In the UAE, you can find a vacation for all tastes, and this is not just a tourist stamp. Different regions of the country differ in their own lifestyle, and therefore it is easy for a person with any preferences to choose the ideal place to spend a vacation here.
Sharjah is the strictest emirate in terms of laws and rules of conduct, but at the same time it is the cultural center of the state. When asked what to see in Sharjah, local guides usually recommend a variety of museum exhibits, theater performances and architectural attractions. Shoppers will find hundreds of shops, large and small shops, markets and malls in Sharjah, selling absolutely everything from spices to diamonds.
TOP 10 attractions of Sharjah
Al-kasbah
South of Khalid Lagoon you will find the local Arbat - Sharjah's pedestrian zone, called Al-Kasbah. It is customary to walk along the embankment with the whole family, leisurely, enjoying ice cream, refreshing drinks or the strongest oriental coffee, ordering it in a street cafe. Al-Kasbah restaurants offer visitors to taste the best Arabic cuisine. But don't even count on a glass of wine! Drinking alcoholic beverages is prohibited by law in the emirate of Sharjah.
Popular entertainment of Al-Kasbah - Ferris wheel and singing fountains. At night, the promenade is effectively illuminated and looks especially picturesque.
Both adults and kids on the embankment will be interested in:
- In the evenings on Al-Kasbah, you can rent a traditional Arab boat for a boat trip, and in the afternoon you can entertain the children in the play area.
- Sharjah bus tours depart from Al-Kasbah every day. There are nightly sightseeing tours on Thursday and Friday.
- On the embankment, you can rent a catamaran and sail on it along the bay.
- A health center with a gym, spa club and billiard room is open from 6 am to midnight on Sharjah's main pedestrian street.
You can find Al-Kasbah on the embankment of the eponymous canal in the block between st. Al Khan Cornish and st. Al-Khan.
Ferris wheel
The full name of the Ferris wheel in Sharjah is Eye of the Emirates, but locals, tourists and guides call it Big Wheel, which means “big wheel”. The technical characteristics of the attraction fully justify its name. From the largest wheel in the region in Sharjah, you can look at the panorama of the city and its surroundings. The height of the "Eye of the Emirates" is 60 meters, and at the same time more than 300 people can be accommodated in 42 glazed cabins.
The most beautiful views open to visitors of the attraction in the evening. In clear weather, Dubai can be seen from the height of the upper cabin. The Singing Fountains of Sharjah from the Big Wheel also look especially picturesque and impressive!
Ticket price: 7 euros.
Museum of Islamic Civilization
In 2008, the Museum of Islamic Civilization opened in the building of a mosque in Sharjah, which quickly rose to one of the highest positions in the ranking of attendance among the city's museum expositions. Two spacious halls and four galleries offer visitors a collection of exhibits telling about the history of the emergence and development of the Islamic religion in the country.
On the stands and shelves of the museum, you will see ancient manuscripts, including the holy book of the Koran for Muslims, rewritten by medieval masters. Handmade wool and silk carpets will turn your ideas of beauty upside down, and you will understand that there are few places in the world equal to local craftsmen. Jewelry found during archaeological excavations or provided by the owners of old collections is another popular part of the museum exhibition. Studying the exhibits of these stands, one can imagine how the jewelry art of the Near and Middle East developed.
Visitors' interest is invariably aroused by the hall, where reduced copies of famous architectural landmarks of the Islamic world are exhibited, mainly famous mosques from different countries.
Archaeological Museum
In 1997, Sheikh Sharjah Sultan bin Mohammed Al-Qasimi, by his decree, decided to open a museum, where everyone could look at important and unique artifacts and get acquainted with the history of the development of the country and the Middle East. The first visitors are greeted by the hall "What is Archeology", from where the acquaintance of visitors with the collection of the Archaeological Museum of Sharjah begins. The initial part of the exhibition demonstrates finds from the archaeological sites of the emirate, dating back to the III-V millennium BC. Most of the artifacts are found in Al-Hamriyah, which in ancient times was an important trading partner of Mesopotamia.
Weapons and tools are displayed in the hall dedicated to the Bronze Age. A special section of the museum tells about life in the oases. It offers visitors thematic films about traditional rituals in the life of people in the 6th-3rd centuries BC.
An interesting find on display in the museum is a horse from the Mleikhi region, buried in an elegant harness together with the deceased owner.
Ticket price: 1.5 euros.
Adventureland
An amusement park is open on the ground floor of the Sahara Center shopping and entertainment center, where you can have a good time with children of different ages. At Adventureland in Sharjah, you will find about two dozen different attractions - from traditional roller coasters for such places to kart and motorcycle races on a track with sharp turns.
Toddlers like to feel like real hunters. The Jungle Kids zone for the little ones is designed to help them in this. You can start by applying the makeup of a real hunter. This is where body art specialists are strong. Then the attention of children is usually occupied by cars of bright animal colors, which can be a good disguise in the jungle.
In the amusement park, guests will find a climbing wall and video simulators, slot machines and bowling, billiard tables and a go-kart track. You can have lunch in one of the cafes of the complex, where the menu must include dishes for children. In the amusement park, you can arrange a birthday celebration or any other event.
Fort Al-Hish
The Al-Khish fortress in the center of the capital of the emirate was first built in the first third of the 19th century by the sultan, who ruled Sharjah in those years. After 150 years, the building was partially dismantled and rebuilt, and only the Al-Burj tower, located to the right of the gate of the fort, remained from its original appearance.
After the adoption of the program for the restoration of historical sites, the Sharjah authorities allocated funds for the renovation of the old fort, and in 1996, work on its restoration began.
Once the fortress served as the residence of the Sultan of Sharjah and his family and served for high-level meetings and the signing of important political and economic documents. Today a museum exposition is open in the fort. It is divided into several rooms that tell the story of the emergence and development of the emirate. You will be able to see exhibits dedicated to trade and education, weapons and furniture belonging to the sheikhs and their families, premises for work and rest, the Al-Qazim library and much more, which will help to better understand the history of the region.
Al-Mahata Museum
Aviation enthusiasts will be impressed by a visit to the museum, which has opened in the old airport of Sharjah. In the collection of exhibits, you will find mock-ups of aircraft that have ever landed on the local runway. The first to do this was a British aircraft back in 1932.
In addition to aviation technology, the museum demonstrates to visitors new items that were introduced into life at the beginning of the last century thanks to the work of progressive scientists. The exhibition stands in the old airport widely display the first cameras, televisions, telephones, bicycles, microphones, printing presses, photocopying machines and many other equipment, without which it is difficult to imagine modern life today.
Ticket price: 1.5 euros.
Art Museum
The museum exposition, where works of renowned masters of painting are presented, occupies 68 exhibition halls. The collection is based on a collection of paintings by Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al-Qasim. It contains several dozen works written in the 18th century. The highlight of the exhibit is a dozen lithographs by engraver David Roberts depicting Oriental markets, Arab cities and Middle Easterners busy with their daily business.
Blue market
Sharjah's central market is not in vain included in the list of city attractions. Here you can look at the merchants, feel the national flavor to the fullest, and at the same time buy souvenirs and gifts in memory of a vacation in the UAE.
The market is often referred to as Blue and Gold. The reason for this is the decoration of the main building, which is painted yellow and appears to be covered with gold leaf in the sun. Blue mosaics adorn the façade of the market.
On an area of 80 hectares. you can buy absolutely everything - from spices to furniture. Tourists love handmade jewelry and carpets, antiques and traditional Arabic lamps made of multicolored glass, leather goods and ornamental mirrors.
The Blue Market is a great place to get acquainted with the national Arab cuisine. All the main dishes that are most often prepared by the residents of the Emirates are presented in local cafes.
Sharjah aquarium
The significant collection of the aquarium, which opened in 2008, will attract the attention of lovers of the underwater world. The exposition presents more than 250 species of animals and plants inhabiting the Persian and Oman Gulfs. Aquariums are located on the walls and ceiling, which creates the effect of plunging into the depths of the sea. A walk through the glass tunnel allows you to feel the real presence of underwater inhabitants nearby, and information monitors provide complete informative information about all guests of the aquarium.
Ticket price: 6 euros.
