Louvre Abu Dhabi, Zayed National Museum and Museum of the Future are among the UAE’s most famous institutions, but the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation should not be overlooked. It has a vast and impressive collection that easily places it among the best museums in the UAE, if not the Gulf.
Most visitors to the Corniche area notice the building before they know what it contains. The domed structure – a converted souq dating to the early 20th century, its exterior decorated with geometric tilework and crowned with a gilded dome – sits on the waterfront.
Inside, it houses one of the most comprehensive collections of Islamic art, science and civilisation, with more than 5,000 objects spanning 1,400 years of lesser-known history that immerses visitors from the start.
Why go there?
Islamic civilisation is often treated either as a side chapter in western art history or reduced to religious iconography, but this museum makes the full case for understanding the Islamic world as the driver of scientific, astronomical and mathematical progress during centuries when much of Europe was standing still.
The collection is large enough to be genuinely illuminating and well-edited enough to stay absorbing throughout. Galleries and exhibits aside, the building itself adds to the experience: the restored souq architecture, the courtyard light, the mosaicked dome.
It is also accessible. The explanatory text throughout is clear and substantive, pitched at curious adults rather than specialists. Children are well catered for, with interactivity built in throughout, whether that’s through gameplay, pressing a button to make the artefacts move behind their glass cases or using a screen to go deeper into the content. Nothing is overdone or gimmicky; each display is simply there to expand the learning experience for all visitors.
Then there’s the location, in the Heart of Sharjah, alongside the likes of Souq Al Arsa and Sharjah Art Museum, which makes it easy to combine with a broader half-day in the old quarter.
What you'll see
Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation's seven galleries move between the spiritual and the scientific. You’ll start in a gallery that introduces the foundations of Islam: the Five Pillars, the development of Islamic calligraphy, the significance of the Quran, artworks from Makkah, including a large and impressive piece of the Kiswah, from the Kaaba. Contributions from Makkah also come up at the end of the final gallery, bookending the experience.
Opposite, there are galleries touching on astronomy, medicine, mathematics and navigation: the instruments, manuscripts and maps through which Islamic scholars preserved and advanced knowledge during what Europe would later call its Dark Ages. These are the galleries that will absorb even the most casually interested visitor.
It contains astrolabes, surgical instruments and celestial globes dating back centuries – all presented with enough context to make their significance legible to a non-specialist. One of the museum's recurring and most fascinating themes is transmission: how ideas moved between civilisations, how much of what we understand as European science passed through Arabic scholarship first.
The art and decorative arts galleries are strong, too. Ceramics, textiles, metalwork, musical instruments and manuscripts demonstrate the breadth of what the Islamic world produced across different regions and centuries. They are all clearly and beautifully displayed.
There is also a dedicated section outside the galleries on Islamic coins, tracing the economic reach of the region's trade networks across continents.
Star attraction
It’s hard to choose, but the Quran manuscripts include some of the earliest and most beautifully rendered examples in the region. The embellishments are extraordinary up close, and the contextual information on how manuscript culture developed in the Islamic world is something you wouldn't necessarily find elsewhere.
There are also beautifully crafted models of some of the world’s most famous mosques, as well as a striking photographic display of Islamic houses of worship from far-reaching corners of the globe, which is enjoyable.
Don’t miss the third floor, either, where you’ll find an intricate, handcrafted mosaic of the night sky and constellations of the zodiac, honouring the historical contributions of Islamic scholars to astronomy and mathematics.
Know before you go
Allow for at least two hours. Even three if you want to read the panels fully, which is worth doing. The museum is air-conditioned and not busy – a good choice for the middle of the day in summer. Photography is allowed in most areas.
The location in the Heart of Sharjah puts it within easy walking distance of Sharjah Heritage Museum, Souq Al Arsa, Sharjah Art Museum and many of the emirate’s most famous cultural landmarks. A half to full-day cultural itinerary built around this cluster of sites is one of the better ways to spend time in the UAE.
Make sure you check out the museum’s gift shop, which has a range of cute toys and games for children, as well as lovely souvenirs to take home. There’s also a cafe, where you can grab a bite or cup of coffee.
Ticket price and location
Entry is Dh10 for adults, Dh5 for children aged between two and 12, and free for under-twos. Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation is open 8am-8pm from Saturday to Thursday, and 4pm-8pm on Friday.
