21 November 2008 00:22 GMT
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About Sharjah
Sharjah, the third largest of the seven emirates comprising the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is mid-way between the hustle and bustle of Dubai and the quieter emirates in the north of the peninsula.
Sharjah has a more family-oriented feel than fast-paced Dubai and has assumed the role of a dormitory town for its bolder, brasher neighbour. Many people take advantage of the cheaper rents and living costs in Sharjah by setting up home there and commuting to work in Dubai.
This trend has produced the drawback of nightmare rush hour traffic. On weekdays, traffic from Shrajah to Dubai is gridlocked for several hours in the morning, with lanes choked the other way in the evenings. Bear this in mind whenever you take to the road.
Though Sharjah is more conservative than Dubai - alcohol is completely banned in the emirate – it is just as multi-cultural and actually has a longer and more colourful history.
From the 1600s into the 1800s, long before Dubai's relatively recent rise as the Gulf trade hub, Sharjah was the pre-eminent port of the lower Arabian Gulf coast. Sharjah and the northern emirate of Ras al-Khaimah were both ruled by the Qawasim, a formidable tribe of seafaring merchants who battled with the British for domination of maritime trade through the Gulf in the 18th and 19th centuries.
In the early 19th century, Britain attacked the Qawasim. Around 1820, it signed the first of several peace treaties with the Qawasim of Sharjah and Ras al-Khaimah as well as the other Arab tribal rulers of the lower Gulf coast, bringing maritime peace to the Gulf.
From then until the establishment of the UAE as an independent state in 1971, the area was known to the British as the Trucial Coast, and the Arab tribal chiefs enjoyed friendly relations with Britain.
Today, Sharjah is ruled by Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed al-Qasimi, a descendent of the Qawasim. The discovery of oil and gas has allowed Sharjah to grow into a prosperous city in the last few decades, but it still holds a relatively small proportion of the UAE's vast oil wealth and has been careful to maintain a more conservative, Islamic character.
Where Dubai has sought to lure visitors with ever-bigger leisure facilities and nightlife, Sharjah has focussed on culture. It now boasts over 15 museums alone, holds art and photography exhibitions and was voted the Cultural Capital of the Arab World by the U.N. cultural agency, UNESCO, in 1998.
Sharjah also controls the Khor Fakkan coastal enclave on the Indian Ocean side of the UAE peninsula.
About Sharjah airport
From small beginnings, Sharjah's airport has expanded and upgraded over the past coupe of years to keep pace with the boom in business which Air Arabia, the first no-frills airline in the Middle East, has triggered.
Sharjah's proximity to Dubai has made it an increasingly popular alternative for passengers wanting a quick and convenient gateway into the UAE.
Its advantages include short walking distances and easy access, with everything under one roof and relatively simple road access thanks to the airport's out-of-town location and the nearby Emirates Road, which runs from Dubai up to the northern emirate of Ras al-Khaimah.
Air Arabia's attractive short-haul fares and quirky destinations have also managed to lure some passengers from neighbouring Dubai, whilst the airport itself is only around 20 minutes south of Sharjah city.
In 2006, the airport opened a new arrivals and baggage claim hall, whilst a much-improved and expanded check-in zone was completed in 2007. Future expansion, which was still in progress at the time of writing, includes building an airport hotel and a shopping mall – plenty to keep future passengers occupied.
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