Things to do
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Al Noor Mosque
Ottoman styled domes and twin minarets sit on the Khalid Lagoon shore, and this is the one mosque in the emirate open to visitors who are not Muslim, on guided tours run by a cultural centre. Tours are scheduled on set mornings and end with an open question session. Modest dress is provided at the door for those arriving without it.
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Heart of Sharjah
Coral stone houses, wind towers and narrow lanes have been restored across the old quarter behind the creek, now holding craft workshops, small museums, a calligraphy centre and a few courtyard hotels. Restoration continues in phases, so some blocks stay fenced. Evening is when the lanes come alive, and the low light on the plaster is worth waiting for.
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Mleiha Archaeological Centre
An hour inland among red dunes, a visitor centre is built over a Bronze Age tomb and interprets a landscape of burial sites, a fort and a camel graveyard going back millennia. Guided dune drives, walks and stargazing sessions leave from the door. Booking ahead is required, and the desert cools sharply once the sun drops.
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Sharjah Art Foundation
Contemporary galleries occupy a run of restored and new buildings around a courtyard in the old town, showing commissioned work from the region, South Asia and Africa. Admission is free. Exhibitions change several times a year and expand hugely during the biennial, when the foundation takes over disused schools and cinemas across the city.
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Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization
Housed in a converted souk building on the creek, the collection runs from early Qur'anic manuscripts and astrolabes to ceramics, coins and textiles from across the Islamic world, under a domed ceiling painted as the zodiac. Labels are thorough in Arabic and English. Two hours covers it, and the creekside walk outside is the natural continuation.