Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, congratulated Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi on the eve of his 50th accession day as the Ruler of Sharjah.
“Tomorrow, my brother, Sheikh Dr Sultan, will complete 50 years since [becoming the Ruler of Sharjah],” Sheikh Mohammed wrote on Twitter on Monday.
Sheikh Dr Sultan was unanimously approved as the Ruler of Sharjah on January 25, 1972.
“He is one of the pillars of the Union and a source of wisdom for science and culture,” Sheikh Mohammed said.
Sheikh Dr Sultan is a major driver of the Union’s development while serving its citizens, he said.
“May God protect him, his family, people and followers,” Sheikh Mohammed said.
Under Sheikh Dr Sultan’s rule, Sharjah has grown to be a city of high-rise buildings, museums and nature reserves that more than a million people call home. It is also renowned as a place of culture and education.
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The Ruler of Sharjah, Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, holds a news conference in San Francisco in 1973 to discuss plans for developing oil operations in the emirate. AP -
High rise buildings and hotels sprout on the sandy shore of Sharjah during its transformation from fishing town to major city in 1977. AP -
A British official mingles with local dignitaries at a feast in November 1971. AP -
Sharjah's Central Souq in January 1980. AP -
An electronics shop in the city in the 1970s. Getty -
The park established by the Sharjah Municipality in front of Al Hisn, the city's fort, pictured in 1967. Photo: Sharjah Documentation and Archive Authority -
The Rolla tree in Sharjah in the 1950s during Eid celebrations. The enormous tree fell in 1978, to be commemorated by a statue in Rolla Square. Photo: Sharjah Documentation and Archive Authority -
Old Sharjah Airport Mosque, which was located near the airport in Al Qasimia. It was demolished and Al Khayal Mosque was built at the same site. Photo: Sharjah Documentation and Archive Authority -
Sharjah city seen from the east in the late 1960s including the Clock Tower Square. Photo: Sharjah Documentation and Archive Authority -
Al Hisn. The old fort was built around 1820 by then Ruler of Sharjah, Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi, as Sharjah’s government headquarters. Photo: Sharjah Documentation and Archive Authority -
A mosque in Sharjah city in 1972. Photo: Sharjah Documentation and Archive Authority -
The entrance of the Sharjah Radio building, which was constructed in 1972. The station broadcast in Arabic for 16 hours a day. Photo: Sharjah Documentation and Archive Authority -
The Sharjah TV and Radio building in 1989. Photo: Sharjah Documentation and Archive Authority -
Sharjah's Central Post Office in the 1970s. Photo: Sharjah Documentation and Archive Authority -
Sharjah Public Library. Photo: Sharjah Documentation and Archive Authority -
The entrance to the Sharjah Radio building, constructed in 1972. Photo: Sharjah Documentation and Archive Authority -
Eid celebrations in front of Al Hisn in the early 1970s. Photo: Sharjah Documentation and Archive Authority -
Mleiha Archaeological Centre. Photo: Sharjah Media Office -
Khor Fakkan Beach. Photo: Sharjah Media Office -
Al Majaz Amphitheatre, Sharjah. Photo: Sharjah Media Office -
Sharjah International Book Fair is an 11-day event that was first held in Sharjah in 1982. Photo: Sharjah Media Office -
The College of Sharia and Islamic Studies is one of the foremost colleges that rose to prominence with the establishment of the University of Sharjah in the year 1977. Photo: Sharjah Media Office -
Al Noor Mosque and Al Noor Island, which sits in Khalid Lake in the city of Sharjah. Photo: Sharjah Media Office -
The House of Wisdom, Sharjah's state-of-the-art public library that opened in 2020. Photo: Sharjah Media Office -
The Sharjah Mosque, the largest mosque in the emirate, opened in 2019. Photo: Sharjah Media Office -
The Ruler of Sharjah, Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, is shown a new housing and business development by Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed, right, in 2020. The National -
The Ruler of Sharjah, Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, presents his latest novel at a dinner reception hosted by the Sharjah Book Authority at the Literaturhaus in Frankfurt in 2018. Photo: Sharjah Media Corporation
In the five decades since, Sheikh Dr Sultan has been at the forefront of the emirate’s economic and social development, with education prioritised.
Culture has also flourished. Sharjah contains some the Middle East’s top artistic centres and museums, including Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation, Maraya Art Centre and Barjeel Art Foundation, not to mention pioneering installations such as the Rain Room.
