Just a 45-minute drive from Dubai's ultramodern center lies Sharjah, an emirate that is deliberately avoiding the spotlight. As one of the seven emirates of the UAE, Sharjah aspires to be a national center for cultural tourism, prioritizing desert camps, eco-resorts, and tents over megastructures.
Hawla al-Hashemi, the project manager at Sharjah Investment and Development Authority, explained that the idea is to be "invisible." She stated, "I'm probably the only architect who will say that our goal is to make development invisible." The emirate is developing projects like the Moon Retreat camp on its prime lands, transforming them into nature reserves.
Hidden among the red desert dunes and majestic crimson rock formations, the Moon Retreat offers a lunar-like landscape, providing guests with a sense of serene isolation.
While Sharjah's tourism market is significantly smaller than Dubai's, it's experiencing substantial growth this year. According to the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority, the emirate's hotels hosted over a million guests in August alone.
In the first eight months of 2024, Russia emerged as Sharjah's primary market, accounting for 21% of all hotel guests, which is over 160,000 people. Other major markets include the UAE (11%), India (10%), and Oman (6%).
Sharjah is the most conservative of the seven emirates and the only one where alcohol remains prohibited. This stands in stark contrast to the rest of the country, which is becoming increasingly Westernized. The emirate's "Heart of Sharjah" project aims to restore traditional narrow streets, bazaars, and historical buildings.
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