The lampposts give it away.
Driving lazily through Dibba, a hot, sleepy town on the UAE-Oman border – which, by historical accident, happens to be divided into three – you can tell where you are by glancing at the street furniture.
Those parts which fall into the emirate of Fujairah to the south and the Sultanate of Oman to the north have lampposts that are nothing to write home about – plain, functional, familiar.
But a tiny sliver in between, known as Dibba Al Hisn, happens to form an enclave of the emirate of Sharjah – and the ruler of Sharjah, Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, is known to favour rather ornate pavement illumination. So, as you make your way from mosque, to café, to fish market between the three Dibbas, should you find yourself passing beneath elegantly stylized lamp posts featuring suspended polygonal shades in gold backed by decorative triangles of filigree ironwork, you’ll know that you’re in Sharjah territory.
Third city of the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Sharjah is the exception to the rule of how Gulf cities should be – modest, unassuming, pleasant to stroll through and with a comfortable awareness of the value of history.
Having carved a niche for itself as a serious-minded sibling, Sharjah musters more (and better) museums than all the other emirates combined, along with a historic quarter that remains full of life.
As one European expatriate resident put it: ‘Sharjah feels like you’re back in the Middle East again.’ Despite its skill at hosting arts events of global stature, such as the World Book Fair and Sharjah Biennial, the city remains contentedly in the shadow of its illustrious neighbours.
It wasn’t always so. For much of its history Sharjah has been bigger and more important than Dubai, hosting the region’s largest port in the 19th century and also its first airport, built in 1932 as a staging post for Imperial Airways flying between London and India.
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