Sharjah museums celebrate International Museums Day

Sharjah: The Sharjah Museums Department (SMD) celebrated International Museum Day over the weekend with various activities to develop the culture of visiting museums.

The three-day celebration from Friday to Sunday saw all activities of 16 Sharjah museums under one roof at the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation. Stage plays depicted the Golden Age performance to highlight Arab inventors and their contribution to society. Several workshops were also held to teach children calligraphy, the art of making traditional clothes, and many others.

“We need to increase the culture of visiting museums. It is already there but we need to build this more among the new generation to enlighten them that our museums are not only a place to keep our archaeological and cultural treasures. They can also be educational,” Salim Mohammad Al Khayal, SMD Communication and Development Manager, told Gulf News.

“Most people think museums are only about archaeology and heritage. Here in Sharjah, we have 16 museums that exhibit different fields from aviation to marine life to scientific discoveries,” Al Khayal added.

Among the various themed museums in Sharjah is the Al Mahatta Museum, the first airport in the UAE and the first to be converted into a museum in the Gulf. The museum depicts the development of aviation in the region.

Another is the Sharjah Aquarium, the largest learning centre in the UAE with more than 250 species of marine life that can be found in the Arabian Gulf. For children’s edutainment, the Sharjah Discovery Centre is a hands-on facility where they can learn about scientific breakthroughs through generations. With interactive play areas, children will be able to discover and understand that science and technology is part of everyday life.

Sharjah resident, Asha Mathew, makes a point of bringing her two children to museums as often as she can.

“We regularly visit museums especially over here as they teach about culture. Every child should know about the culture of each place,” Mathew, 35, a special educator, told Gulf News.

Indian mother Sonya Tomy said she preferred taking her children to museums to visiting malls.

“When you go to malls, the experience is hardly educational. But when you go to a place like this, you learn about culture, art, science, and so many other things you won’t learn in the malls,” Tomy, 34, a sales coordinator, told Gulf News.