On the 2nd day in Sharjah, we made our first stop at Al Hisn Fort, exploring this beautifully restored 19th-century outpost. It was once home to the Al Qasimi family, Sharjah's rulers. Mainly, the rulers' spaces, Majlis, Al Ghurfah, and the Sheikh's room, were located on the upper floor of this double-story traditional rock fortress. The well, Muhalwasa prison, and arrest room were located below. There were three towers built for defensive purposes: Al Kabs Tower, Muhalwasa Tower, and... I couldn't identified the third one :P
There were collection of photographs and archaeological artifacts in this gallery
A spacious courtyard in the middle
Al Raggas's cannon was said to be pride of the military power of Al Qawasim
The Heart of Sharjah, located alongside the creek, 5 minutes' drive from the Al Hisn Fort, was where the heritage and historical buildings that were under restoration by the Sharjah authority were. We headed up to the Sharjah Heritage Museum and passed through the Sharjah city wall. Within the area, there were also the Eslah School Museum, Art Museum, Calligraphy Museum, Ceramic House, Bait Al Serkal, and the list goes on; all attractions were within walking distance. We went to the Majlis Al Naboodah, the information center, where we were briefed about the restoration phase, which will end by 2025. We spent till noon exploring the galleries that offer fascinating insights into different aspects of Sharjah’s heritage. We headed back to the hotel after lunch for resting, as we planned to visit Mleiha, to the east of Sharjah.
Among other exhibitions, we went to the local desert to see the customs and everyday life here, past and present.
The Bedu or Bedouin tribes whose once lived in Sharjah creek
The traditional Bedouin family home
There was also Bait Al Shamsi, worth visiting.
Souq Al Arsa was located beside the Bait Al Naboodah, a rather small and among the oldest traditional markets in Sharjah.
So antique...
I loved the air of this exquisite market
Then, we visited the Eslah School Museum, where we spent almost half of our tour day here. We learned how to write in Arabic. :P
Why does she wink her eyes??
The school headmaster who teach us how to write
The classroom can only accommodate less than 10 students
Mari mengaji... :)Heart
This video shows the principal writing Nu'man's name in calligraphy.
We further explored the Heart of Sharjah, visiting galleries and walking rampantly in between the traditional architecture.
A long list of place of interest in the Heart of Sharjah
This was the only ceramic sculpture in this gallery
The calligrapher's studio was still under restoration
We booked the Mleiha Landscape Tour for the time slot between 3 and 4 pm that day. A desert tour by an extreme off-road 4WD drive included a stop at the Camel Rock and Fossil Rock. The roller-coaster-like ride lasted for an hour, and we took the chance to enjoy the spectacular views from the peak. Then, we visited the Mleiha Archaeological Site, a 10-minute drive from the Mleiha center. We drove around the site since it was impossible to walk within this vast excavation site.
Landscape seen from the site of the Camel Rock
I tend to love this photo setup
A big fossil rock and it was believed that this area was once an ocean
Can you see the fossil traces on the rock?
Tadaaa... now you can see it! :P
The Mleiha Archaeological Center ticket was included with the tour
This site existed during the pre-Islamic period
One of the camel cemetery, the calf, I guessed.
We are about to enter the tomb!
Personal troops that was not organized by the Mleiha Center
I will follow Zarin's example from his wrapping-up post and do the same for my record. This post will be updated from time to time. Most of the trips may have a specific write-up, and you can click on the travel month. Here is the world travel map, courtesy of TripAdvisor. Here are some statistics: The total number of countries visited is 25 out of 195. [Last updated: September 2025]
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On the 2nd day in Sharjah, we made our first stop at Al Hisn Fort, exploring this beautifully restored 19th-century outpost. It was once home to the Al Qasimi family, Sharjah's rulers. Mainly, the rulers' spaces, Majlis, Al Ghurfah, and the Sheikh's room, were located on the upper floor of this double-story traditional rock fortress. The well, Muhalwasa prison, and arrest room were located below. There were three towers built for defensive purposes: Al Kabs Tower, Muhalwasa Tower, and... I couldn't identified the third one :P
Yayyy, dah ada post baru :). Post seluar coklat plak.. hehehe
ReplyDeleteUnta pun ada kubur. Dasat!