Sharjah Fort

Sharjah


A row of cannons welcomes visitors to Sharjah's beautifully renovated 1823 fort (hisn), which reopened as a museum in 2015. Once through its mighty teak gate, the series of rooms contain well-presented exhibits on Sharjah's ruling Qasimi family and the history of the building itself. Downstairs is the round prison tower, the old medbasa (a room used for making date molasses) and fascinating information panels on the destruction of the fort in 1969 and its restoration in the 1990s.

Upstairs is Al Kebs Tower, which survived the fort's 1960s demolition and then, because of the encroachment of surrounding modern buildings, had to be completely moved 6 metres during the rebuilding.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Sharjah attractions

1. eL Seed Calligraffiti

0.06 MILES

Renowned French-Tunisian street artist eL Seed brought his trademark 'calligraffiti' street art to Sharjah in 2015 with this snake-like design sprawling…

2. Sharjah Calligraphy Museum

0.11 MILES

Don't think calligraphy is worthy of your time? Think again. The two galleries here showcase this swirling, beautiful art form at its best with works by…

3. Al Eslah School Museum

0.15 MILES

This teensy museum was Sharjah's first school, and three rooms have been set up to show what classrooms would have looked like 70 years ago while framed…

4. Bait Al Naboodah

0.15 MILES

A fine example of early Emirati architecture, this 1845 house was once home to pearl merchant Obaid Al Naboodah. Note in particular the teak-wood ionic…

5. Sharjah Heritage Museum

0.15 MILES

This museum goes a long way towards demystifying Emirati culture for visitors. Each of the five galleries examines different aspects of local life, from…

6. Archaeological Findings

0.19 MILES

If you're interested in digging a bit further into Sharjah's trading history, this small shop space in Souq Al Shanisiyah has been turned into an exhibit…

7. Sharjah Art Museum

0.21 MILES

Sharjah's heritage and arts areas are anchored by one of the region's most dynamic art museums, a treat for committed art-lovers and casual visitors alike…