Sharjah Things to Do

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This is a great little museum situated on the site of the old Sharjah Airport complete with control tower. Take a look at the old planes in the hanger and look inside the flight deck of a Comet aeroplane. See the exhibits section which is full of old radios, weather instruments, an old ejector seat, etc., before looking in the history of flight section.
Open Sat-Thurs 8am-8pm/Fri - 4-8pm. Charges: Adults Dhs 5, Family Dhs 10, Children - free or use your multi entrance ticket.

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Visit the Hisn Fort in the town centre to learn about its past. The fort was originally built in 1820 but was pulled down (everything apart from one of its towers) in 1969. This angered the young Sultan Bin Muhammed al Qasimi who cut off his studies in Cairo to go back to Sharjah to supervise the forts rebuilding. As he had been a frequent visitor to the fort as a young child, he drew plans from memory and over the years the fort was brought back to life.
The film showing just off the entrance shows what Sharjah was like in the past and there are a few rooms you can visit in the fort showing weapons and traditional furniture.
Open Sat-Thurs 8am-8pm/Fri -4-8pm. Charges: Adults Dhs 5, Family Dhs 10, Children - free or use your multi entrance ticket.

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Take a look around the Heritage Museum to see how people used to treat illnesses with herbal remedies, the old schooling system, old coins and notes and jewellery. An interesting and cheap place to visit to discover the crafts and traditions of Arabian heritage. Open Sat - Thurs 8am-8pm/Fri 4-8pm. Charges: Adults Dhs 5, Family Dhs 10, Children free or use you multi use ticket.

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This school was once called the Al Qasimi School back in 1935 when it was set up as the first formal educational institution in the Emirates. See the classrooms and implements used in the school. Open Sat - Thurs 8am-8pm/Fri 4-8pm. Charges: Adults Dhs 2, Family Dhs 4, Children - free or use your multi entrance ticket.

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This is the 19th century family home of Obaid Bin Essa Al Shamsi. Take a look around some of the rooms of the house and admire the architecture. Open Sat - Thurs 8am-8pm/Fri 4pm-8pm. Charges: Adults Dhs 5, Family Dhs 10, Children - free or use your multi entrance ticket.

Part of the same complex as Al Hisn Fort, the Heritage Museum comprises the Al-Naboodah family house, the Al-Midfaa house - both fine examples of traditional Emirates architecture - and the old Al-Arsah Souk, one of the most pleasant souks in the city.

Throughout the complex you will find traditional Arabian costumes, jewellery, furniture and even games are on display or for sale. However, equally interesting are the buildings themselves which are rare examples in the city of well-kept traditional architecture of the region.

Like many of Sharjah’s mosques, this one is a recent addition, having been completed in 1985. Accommodating up to 3,000 worshippers, it is spectacular for its sheer size and is the biggest in the UAE.

However, compared to some of the prettier mosques in Sharjah, this one has a functional and modern look, with two towering minarets and a single swollen dome. Situated in Al Ittihad Square, the King Faisal is one of Sharjah’s main landmarks.

First built in 1820 as the residence of Sharjah’s ruling family, Al Hisn Fort, now a museum, has been restored to its former glory. The building houses old photographs of the Al-Qasimi family, along with jewellery and traditional weapons.

A tiny cinema shows early footage of the first British Imperial Airways flight which landed in Sharjah in 1932 en route to India. Other fascinating footage shows the traditional desert lifestyle of the Bedouins.