Sharjah

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This article is about the city. For the emirate, see Emirate of Sharjah.

Sharjah
‫الشارقة‬

City

Sharjah

Clockwise from top:

Al Khan Lagoon, Heritage District, Al-Noor Mosque, Blue Souk,
Al-Qasba Canal
 Sharjah

Location of Sharjah in the UAE

Coordinates: 25°21′27″N 55°23′27″ECoordinates:

25°21′27″N 55°23′27″E

Country or UAE UAE

Emirate Sharjah

Government
• Type Constitutional monarchy
• Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi

Area
• Metro 235.5 km2 (90.9 sq mi)

Population (2015)
• City 1,400,000

Souq Al Markazi at night

 Khorfakkan

Sharjah (/ˈʃɑːrdʒə/; Arabic: ‫ الشارقة‬aš-Šāriqah; Gulf Arabic: aš-šārja[1]) is the third largest and third
most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, forming part of the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman
metropolitan area. It is located along the southern coast of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian
Peninsula.
Sharjah is the capital of the emirate of Sharjah. Sharjah shares legal, political, military and economic
functions with the other emirates of the UAE within a federal framework, although each emirate has
jurisdiction over some functions such as civil law enforcement and provision and upkeep of local
facilities. Sharjah has been ruled by the Al Qasimi dynasty since the 18th century.
The city is a centre for culture and industry, and alone contributes 7.4% of the GDP of the United
Arab Emirates.[2] The city covers an approximate area of 235 km² and has a population of over
800,000 (2008). The sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited in the emirate of
Sharjah without possession of an alcohol licence and alcohol is not served in Sharjah hotels,
restaurants or other outlets due to the Muslim majority in the area. This has helped Sharjah increase
the number of Islamic tourists who visit the country.[3] Sharjah has been officially named as a
WHO healthy city.[4] The 2016 edition of QS Best Student Cities ranked Sharjah as the 68th best city
in the world to be a university student.[5] Sharjah is regarded as the cultural capital of the UAE,[6] and
was the Islamic culture capital in 2014.[7]

Contents

 1Overview
 2Location
 3Etymology
 4History
 5Important landmarks
o 5.1Khorfakkan
o 5.2Rolla Square
o 5.3Al Hisn Sharjah
o 5.4'Smile You're In Sharjah' Roundabout
o 5.5Gold Souq
 o 5.6Mahattah Fort
o 5.7Heritage District
o 5.8Sharjah Heritage Museum
o 5.9Sharjah National Park
o 5.10Sharjah Aquarium
o 5.11Al Noor Island
o 5.12Arabian Wildlife Center
o 5.13Al Majaz Waterfront
o 5.14Rain Room
 6Climate
 7Transportation
 8Utility services
 9Culture
 10Economy
 11Demographics
 12Education
 13Healthcare
 14Sports
 15Twin towns – sister cities
 16Gallery
 17See also
 18References
 19External links

Overview[edit]
Sharjah is the third largest city in the United Arab Emirates after Dubai and Abu Dhabi. [8]The palace
of the ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah, His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi is
located about 20 kilometres (12 mi) southeast of the city.
The city of Sharjah overlooks the Persian Gulf and has a population of over 800,000 (2008). It
contains the main administrative and commercial centres together with an array of cultural and
traditional projects, including several museums covering areas such as archaeology, natural history,
science, arts, heritage, Islamic art and culture. Distinctive landmarks include two major
covered souks, reflecting Islamic design, and a number of recreational areas and public parks such
as Al Montazah Fun Park and Al Buheirah Corniche. The city is also notable for its numerous
elegant mosques.

Location[edit]
Sharjah is situated on the Persian Gulf coast of the United Arab Emirates, the emirates borders
with Dubai in south, Ajman and Um Al Quwain in north, Ras Al Khaimah in east.It is the only
emirates that overlooks the coastline on the Persian Gulf from the west and the gulf of Oman (Indian
Ocean) from the East, with the Sharjah coastal towns of Kalba and Khor Fakkan.

Etymology[edit]
Sultan Al Omaimi, a UAE poet and researcher in folk literature, says that some historians speculate
that Sharjah was the name of an idol worshipped in the pre-Islamic era which was known as Abed Al
Shareq.[citation needed]
Other researchers link the word Sharqah to the fact that the city is located to the Sharq, or east, of
Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Hence the Arabic classical form of Sharjah is Al Shareqah. It is the colloquial
form that is Al Sharjah.

Eye of the Emirates, a 60-metre (200 ft) tall Ferris wheel at Al Qasba[9]

History[edit]
Sharjah was one of the wealthiest towns in this region with a settlement in existence for over 5000
years. In the early 18th century, the Qawasim clan (Huwayla tribe) established itself in
Sharjah, c.1727 declaring Sharjah independent. On 8 January 1820, Sheikh Sultan I signed the
General Maritime Treaty with Britain, accepting a protectorate to keep the Ottoman Turks out. Like
four of its neighbours, Ajman, Dubai, Ras al-Khaimah, and Umm al-Qaiwain, its position on the route
to India made it important enough to be recognised as a salute state (be it of the lowest class: 3
guns).

Sharjah heritage district.

On 2 December 1971, Sharjah, together with Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ajman, Umm Al
Qawain and Fujairah joined in the Act of Union to form the United Arab Emirates. The seventh
emirate, Ras Al Khaimah, joined the UAE on 10 February 1972, following giant non-Arab
neighbour Iran's annexation of the RAK-owned Tunbs islands.
Like the other former Trucial States, Sharjah's name is known by many stamp collectors because of
the large numbers of stamps that were issued by the Sharjah Post Office shortly before the
formation of the United Arab Emirates.[10] Many of these items feature subjects unrelated to the
emirates whose names they bear, and therefore many popular catalogues do not list them.[11]

Important landmarks[edit]
Panoramic view of Sharjah.

Khorfakkan[edit]
Is a town located along the Gulf of Oman on the east coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The
town, the second largest on the east coast after Fujairah, is set on the picturesque bay of
Khorfakkan, which means "Creek of Two Jaws". Khorfakkan belongs to the Emirate of Sharjah but is
geographically surrounded by the emirate of Fujairah. It is the site of Khorfakkan Container Terminal,
the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in the Emirates.
Rolla Square[edit]
Named after the large rolla (banyan tree) that once stood in the square[12] and that inspired the
sculpture currently at the centre of the park, Rolla Square is a popular location for workers to stroll
during the weekends.
Al Hisn Sharjah[edit]
Sharjah Fort was demolished in the 1970s but rebuilt and is today a museum.
'Smile You're In Sharjah' Roundabout[edit]
Located between the Blue Souq and Fish Market, near the Union Bank Tower, the floral call to cheer
up etched on the roundabout has lent its name to the roundabout itself.[13]
Gold Souq[edit]
The Souq Al Markazi, or Gold Souq, is a popular tourist destination and comprises a gold souq,
clothing souq and, on its first floors, antiques and jewellery shops. and also it contains electronics
and many more.
Mahattah Fort[edit]
The fort was built to house travellers on the Imperial Airways Eastern Empire route and was the site
of Sharjah Airport until 1977. It is now an aviation museum.
Heritage District[edit]
The Heart Of Sharjah houses several galleries, and museums including the charming heritage
museum which gives a great insight into the cultural traditions of the past. The area is also home to
the traditional Souk Al Arsa, a covered souk with an array of items to sell including antiques and the
office of the Sharjah Centre for Cultural Communication where you can get info on Sharjah
attractions.
Sharjah Heritage Museum[edit]
The Sharjah Heritage Museum is situated near to the Bait Al Naboodah is just opposite Soouq al-
Arsah. This is a beautiful architecturally designed interesting two storey family house. It is built
around a shaded courtyard and is dedicated to a family life reconstruction many years ago. There
are many rooms which has displays of traditional furniture along with household items too.
Moreover, there are also provision of children’s costumes, games and even jewellery.
Sharjah National Park[edit]
Sharjah National park covers an area of nearly 270 thousand square feet of area.
Sharjah Aquarium[edit]
Located in Al Layyeh, Sharjah aquarium has over 250 species to see right from the delicate
seahorses to smallest clown fish, reef sharks, rays and moray eels. Visitors can submerge
themselves to the colorful, diverse and rich undersea world which is home to a variety of marine life
which is native to the sea.
Al Noor Island[edit]
Al Noor Island is located in the Khalid Lagoon and covers an area of 45,470 square metres. The
destination project features art and light installations, including the 'OVO' and 'Torus' displays.
Arabian Wildlife Center[edit]
The Arabian Wildlife Center opened in 1999 and is home to more than 100 species of animals.
Situated at a convenient location, this center is quite close to the Sharjah International Airport.
Despite the hot and dry conditions in most of Arabia, there are a number of mammal species who
have adapted to these conditions.
Al Majaz Waterfront[edit]
Al Majaz Waterfront is an expansion and beautification of the existing park in order to enhance it into
a family-friendly leisure area, a waterfront landmark of Sharjah Featuring an audio-video dancing
fountain, miniature golf and a range of restaurants.
Rain Room[edit]
In 2018, the experiential art installation Rain Room was given a permanent home in
Sharjah. Sharjah Art Foundation constructed a purpose-built visitor centre located in the city's
residential area of Al Majarrah to house the permanent installation of Rain Room, with up to six
visitors at a time taking fifteen minutes to explore the experience.

Climate[edit]
Sharjah has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh), with warm winters and
extremely hot and humid summers. Rainfall is generally light and erratic, and occurs almost entirely
from November to May. About two-thirds of the year's rain falls in the months of February and
March.

hideClimate da

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr M

32.5 34.4 42.1 43.2

Record high °C (°F)
(90.5) (93.9) (107.8) (109.8) (1

24.2 25.2 28.8 34.0

Average high °C (°F)
(75.6) (77.4) (83.8) (93.2) (1

17.6 18.5 21.5 25.7

Daily mean °C (°F)
(63.7) (65.3) (70.7) (78.3) (
 12.1 12.7 15.3 18.3
Average low °C (°F)
(53.8) (54.9) (59.5) (64.9) (

3.4 2.5 8.3 10.9

Record low °C (°F)
(38.1) (36.5) (46.9) (51.6) (

9.5 34.8 33.0 7.5

Average precipitation mm (inches)
(0.374) (1.37) (1.299) (0.295) (0

Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 1.5 3.3 4.0 1.2

Average relative humidity (%) 69.0 68.0 64.0 56.0

Mean monthly sunshine hours 244.9 226.8 257.3 294.0 3

Source: NOAA

Transportation[edit]

View inside Sharjah airport.

The city has reasonably well developed transport infrastructure. Like many major cities, Sharjah has
a problem with vehicular traffic congestion during rush hours especially the roads leading to and
from the Emirate of Dubai.
The role of the Sharjah Public Transport Corporation (SPTC) is to reinforce public transportation,
setting its policies and find strategic solutions for smooth traffic, providing modern and professional
transport services to the passengers, driving Sharjah Emirate or on the InterCity routes, between all
emirates in UAE.
Development of transportation services in Sharjah is critical and long term task. Planning by SPTC
since 2008 Sharjah Metro[15][16] will be third in UAE (after Dubai and Abu Dhabi metros) and planning
since 2015 Sharjah Tram[17]will be second (after Dubai Tram).
Air
The Sharjah International Airport is the aviation hub of the city. Sharjah Airport is the third largest
Middle East airfreight hub in cargo tonnage, according to official 2015 statistics from Airports Council
International. Sharjah International Airport is home base of the low-cost carrier Air Arabia. It has
daily flights connecting Lebanon, Jordan, United
Kingdom, Netherlands, Ukraine, India, Egypt, Syria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Iran, etc.
Road
There are two major series of highways in Sharjah, which are "E" and "S". E represents roads
connecting other emirates and S for roads within the emirates.
The major roads in the emirate of Sharjah includes

 E 88 - Al Dhaid Road connecting the Emirate of Fujairah.

 E 102 - Sharjah - Kalbah Road - Connecting Fujairha and Kalba.
 E 311 - Sheik Mohammad Bin Zayed Road - connecting Dubai, Ajman and RAK.
 E 11 - Al Ithihad Road - Connecting Dubai.
 E 611 - Emirates Road - connecting Dubai, Ajman and RAK
 S 12 - Maliha Road.
Taxi Taxis in Sharjah are clean, well maintained and reasonable.[citation needed] Sharjah Public
Transportation Corporation is organizing and supervising the operations of taxis in Sharjah Emirate.
Sharjah taxi service is provided through franchise companies. They cover all parts of the Emirate
and cities, including shopping centres, residential areas and airport.Following are the major taxi
operators in the emirates.