly House, which houses a variety of butterfly species, is spectacularly edgeless—it is all curves and free flowing. Covered with golden metal flowers, this architectural wonder looks from a distance as if it’s sitting almost with its wings spread, ready to fly.
The other art marvel is the Rain Room at the Sharjah Art Foundation in the city’s Al Mujarrah neighbourhood. It is a permanent installation of cascading water in a dark room where one can walk into the rain without getting wet. The water detects human presence and stops falling on the person below, even as it cascades all around. It is a project by Random International, an art group based in London and Berlin, and the Sharjah Rain Room is their first permanent installation. The project uses 2,500 litres of self-cleaned and recycled water, whose flow is controlled by a network of 3D tracking cameras. The philosophy of the work is to explore “how humankind’s relationships to one another and to nature are increasingly mediated through intangible technologies”, says the Random International.
But the connection between man and nature is not always about technology, it is also about preserving nature. Impressive work is going on in this Emirate about preserving mangrove forests, as well as near-extinct animal species at two important centres in Kalba—the Khor Kalba Mangrove Center and the Al Hefaiyah Mountain Conservation Centre, respectively. There is also the Kalba Birds of Prey Centre, where predatory birds—from various types of vultures to eagles—are reared. And if one wants to see wildlife in the open, there is the Sharjah Safari, which is a must visit. Sharjah is promoting it as the largest safari in the world outside of Africa. Inaugurated in February 2022, Sharjah Safari is spread over 8 square kilometres inside the Al Bardi reserve in Al Dhaid, around 55 km from Sharjah city. It is a sprawling open-air zoo of sorts where different African zones have been created. So there is a Moremi, a Savannah, a Serengeti, where wildlife roams freely, except for the enclosures where the lions and crocodiles are kept. As an open safari vehicle drives through the different zones, be prepared for sudden encounters with the wildebeests, antelopes, giraffes and ostriches that this place is teeming with.
However, no article on Sharjah can be complete without a mention of the food. Contrary to popular belief, Emirati food is not about hummus, tabbouleh, fattoush or baba ganoush, although these are available aplenty. Fish and rice are a staple, as well as meat. Dates and Arabic coffee are offered to every guest. And the best home cooked meal is available at the house of Fatima, at Alrahmanyah, who has been laying out a delectable spread for tour groups for years and would have fed thousands of people by now.
As for shopping, the souk experience is a must for visitors. Located near the Sharjah waterfront is the Souk Al Jubail, which is Sharjah’s largest fresh produce market, where you not only get meat, fish, vegetables, and other staples, but can also buy dates, olives, nuts and condiments—stuff that you can carry back home.
Nearby is the iconic Souk al-Markazi, popularly known as the Central Souk or the Blue Souk. Comprising two buildings interconnected with bridges, this blue-facade traditional Arabic market, is featured on the five-dirham note. It’s a good place to buy clothes, perfume and for the moneyed—gold, for one whole souk is dedicated to jewellery. It’s dripping gold jewellery everywhere you look.
So head for Sharjah to get a taste of Emirati hospitality and to see how the traditional melds with the modern in this emirate.
Disclaimer: The visit to Sharjah was on invitation from Sharjah Tourism and Commerce Development Authority (SCTDA), #VisitSharjah