Sharjah

Summer is over, the weather is good and tourists are streaming into the UAE.  And not just into Dubai - last weekend the final race of the Formula 1 season was held in Abu Dhabi, which meant real traffic, hour-long queues for taxis, and strange sightings across the UAE.  In other words, a perfect time to leave town and explore Sharjah.

Sharjah is the emirate directly north of Dubai.  It has taken us anywhere from 15 minutes to two hours to travel between downtown Dubai and the city of Sharjah.  This time we left Abu Dhabi on Friday morning, guaranteeing a relatively traffic-free trip.

Sharjah is the most conservative emirate and is famous for its cultural center.  It has nearly half of all the museums in the UAE and a well-preserved fort.




The Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization had artifacts from the Berlin Museum of Islamic Art when we were there, but we enjoyed the permanent collection, which focuses especially on contributions to science, most of all.

We were most pleasantly surprised by Sharjah's corniche.  Sharjah is built along two bays, and there is a great running and bicycle path along both, as well as on a bridge which connects the two.  We were very, very slightly reminded of the amazing bicycle paths in Stockholm.

The Blue Souq is a pair of beautiful buildings right on the water.  We were eager to be charmed by the inside, but unfortunately it is more mall-y than souq-y.

We enjoyed getting to know one of the other emirates, and may be back for its most famous event, the Festival of Lights.

24 Hours in Doha

While Margaret was enjoying the Polar Vortex in the US, I decided to go on a solo mission to Doha. Doha is not a top tourist destination (not until the World Cup arrives in 2022, at least); the trip was largely prompted by a desire to see the controversial Damien Hirst exhibit and the Islamic Art Museum.

I arrived on a Friday evening, and made my way to Souq Waqif for a bite and a taste of Qatari nightlife. Locals call Souq Waqif the "new souq" -- it was built about two years ago next to the "old souq" -- but it has a traditional feel.  Most of the shops have hand-made crafts, all the buildings are one or two stories, and like all places in the Middle East, it is impossible not to lose one's bearings.  

When I arrived, the souq was bustling and Qatari women were singing as they made their way through the alleys.

 There was a row of restaurants, a mix of fancy sit down places and shisha cafes.

I chose the most street food-y place I could find. It had a menu in Arabic, accompanied by the transliteration of the menu into Latin characters, which didn't help a whole lot.  But thankfully, one can order by going back into the kitchen, where there are big toughs of food, and pointing.  I ended up with chicken curry and a savory lamb bread pudding.  Tasty!  I ate with a British man who had moved to Doha a week ago to work on the new zoo.  He'd already had some interesting experiences...

The next day, after a rainy run along Doha's Al Corniche, I went to the Islamic Art Museum.  The museum is at least as famous for the building (designed by I.M. Pei) as for its collection.  Both are spectacular.  The museum's exterior is particularly beautiful when lit up at night.

The inside is spacious without being cavernous.

There was a room full of beautiful Korans.  The doors on the right are covered in Arabic.

And they love their falcons just as much in Qatar as they do in the UAE.

Final stop was the Damien Hirst exhibit, conveniently next door to the Islamic Art Museum.  As expected, most of the art was very, very weird, some of it was stomach turning, but some things were exquisite.  My favorite were "butterfly paintings" meant to look like stained glass that were actually made out of butterfly wings.