Sharjah Maritime Museum

About this place

Sharjah Maritime Museum explores pearling, fishing, shipbuilding and navigation through boats, tools and oral history. Its collections explain the economic risks of seasonal diving and the expertise required to build and sail wooden vessels along Gulf and Indian Ocean routes. A visitor can use the collections to connect individual objects with larger changes in Emirati life: oasis farming, pearling, dhow trade, household work, education, government and the transition after oil. Read dates and provenances closely and compare reconstructions with original artefacts, photographs and oral testimony. This makes the museum useful historical evidence rather than a display of attractive antiques. Exhibitions and opening arrangements can change, so check the official venue information before planning a journey.