Among the most beautiful of Sharjah's 600 mosques, with its architecture based on traditional Ottoman design, Al Noor has a dream setting overlooking the Khalid Lagoon. It is the emirate's only mosque open to non-Muslims, on guided, free one-hour tours operated weekly by the nonprofit Sharjah Centre for Cultural Communication. Tours take around 45 minutes and consist of a talk on the mosque's design, Islam and Emirati traditions and conclude with time to take photos and complimentary gahwa.
The mosque is quite stark inside, so if you've already visited Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, you might be a tad disappointed by the interior. Visitors wanting to join the tour need to dress modestly, and females are required to don the provided abaya (a robe-like dress worn by women) no matter what they're wearing. There's no registration required for the tour; just turn up five minutes before 10am on Monday.
