Looking for a great family afternoon out in Sharjah? Why not head to the Sharjah Maritime Museum? Sharjah is known for its many marvelous museums, and the Sharjah Maritime Museum does not disappoint.
The Sharjah Maritime Museum displays marine equipment, ship models, and artifacts of life at sea. It offers an exciting insight into the region’s maritime history and its changes over time as the UAE moved away from pearl fishing. Together with the Sharjah Aquarium, this museum forms a part of what is known as Sharjah’s Historical Centre.
If you are thinking about visiting the Sharjah Maritime Museum, here is a guide on what you need to know before going. From Sharjah Maritime Museum opening times to Sharjah Maritime Museum tickets!
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What is the Sharjah Maritime Museum?
The Sharjah Maritime Museum is a Sharjah Museum dedicated to the maritime history of Sharjah and the region now known as the United Arab Emirates. The museum depicts the region’s culture, development, and inhabitants against a naval backdrop. The area was primarily known for Arabian Pearls. However, the region lost its key role in the pearl industry when China started mass producing artificial pearls.
Sharjah has had a special relationship with the sea. The emirate of Sharjah was famous for its shipbuilding, fishing, and trading. It is estimated that Arab mariners developed navigational aids and reached Africa, India, and even China thousands of years ago. On their way, they traded with the local population and explored distant shores thanks to their navigational tools.
To understand all this history, it is good to visit the Sharjah Maritime Museum. In this Sharjah Museum, you’ll find a lot of information about the region’s maritime history, along with artifacts, models, and maritime memorabilia. In other words, this museum is like a time machine taking you back to the region’s marine heritage. It takes you back in time to Sharjah’s maritime tradition and teaches you all you need to know about Sharjah’s maritime past.
Why should you visit the Sharjah Maritime Museum?
There’s always a good reason to visit Sharjah’s Maritime Museum. Sharjah is, after all, the only emirate in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with its own maritime museum. This means that you’ll find this building packed with information about Sharjah’s history and culture. So if you need more reasons to visit the Sharjah Maritime Museum, do read on!
Learn about the Arab Marine community
The Sharjah Maritime Museum offers a detailed insight into the history of Sharjah and its inhabitants. Here you can learn about Sharjah’s inhabitants who have always been nomads but had a strong connection with the sea. They became famous as traders, pearlers, shipbuilders, and explorers of the oceans. In the Sharjah Maritime Museum, you’ll learn to understand Sharjah’s past and maritime traditions.
The architecture of the Sharjah Maritime Museum
The Sharjah Maritime Museum building is magnificent, even if it looks simple. The architect has tried to add maritime touches both inside and outside. The museum is, in addition, also incredibly bright and airy with great windows and fantastic lighting. As a result, the whole Sharjah Maritime Museum feels fresh and spacious!
The Sharjah Maritime Museum is right next door to Sharjah Aquarium.
So, if you plan to go to the aquarium, it would be easy to visit the Sharjah Maritime Museum afterward. That way, you can have the whole experience and also take more time to enjoy Sharjah’s Historical Centre.
The Sharjah Maritime Museum is a Sharjah tourism landmark.
There are many things to see at Sharjah, and honestly, you can’t leave without visiting the Sharjah Maritime Museum. It is one of the best museums in Sharjah. If you want to learn more about the best museums in Sharjah, have a look at this article about the best museums in Sharjah.
What to see at the Sharjah Maritime Museum?
The Sharjah Maritime Museum shows all the marine equipment, vessels, and ships models that made Sharjah what it is today. This Maritime Museum has everything from the first vessels to newer boats and beautiful antique creek and ocean vessels.
You’ll find quite a number of ship models from different eras. Their design and the way they were carved make them worth seeing. You are going to learn about them and their changes over time.
The best part of this exhibition is a traditional boat in real life-size. You can appreciate the structure of a real ship, its details, and its carved features. It is a fantastic thing to see! You’ll see maps and an explanation of the techniques used to build those ships, along with the tools employed to do that.
Sharjah Maritime Museum also has a full explanation about Sharjah’s inhabitants and their maritime traditions. Sharjah’s inhabitants were primarily nomads who used to rely on the sea for food, water, and trading with other territories. The Sharjah Maritime Museum showed Sharjah’s past and became the trade center.
The Sharjah Maritime Museum is a great destination for kids. It features wooden seafaring dhows and even pictures of a coastal cemetery. Kids can learn a lot about the marine life in the region and traditional fishing methods in the area. Especially the stunning specimen of wooden dhows in the museum building. The genuine Arabian Pearl-Diving Vessels are absolutely stunning.
Sharjah Maritime Museum Tickets
Want to buy Sharjah Maritime Museum Tickets? Here you can read all about buying tickets for the Sharjah Maritime Museum.
Children (under 2 years): Free
Children (2-12years): 5.00AED (1.36 USD)
Adults (13+ years): 10.00AED (2.72 USD)
Government university trips: Free
Private University trips: Free
Senior (60+) + one companion: Free
People with Disabilities: Free
If you are also visiting the aquarium, you can buy your Sharjah Maritime Museum tickets in a combined Package. Unfortunately, the Sharjah Maritime Museum tickets don’t include an entrance to Sharjah Aquarium.
Note: The Sharjah Maritime Museum will be open from Saturday to Thursday 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM and from 2:00 PM – 8:00 PM on Fridays. The museum is closed on public holidays.
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How to get to the Sharjah Maritime Museum?
Getting to Sharjah Maritime Museum is easy, but here is how if you are still wondering how to get there.
Bus
Want to head to the Sharjah Maritime Museum by bus? The closest Bus stop is Al Khan Street- Adnoc Station and the buses you can take to get there are:
9R- Sahara Centre Terminal- Rolla Terminal
3G- Rolla Terminal – Muwailah Terminal
Unfortunately, even if this one is the closest, you still need to walk quite a distance to the Sharjah Maritime Museum. The best is to take the bus and then the taxi. Sharjah Maritime Museum by bus is not necessarily a good idea.
Taxi
You can also choose to take a taxi to the Sharjah Maritime Museum. Most taxis will know where the Sharjah Maritime Museum is. However, do keep in mind that by taking a cab over the Dubai/Sharjah Border, you will have to pay a fee of 25 Dirham.
Rental Car
Last but not least, you can also choose to take a rental car into Sharjah to visit the Sharjah Maritime Museum. Head down Al Wahada Street and follow Al Khan Corniche Street and Al Khan Beach signs. The Sharjah Maritime Museum is located close to Khan Beach. You can rent a car via rentalcars.com. When renting a car, you can visit the coastal cities of the emirates and a host of museums nearby.
