Things to do in Sharjah
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Automatic Restaurant
A branch of the famed Lebanese chain, Automatic serves up fresh, reliable Lebanese staples in a bright, clean, cafeteria. The place gets packed with Arab expats late at night.
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Sharjah Heritage Museum
Next door to the Islamic Museum, the Sharjah Heritage Museum, has similar traditional exhibits to Bait Sheikh Sultan Bin Saquer al-Qassimi though without the wind towers, but it is still worth a look. Wednesday admission is for women only, all day.
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Emirates Fine Arts Society
The Emirates Fine Arts Society displays the works of local artists.
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Very Special Arts Centre
The Very Special Arts Centre is a workshop and gallery for disabled artists.
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Al Massa Cinema
Al Massa Cinema is located on Buheirah Corniche, and showing the latest commercial Hollywood blockbusters and odd Bollywood flick.
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Caffe Undici
Sharjah's most sophisticated café has indoor and outdoor seating, continental breakfasts, generous-sized sandwiches and real espresso coffee.
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Book Mall
Enormous bookshop with a small café and reasonable English-language fiction and travel books. Internet access costs around Dh5 per hour. It's near Al-Qasba Canal.
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Bait Obeid al-Shamsi
The Bait Obeid al-Shamsi, opposite the art museum, is a restored house used as an international artists' studio; don't miss the intricate pillars on the upper level.
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Arts Area
Tucked behind the textile shops and souqs on the opposite side of Burj Ave is the Arts Area, home to the country's most impressive art gallery, the Sharjah Art Museum.
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Gold Centre
Also worth a wander is the glittering Gold Centre, on the corner of Sheikh Humaid bin Saqr Al-Qassimi Rd and Al-Wahda Rds, which has scores of stores selling gold jewellery.
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Sharjah Aquarium
The Sharjah Aquarium has ethereal sea horses, charming clownfish, spooky moray eels, prowling reef sharks and 250 or so other underwater species never fail to amuse, enlighten and entertain.
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Bait Sheikh Sultan Bin Saquer al-Qassimi
The splendid Bait Sheikh Sultan Bin Saquer al-Qassimi is a traditional house with wind towers set around a courtyard. Inside are wonderful displays of traditional costumes, jewellery, ceramics and furniture.
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Islamic Museum
Walking past the Sharjah National Theatre, you'll come to the Islamic Museum, with interesting exhibits including a large collection of coins from around the Islamic world and a number of beautiful handwritten Qurans. Friday evening is women only.
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Sharjah Heritage Museum
Next door to the Islamic Museum, the Sharjah Heritage Museum, has similar traditional exhibits to Bait Sheikh Sultan Bin Saquer al-Qassimi though without the wind towers, but it is still worth a look. Wednesday admission is for women only, all day.
reviewed
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Sharjah Maritime Museum
West of Qanat al-Qasba, at the Sharjah Maritime Museum, wooden dhows, fishing tools, devices used in pearl diving and historic photographs of grizzled old sea captains pay tribute to the key role the sea has played in the emirate’s heritage.
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Al Gahwa al-Shaabiya
This traditional barasti coffeehouse, overlooking the lagoon, serves mint tea, local coffee, ginger milk and Arabic snacks. Extremely popular with Emiratis, it's a wonderful place to sit in the evenings, play backgammon and watch the city lights reflected in the water of the lagoon.
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Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation
A short stroll north of Sharjah Art Museum is the fantastic Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation, which zeroes in on different aspects of the Islamic faith, scientific accomplishments in the Arab world and 1400 years of Islamic art. Don’t miss taking a peek at the central dome with its striking deep-blue zodiac mosaic.
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Sharjah Art Museum
Anchoring the Arts Area, Sharjah Art Museum is one of the UAE’s largest and most impressive galleries. Its permanent exhibition includes 18th- and 19th-century oil paintings, watercolours and lithographs from the ruling family’s collection; curators also mount changing shows of local and international contemporary talent.
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Heritage Area
The beautiful historic buildings in the Heritage Area, just inland from the Corniche between Burj Ave and Al-Maraija Rd, have been carefully restored and faithfully reconstructed using traditional materials such as sea rock, coral, and gypsum. First visit the imposing Al-Hisn Fort, with its fascinating historical exhibits inside, before making your way to the atmospheric Literature Square and the House of Poetry.
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Sharjah Archaeological Museum
This fascinating museum is housed in an elegant building set in manicured gardens, next to the Science Museum near Cultural Sq. The displays, accompanied by audiovisual interpretations, cover the earliest archaeological finds in the emirate (dating from 5000 BC) up to the present day, including coins, jewellery, pottery and weapons. Wednesday afternoon admission is for women only. A taxi here from the centre will cost around Dh7 to Dh10.
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Sharjah Desert Park
About 26km east of central Sharjah towards Al-Dhaid, Sharjah Desert Park packs four venues into a one-square-kilometre package. The main attraction is the Arabian Wildlife Centre, a zoo and breeding centre showcasing the diversity of critters that call the region home. The indoor aviary is home to flamingos, Houbara bustards and Indian rollers, while the outdoor enclosures house hamadryas baboons, striped hyenas, Arabian wolves and the splendid Arabian leopard.
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University City
A cross between Oxford and Disneyland, this sprawling and somewhat surreal campus is artificially greened, with splendid fountains, expansive lawns and flowerbeds galore. Its architecture is truly stunning and it's a popular stop on most expat's visitor sightseeing tours.
Check out the American University of Sharjah, with its Middle-East-meets-the-White-House building, the School of Sharia'a Law, the Sharjah Library, and the University of Sharjah. The city is unlike anything else in the country and is a sign of the importance placed on higher education in the UAE. It's next to Sharjah airport, 15km from the centre of town.
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Thriveni Restaurant
This dirt-cheap Indian eatery is usually packed with guest workers from the subcontinent eating thalis, biryanis and curries. As is usually the case in worker's cafeterias, women are required to sit in the family area, which in this case is rather shabby but is worth tolerating unless you enjoy being ogled.
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