The Desert Diva Our second day of museums in Sharjah found us exploring the one we have most wanted to go to. The Emirate of Sharjah is so much more than the small city north of Dubai – it extends to over 2500 square kilometres; is the third largest of the seven Emirates which make up the UAE; is the only Emirate to have coastline on both the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman; is it the only “dry” Emirate, ie it is illegal to sell, purchase or consume alcohol here. Over the years we have visited various sites of archaeological interest and often we see the sign “artefacts removed from this site can be viewed at the Sharjah Archaelogical Museum”, so we figured it was time we visited them.
There are major roadworks in the surrounding area and you have to be pretty determined to get to the archaeological museum if you are driving yourself, but after a tour of the east of the city we got there. Parking is free and the entry fee is only 5AED (about 90p in UK money).
The exhibition area is extensive and is laid out chronologically. Starting with the very earliest settlers in the area it traces the history of the Emirate up until around 1000 years ago. The displays have much to hold the visitors’ interest and information is delivered across many media including free audio guides, illustrations,video presentations, and puzzles.
Note -the cafe is currently closed and there are no drinking fountains, nor places to buy water. However when we asked the receptionist about they arranged for their teaboy to give us two glasses of lovely cold water – much appreciated!
Opening hours: Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday – 8am to 8pm
Friday 4pm to 10pm
CLOSED SUNDAYS
Location: N25 20.917 E55 25.388