The Heart of Sharjah

Coral walls of the Al Hisn Fort

Sharjah doesn’t have the mega malls of Dubai and can’t boast a mosque quite as grand as Abu Dhabi’s Grand Mosque but culturally and historically, it is every bit as good as a day spent around Bur Dubai (Dubai’s old town) or the Al Fahidi Historic District and in some respects, it is even better.  The Heart of Sharjah certainly exceeded expectations today.

Mum outside the Discovery Centre

After a couple of weeks exploring and in some cases (re)visiting the sights of Dubai, my mum was ready to try something new and a little bit different.  Time to suggest a day exploring the sights of Sharjah.

Mum checking out some of the souqs

We arrive outside Souq Arsah (traditional market) and take a moment to get our bearings.  The souq certainly looks traditional enough but it’s early and I move mum along from browsing souvenirs as I’m keen to get some culture underway.  Out the other side of the souq and we duck in to the Heart of Sharjah Discovery (information) Centre for a map and to find out whether Bait Al Naboodah (an historic pearl diver’s house) next door is open.  No, it’s not, but the Sharjah Heritage Museum close by seems like just as good a place to start.

The staff here are very friendly and helpful and before too long we obtain a combined ticket (AED20) for all the major players on our list today: the Sharjah Heritage Museum; the Calligraphy Museum; the Art Musem; Sharjah Fort (Al Hisn); and the Al Eslah School Museum.

The Heritage Museum

The Heritage Museum includes exhibits which explore themes such as the local traditions, folklore, economy, social values and religious ceremonies all in the context of the history of the emirate and the UAE as a whole.  We learn that Bedouin tribes in the emirate traditionally lived in tents made of hair (Bait Al Shaar – house of hair).  Women would weave goat, sheep or camel hair to create sheets which could be sewn together to make tents.  Often the dark (black or brown) wool would be decorated with colorful tribal patterns.

Another useful item was palm fronds.  These were used to make all manner of items – from woven baskets for food or carrying goods to tent poles, roofs or bassinets for infants.  Metal was also a useful material for items such as coffee pots and cooking and animal skins could be used to collect and store water and milk (from camels, sheep or goats).

Coffee pots on display in the Heritage Museum

Finer fabrics were likely obtained through trade although decoration, including the ornate metal threads used to decorate important dress or costumes (such as the wedding dress pictured below) could be made by women of the tribe who might also make and decorate the new bride’s dress as part of her wedding present (or perhaps dowry).

Wedding dresses (female and male) in the Heritage Museum

Women would often also work as merchants, shop keepers, midwives, beauticians, tailors or teachers (of the Q’uran) to generate income for the family.  Sometimes this was a more regular income than that of the husband if he was a pearl diver who only worked seasonally or if other income relied on sale of cattle which could also be seasonal.  Despite this, women were still required to maintain the household (clearly some things remain the same!).

After a good look around and a quick cup of Arabic coffee (complemented by dates), we move on to the Calligraphy Museum around the corner.  Here we learn that Arabic calligraphy takes many different forms and is considered its own art form which has developed, like other art forms, over centuries.

Mum studying a Qur’an at the Calligraphy Museum

For example, Al Kufi is considered to be one of the oldest (used up to the 5th Century) type of script derived from the Al Nabati writing commonly used in the North Arabian peninsula (pre Islam, the Kufah region of Iraq).

A calligraphic copy of the Q’uran at the Calligraphy Museum

The Al Thulute style of script (used around the 10th Century) is considered to be one of the most beautiful but also the most difficult Arabic script to write because of its interlinking letters.

Poetry in the Calligraphy Museum

The Al Ijazah (or Al Ryasi) script is a combination of Al Thuluth and Al Naskh used to record scientific studies and formal documents.  It was also used for government signatures and documents leading to it also being known as presidential script (hence, Al Ryasi).

A door in the Calligraphy Museum

There are examples of each script in frames as well as beautifully framed poems that blend writing with a more traditional view of ‘art’ in pictures.  There are also impossibly intricate copies of the Q’uran and more pictures where lines are blurred between what is drawing and what is writing.

In the alleys of the historic district

An artist practicing his script invites us to sit with him.  He writes our names for us in Arabic calligraphic script and explains that although he is a teacher, he must still practice.  Each stroke is small and precise.

Sharjah Art Museum

Next we walk some more through the area and find a little cafe, amid the nearby streets lined with textile shops, to sit for a karak tea and a sandwich for lunch.  Our karak (AED1) and chicken paratha sandwich wraps (AED4) go down a treat and we’re ready to discover the Art Museum.

Heritage, Ahmed Al Ansari, 1999
Legends, Madiha Mohammed Metwally, Mixed Media on Wood

There are some interesting paintings here in the first floor gallery and some even more interesting pieces of art and exhibits in the spaces at the back of the gallery going up and down the ‘ramps’.  Not only do the ramps lead up and down but the exhibition spaces themselves are also sloped along with the ramps making the space just as unusual as some of the installations.

A Thougsand and One Nights, Widad Al Orfali, 1994
Inscriptions, Abdul Lateef Al Samoudi, 1992

Next we take a quick break, checking out some of the fabric shops to procure materials with which to make a dragon costume (for book week at school).  I find some green fabric that happens to be in the form of a very ornate dress, though at the right price, before heading over to Sharjah Fort.

Houses, Bashir Sinwar, 1984
Artwork at the Sharjah Art Museum

Sharjah Fort, also known as Al Hisn, acted as a fort, a Sheikh’s palace and later a prison before it was restored and turned into a museum.

Outside Sharjah Fort (Al Hisn)

The rooms are furnished or contain exhibits explaining the uses of the room or the fort itself with photos and information on all aspects of its history and inhabitants.

Al Ghurfah (the meeting room)
The Sheikh’s bedroom in the fort

The walls were traditionally made of coral blocks and have been methodically restored (rebuilt) this way too.  There is a date press room which explains the method of producing date molasses and displays of weapons and information on the resident Sheikhs as well as how the fort was later used as a prison.

The first floor of Sharjah Fort (Al Hisn)
Muhalwasa Tower at Al Hisn

By now the day is getting on and although I’m starting to fade a little, we press on to see the School Museum where of the the Sheikhs attended as a boy.  Here we have a guide who carefully shows us each room – the teacher’s room with a sturdy desk but not much else, a library, two (tiny) classrooms and a rest area where children might have sat for a drink or to eat a meal.

Ladies’

We finish our tour with a grateful “shukran” (thank you) and emerge into the afternoon having thoroughly enjoyed each museum and gallery and every aspect of the day.

Masjid Al-Zahra

After another quick karak tea we decide we don’t have the time (or, perhaps, the energy) to tackle the Blue Souq as well.  But for today we are certainly happy with our discovery of the Heart of Sharjah.

Good To Know

The Heart of Sharjah is a heritage area being redeveloped as a complete heritage, art and cultural precinct.  As yet, although many museums are open, not all areas are currently available.  Completion is still a long way away with scheduled completion being expected by 2025.

Would I Return?

Yes.  It will be interesting to see how completion goes and it’s certainly worth visiting if you’re done with Dubai’s malls.

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