Sharjah Museums Authority has collaborated with the College of Fine Arts and Design (the University of Sharjah) to organise Reflections and Inspirations from Emirati Heritage, an exhibition which is currently being held at the Sharjah Heritage Museum. On view until the 15th of April, 2025, the show explores heritage through the eyes of art and design students.
Exhibited art pieces present the students’ interpretations of Emirati heritage and express their feelings and thoughts about tangible and intangible heritage elements, including visual ones. The works were created with a full range of materials and ideas under the guidance of several prominent professors from the College of Fine Arts and Design who represented different artistic disciplines.
Sharjah Heritage Museum, 2023-2024. Photo: Antonie Robertson / The National.
In the exhibition, one can see 54 diverse artworks: 3D objects, daily products, paintings, sculptures, and garments. The list of highlights includes, for example, Tasah, a traditional round headpiece covered with gold, emeralds, and pearls worn by women. It symbolises the beauty, grace, and resilience of Emirati women and embodies the traditional values inherent in clothing. Visitors can also look at Talli, a textile Emirati handicraft. Characterised by vivid colours and intricate designs, it decorates all types of women’s wear.
About Sharjah Heritage Museum
Situated in the Heritage Area, the museum was established in 2005. After renovation, it re-opened in 2012 in Bait Saeed Al Taweel Al Shamsi, a restored 18th-century house of a pearl merchant. The museum is devoted to the rich culture of Emirati people and Sharjah residents over the past decades, delving into its different aspects.
Sharjah Heritage Museum, 2023-2024.
There are six galleries in the museum, each dedicated to a particular theme. The first one, Landscape, displays Sharjah’s natural surroundings and illustrates how the environment affects its people. The second gallery, Lifestyle, explores local society, religion, and customs, including rituals and entertainment. The Celebrations gallery tells about Sharjah’s traditions and how they are practised, which include weddings, Hajj, and such major holidays as Ramadan, Eid Al Fitr, and Eid Al Adha. In the Livelihood section, you can learn more about the people’s way of life (for example, pearl diving, trade, and transportation), while the Traditional knowledge gallery explores the knowledge the people of Sharjah employ to navigate life (from ways of tracking the desert to healing methods). The last section, Oral traditions, focuses on cultural and historical stories passed down by mouth from generation to generation. Here, among the exhibits are also musical instruments and those used in dance.
To get more information about Reflections & Inspirations from Emirati Heritage, please visit the official web page of the exhibition.
You may also be interested in attending the Bait Al Naboodah Museum and the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization.
