With a range of museums and well-established arts events, Sharjah is clearly the cultural hub of the UAE. In 1998, the emirate was declared the Unesco cultural capital of the Arab World. Since 1993, the Sharjah Department of Culture and Information has hosted the international Art Biennial. Last held in 2009, its aim is to promote the cultural role of Arab artists and to encourage a dialogue with other international art movements.
"The arts have always been an important part of Sharjah's identity," said Manal Ataya, director-general for the Sharjah Museums Department. Several art organisations have been established since the 1980s, including the Emirates Fine Arts Society, which was the first art society in the UAE. The arts faculty at the American University of Sharjah hosts Opus an annual exhibition, at the Sharjah Art Museum, where works of digital media, photography, paint and design are displayed.
The Sharjah Art Institute was established in 1997 to offer courses in the visual arts. The Directorate of Art, under the Department of Culture and Information, has been promoting the arts and culture of Sharjah locally and internationally, and from cultural-exchange exhibitions, Ataya said.
"The purpose of the Sharjah Museums Department is to unify the museums, develop the educational programming and establish partnerships with other cultural institutions regionally and internationally," she added.
Various arts events are planned for this year, including the Calligraphy Biennial Exhibition and the Islamic Arts Festival. The Museum of Islamic Civilisation is bringing the Jameel Prize exhibition from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and a collection of masterpieces from Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad, India.
Speaking about her field of expertise, the curator of Sharjah Calligraphy Museum, Buthaina Al Rasasi, said: "Calligraphy is a part of our identity and heritage. It is not as simple as it seems."
In recent years, the UAE has been enhancing an art movement represented in different artistic trends through holding and organising exhibitions, festivals and regular forums. "The movement is supported and enriched by founding educational institutions and colleges that teach art and history … and finds its way to the public through specialised museums such as the Sharjah Art Museum and the Sharjah Calligraphy Museum," Al Rasasi said.
1. Al Eslah School Museum
This school, established in 1935 as the first formal educational institute in Sharjah, welcomed pupils from all over the Gulf. Visitors get to experience school life as it was 70 years ago — sitting at the wooden desks of an Islamic school.
2. Al Mahatta Museum
In 1932, the first airport in the Gulf was inaugurated in Sharjah and became a staging post for commercial flights from Britain to India. Explore the development of the aviation industry in this region at the museum, located in Sharjah's first airport. Four of the original propeller aeroplanes, fully restored, are on display in the hangar alongside the original refuelling tanker.
3. Sharjah Archaeological Museum
This archive contains stories of Sharjah's early history. Visitors can watch an excavation in progress, and have a look at models of burials, houses and tombs, besides the first forms of writing in this area.
4. Sharjah Art Museum
Opened in 1997, this is the largest art museum in the Gulf, with displays of both temporary exhibitions and permanent collections by renowned artists. It features the works of Oriental painters of the 18th and the 19th centuries, and includes galleries of landscapes, cityscapes and portraits painted in oil, watercolour and acrylic — created by local and internationally renowned artists. Three floors are dedicated to Modern expression, featuring more than 300 works of art in a variety of media by artists from the Arab world.
5. Bait Al Naboodah
This former residence of the pearl-trading Al Shamsi family is a unique example of the traditional emirati house and preserves the values of society in Sharjah. Bait Al Naboodah is a two-storey building built in 1845 around a large courtyard with walls made from coral. It features innovative methods of air-conditioning and unique decorative carvings in both plaster and wood.
6. Bait Khalid Bin Ibrahim
Bait Khalid Bin Ibrahim, the house of one of the leading pearl merchants (Tawaweesh) in the Gulf, reflects Bahraini architecture and design from 100 years ago. Wander from room to room into a traditional kitchen and living areas and look at rich bridal attire, ornate swords and daggers, baskets made from palm leaf, rosewater containers and a decorative wooden pearl chest.
7. Bait Shaikh Saeed Bin Hamad Al Qasimi
No trip to Sharjah is complete without exploring the emirate's east coast, with its sandy beaches, scenic mountains and lush mangroves. This traditional house is located in the fishing village of Kalba, which has a charismatic old fort and the prominent beach house of Shaikh Saeed Bin Hamad Al Qasimi, both restored to display items of Islamic heritage and lifestyle, archaeological finds, weapons, agricultural equipment and musical instruments.
8. Sharjah Calligraphy Museum
The only museum in the Arab world devoted to calligraphy takes you on a journey of discovery across centuries in the form of beautifully written script. Created by local artists and international calligraphers, on canvas, wood, paper and ceramics, works of art fdepict the complexity of this vibrant art form.
9. Sharjah Discovery Centre
The Sharjah Discovery Centre is an interactive hands-on facility, designed for children to discover, learn through play, explore and understand science and technology. It features seven themed areas and hands-on activities such as an arena exploring the dynamics of water, the five senses, the art of travel and the mechanisms of building.
10. Sharjah Heritage Museum
This museum reveals Sharjah's rich culture through handcrafted artworks and objects that date back to a time when people relied solely on fishing and pearling. Trace the development of education, currency and the early postal system and discover traditional skills and crafts relating to jewellery, costumes, herbal medicines and music.
11. Sharjah Maritime Museum
The sea played a key role in Sharjah's development and was the primary reason for the first settlers choosing this site more than 6,000 years ago. Traditional wooden seafaring dhows used for fishing, trading and pearling, each designed according to their use, are on display at the museum. See genuine Arabian pearls, discover how they were collected, measured and weighed and admire the powerful wooden pulley blocks used to raise and lower sails.
12. Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation
Situated at the historical heart of Sharjah on the Majarrah Waterfront, this museum started life as a traditional Middle Eastern souq. It now aims at displaying and further developing its collections for a wide range of local, national and international audiences, and stimulating knowledge and appreciation of Islamic art, history, science and culture.
13. Sharjah Natural History and Botanical Museum
Focusing on spreading knowledge of plants and animals through collections and research, the high-tech museum takes its visitors through halls showing the region's natural history, with displays of desert and marine ecosystems. Go back in time to encounter dinosaur models, erupting volcanoes, prehistoric fossils and meteorites. On the same site is the Sharjah Botanical Museum, where visitors can learn about the development of plants and the complex relationship between humans and botany.
14. Sharjah Science Museum
Catering to visitors of all ages and backgrounds, this museum brings science to life, with a variety of exhibits and interactive displays designed to stimulate and inspire the visitor. Discover science with hands-on experiments and illusions, exploring colours, aerodynamics, cryogenics and physiology. Adults and children alike can take part in a demonstration about electricity, probe the secrets of space and test their reactions and strength.
15. Sharjah Aquarium
The aquarium features more than 250 species — from large ocean creatures to the smaller marine life found in rock pools, coral reefs, lagoons and mangroves. Among these are clown fish, seahorses, moray eels, rays and reef sharks.
16. Sharjah Hisn
This museum is now under maintenance. Located in the historic fort, its goal is to explain the history of the emirate, the ruling family and Sharjah's society and governance. Built in 1820, this large, double-storey fort houses artefacts, old photographs, classic weapons and trading tools tracing 200 years of Sharjah's history. Al Muhalwasa Jail and the shaikh's bedroom provide insights into a unique Arab heritage.
