Sharjah

Sharjah, also spelled Al-Shāriqah (“The Eastern”), constituent emirate of the United Arab Emirates (formerly Trucial States, or Trucial Oman). Some of Sharjah’s interior boundaries are only presumptive, but its main portion is an irregularly shaped tract, oriented northwest-southeast, stretching about 60 miles (100 km) from the Persian Gulf (northwest) to the central inland region of the Musandam Peninsula (southeast). Sharjah also has three coastal enclaves on the eastern, or Gulf of Oman, side of the peninsula, which are, from north to south, Dibba (ownership of which is shared with Fujairah emirate and the Sultanate of Oman), Khor Fakkan, and Kalba. Because of the extreme political fragmentation in the region, Sharjah, including its enclaves, has common boundaries with each of the six other emirates of the union as well as with the Sultanate of Oman. The capital and chief urban settlement is Sharjah city, situated on the Persian Gulf.

Since the early 18th century, Sharjah has been ruled by the Qasimi family (also called Qawasim), then one of the principal naval powers in the Persian Gulf. Maritime disputes between the Qawasim and the British led to a series of treaties in the 19th century (beginning with the General Treaty of Peace concluded in 1820). Concerned in general with preserving the peace at sea, the treaties placed Sharjah’s foreign relations in British hands while local affairs remained untouched. Britain also did not interfere with the Qasimi family’s attempts to take Abu Dhabi (1825–31 and 1833–34).

As Sharjah was an important strategic and commercial centre in the gulf at the time, Britain stationed a native agent (later succeeded by a British agent) as its “residency agent” in the Persian Gulf there from 1823. As the port at Sharjah town silted up and Dubai became the chief port of the Trucial Coast, the political agent was moved to Dubai in 1954; a separate agency was set up in Abu Dhabi in 1961, for Abu Dhabi affairs only. The entire system of British protection ended in December 1971, when Britain left the Persian Gulf and the newly independent United Arab Emirates came into being.

A new tourist destination, inaugurated by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, on February 17, 2022, Sharjah Safari is the new spot for all adventure lovers.
A picturesque place nestled in the lap of nature, Sharjah Safari constitutes a rare opportunity for tourists and visitors to observe the endemic wildlife in Africa. Native African faunae roam without fences, in an environment similar to their natural environment. Sharjah Safari is host to more than 120 species of animals, which live in Africa and up to 50,000 animals, ranging from birds, reptiles and mammals; such as lions, elephants, giraffes, black and white rhinoceros, crocodiles, deer, bulls and many other endangered animals.