SHJ

Category:UNESCO Creative CitiesCategory:Has custom banner

View of Sharjah skyline.

Sharjah (Arabic: الشارقة) is the third largest city in the United Arab Emirates and the capital of Sharjah emirate. Sharjah is known for its Arabic and Islamic architecture as well as its libraries, Islamic museums, and cultural centers. The city is known as the cultural and literature hub of the United Arab Emirates. The city is rooted in its Arabic and Islamic heritage with many Umayyad and Abbasid-styled buildings and offers a glimpse of Arabic and Islamic environment in an otherwise largely westernized country. It is a major hub for family friendly environment and activities and has a more conservative atmosphere. The city has many green parks, apartment complexes, and a large community of Arabs from all the Arab world making the city an effective cultural meeting point for many different communities of Arabs.

In contrast to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Sharjah offers visitors a vastly larger view into Arabic and Islamic art, literature, and architecture. It's a usual destination for visitors who are looking for a cultural and a more local experience of Arabia and Islamic atmosphere compared to Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

"Smile you're in Sharjah!"

A common slogan used around the city to describe the family friendly atmosphere of the city. The word Sharq (short form of Mashriq) means east in Arabic. Sharjah is east of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, thus its name. Its classical Arabic form is "Al Shareqah".

Understand

Sharjah is very closely connected to Dubai through the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area, with commuter traffic creating rush hour traffic jams. Many people live in Sharjah but work in Dubai to take advantage of lower rents, hence traffic from Sharjah to Dubai and Dubai to Sharjah is largely expected in rush hours.

The emirate is considerably larger than Dubai, with coastline on both west and east coasts of the peninsula, and with exclaves of Kalba, Khor Fakkan, and Dibba Al Hisn. The road to the east coast goes through rugged Al Hajar mountains. Public buildings in the Emirate are all in Umayyad and Abbasid architecture, and were all designed by the present Shaikh (a qualified architect). Therefore, the city offers a nice visual change and a more cultural atmosphere from the usual fare of skyscrapers in other Emirates.

The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism website [dead link]Category:Articles with dead external links has sections on business, heritage, leisure, education, and coast.

Talk

As in the rest of the UAE, Arabic is the official language, although most residents speak other languages - particularly Hindi, Urdu and Tagalog. English is widely spoken in shops, souqs, and hotels.

Get in

'"`UNIQ--maplink-00000008-QINU`"'
Map of Sharjah

For visa requirements to visit Sharjah, see the United Arab Emirates page.

By plane

Getting there and away:

  • By bus – Regular 24/7 buses (every ½-1 hr) run the distance of 20 km between the airport and Al Jubail Bus Station —8 dirham (Jan 2026), cash only.

By bus

Bus travel from Dubai is possible via an inter-emirate bus service run by the Government of Dubai Road and Transport Authority. The final station of these intercity buses is 25.35013855.3814462 Al Jubail bus stationCategory:Has map markers nearby to the Central Souk. Still these buses have several stops in between in Dubai and Sharjah. You need the nol card (transport card of Dubai) for the ride. The price is 12 dirham as of January 2026. The rush hour on the roads from Dubai is in the late afternoon and early evening in which you can expect longer delays due to traffic jam.

By taxi

Taxis are widely available. Taxis can travel from other emirates such as from Dubai or Ajman to Sharjah and vice versa without any restrictions. Traveling from farther emirates such as Abu Dhabi or Ras Al Khaimah is also an option, but taxi fares may be costly. Ride-share applications such as Uber and Careem are also an option and can be used to travel across emirates. You may also call the government sponsored Sharjah taxi service [dead link]Category:Articles with dead external links to request a taxis to come to your location.

On foot

If you want to walk in from Dubai, you can do that through the shopping mall called Sahara Centre. At the mall is also a bus stop for city buses of Dubai and a bus stop for city buses of Sharjah. Behind the mall is a pedestrian overpass for the highway S115. That highway can otherwise only be crossed at certain points.

By train

A national railway system called Etihad Rail is under development and is going to start in 2026. It will connect all the emirates of the UAE. In Sharjah the trains will go to the district called Sharjah University city, not far away from the airport and about 15 km away from the Al Jubail Bus Station.

Get around

By bus

Public buses are overseen by Sharjah Transport (Journey Planner) and operated by Mowasalat. There are local and express routes. Inside of Sharjah it costs 8 dirham in cash and 6 dirham with a Sayer card. The blue Sayer card you can buy from the bus driver for 50 dirham containing a credit of 45 dirham.

The schedules of the buses operating only inside of Sharjah are not integrated in Google Maps. And the journey planner of SRTA on the website and in the app is not the most convenient. It may be better to use the network map of Mowasalat for bus rides.

The bus lines starting with an "E" are only destined for passengers doing an intercity ride between Dubai and Sharjah. Those buses are not supposed to be used for rides inside of Sharjah.

By taxi

Licensed taxi companies are Sharjah, Emirates, Citi, Union, and Advantage. Taxi plates are reflective green, which helps to spot them at night. Flag fall is 3.50 dirham, then 1 dirham every 650 m—the minimum fare is 11.50 dirham. There is a surcharge of 20 dirham to go into Dubai.

Usually the standard taxis offer lower prices than Uber and Careem.

On foot

The highway E11 runs through the neighborhoods of Sharjah near points of interest and the buses from Dubai go on it. That highway divides the city for pedestrians. You cannot cross it anywhere. Bridges and underpasses are up to 1 km away from each other. Keep that in mind, if you want to walk to a supermarket, bus stop or else on the other side of the highway.

See

Al Hisn fort
Sharjah is known for its Arabic and Islamic architecture and designs of buildings.
Blue Souk
  • Blue Souq (Souq Al Markazi or Central Souq). An interesting, if slightly chaotic, shopping centre hosting around 600 shops in two wings. The ground floor shops tend to stock gold and expensive designer clothes, with the upper level containing shops stocking carpets and curios from as far afield as Afghanistan and Tibet. Haggling over prices in the upper-level shops will frequently attract massive discounts. A great place to buy gifts and traditional goods. Considered superior to Dubai for carpets by Western expatriates.
  • Category:See listing with no coordinatesSharjah Desert ParkCategory:Has map markers (28 km from Sharjah on the road to Al Dhaid). Su-Th 9AM–5:30PM, F 2PM-5:30PM, Sa 11AM–5:30PM. It has three components spread over 1 km²: the Natural History Museum, Arabian Wildlife Centre and the Children’s Farm. The museum provides people of all ages with an opportunity to learn about the flora and fauna of the Arabian Desert and has five main exhibition halls: A Journey through Sharjah, Man and the Environment, A Journey through Time, The Living Desert and The Living Sea. The Arabian Wildlife Centre showcases the rich diversity of fauna in the Arabian Peninsula as well as teaching about species which have become, and are becoming, extinct. It contains more than 100 species of animals, and is divided into a reptile and insect house, aviary, nocturnal houses, viewing area and a section for large predators and monkeys. The children’s farm gives children a chance to come into close contact with farm animals, such as donkeys, goats, sheep and chickens. Adult 15 dirham, child (12–16 years) 5 dirham, child (under 12) free. (updated Nov 2019)
  • Category:See listing with no coordinatesFish MarketCategory:Has map markers, Corniche Road (opposite Blue Suq). Daily 5AM-1PM.  
  • Category:See listing with no coordinatesKing Faisal MosqueCategory:Has map markers, Al-Ittahid Square. This magnificent mosque was a gift of the Saudi Arabian King Faisal. It was opened in 1987 and has space for 15,000 people. There are separate prayer rooms for men and women and the mosque has an Islamic library with more than 7,000 books. Admission for Muslims only. 
  • Category:See listing with no coordinates[dead link]Category:Articles with dead external links Al-Qasba Waterfront and Eye of the EmiratesCategory:Has map markers, Al-Taiwoon Road, Al-Khan Lagoon, ☏ +971 6 5560777. Sa-Th 10AM-11PM, F 4-11PM. Here you can enjoy culture, entertainment and leisure attractions representing the very best from the Arab world and beyond. 
  • Category:See listing with no coordinatesAl-Mahattah-MuseumCategory:Has map markers, Estiqlal Square, ☏ +971 6 5733079. Sa-Th 8AM-8PM, F 4-8PM. Al Mahatta was the first airport in the Gulf region. It opened in 1932 as a staging post for commercial flights from Britain to India. There is an interesting film about the daily life at the airport and Sharjah town in the 1930s and four original propeller planes stand in the hangar. Adult 5 dirham, family 10 dirham, child free. 
  • 25.33151855.3592132 Sharjah AquariumCategory:Has map markers, Al Meena Street,Al Khan Area,Near Sharjah Maritime Museum, ☏ +971 6 528 5288. The Sharjah Aquarium first opened its doors in 2008. It features deep-sea creatures. Sharjah Maritime Museum gives you a close-up look at the local fishes and lets you learn about Sharjah's historic coasts and ports. 35 dirham per adult (13 and over), 25 dirham per child (age 2-12), below 2 yr free. 90 dirham family (2 adults + 3 children). OSM directions (updated Jun 2019)

Do

  • Jetskiing is very famous around summer time in the Khalid Lagoon.
  • F1 Boat Races happen around the human-made island in the Buhaira Corniche sometime around December.
  • Qanat al Qasba has a beautiful mosque right by the canal.
  • From Al Qasba there is a ferry that gives a boat tour around Sharjah.
  • Several different yearly festivals take place, and each one is a wonderful cultural experience. There are many fun activities at these festivals including camel rides, henna, delicious Arabian foods and dishes.
  • In celebration of the date season, which runs from mid-May to mid-August, the Date Festival is held at the Fruit and Vegetable Market from May 15 to August 15.
  • Cricket: 25.330955.41881 Sharjah Cricket StadiumCategory:Has map markers, Second Industrial Street, ☏ +971 6 542 2991. Sharjah's heyday was in the 1990s when it held many ODI tournaments. Although the games held at the ground were never implicated, the match fixing scandals at the turn of the millennium tarnished Sharjah and its use started to wane. With a capacity of 16,000 it has reemerged as an international cricket stadium, either as a neutral venue for Pakistan and its opponents or for inter-associate games involving the UAE. OSM directions (updated Oct 2023)

Buy

Eat

The ubiquitous shawarma is sold all over Sharjah and makes a very cheap and hearty meal. Khuboos made of wheat also a cheap food available at very cheap

Drink

Sharjah is a "dry emirate" which means sale or possession of alcohol within Sharjah is almost entirely forbidden. There are three exceptions:

  • Category:Drink listing with no coordinatesSharjah Wanderers ClubCategory:Has map markers. Members and their guests only. Founded in 1977 as a sports club for rugby and diving, it has a pool, tennis courts and lighted rugby fields. There is a British bar which sells spirits, wine, bitter, lager and stout and which serves traditional British food. 
  • Alcohol is available at the duty-free and business class lounges of Sharjah International Airport.
  • If you have a personal alcohol license, you may bring in alcohol from other emirates and consume it at home.

Also, it is legal to transport alcohol through Sharjah if your final destination permits it (such as from Dubai to Fujairah). Some police may not be familiar with this rule though.

Sleep

Budget

Mid-range

Splurge

Stay safe

Generally speaking, Sharjah is a safe place. Women are usually stared at in certain parts of the city, so bring a male relative or friend to be safe.

Medical services

Go next

This city travel guide to Sharjah is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
Category:Usable citiesCategory:Usable articlesCategory:City articles Category:Has Geo parameter