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109-635: Sharjah ( / ˈ ʃ ɑːr dʒ ə / ; Arabic : ٱلشَّارقَة aš-Šāriqah , Gulf Arabic : aš-Šārja ) is the third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates , after Dubai and Abu Dhabi . It is the capital of the Emirate of Sharjah and forms part of the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area . Sharjah is the capital of the eponymous emirate . The emirate shares legal , political, military and economic functions with

218-836: A verse from the Quran , were issued by the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates , and designed by the Sharjah Islamic Bank , to commemorate the occasion. Earlier, the King Faisal Mosque , named after King Faisal of Saudi Arabia , had been the largest in the Emirate and country, with an area of 10,000–12,000 m (110,000–130,000 sq ft). In 1997, a Syriac Orthodox church, St. Mary's Jacobite Syrian Soonoro Patriarchal Cathedral,

327-528: A WHO healthy city . The 2016 edition of QS Best Student Cities ranked Sharjah as the 68th best city in the world to be a university student. Sharjah is regarded as the cultural capital of the UAE, and was the Islamic culture capital of 2014 and Sharjah World Book Capital for 2019 by UNESCO. On 1 January 2022, Sharjah made history when its public sector adopted a four-day working week and a three-day weekend, becoming

436-575: A collection of related dialects that constitute the precursor of Arabic, first emerged during the Iron Age . Previously, the earliest attestation of Old Arabic was thought to be a single 1st century CE inscription in Sabaic script at Qaryat al-Faw , in southern present-day Saudi Arabia. However, this inscription does not participate in several of the key innovations of the Arabic language group, such as

545-524: A contemporary interpretation of the ancient Arabic scrolls, made by Gerry Judah . It was made to celebrate the Emirate of Sharjah being named the UNESCO World Book Capital for 2019. Sharjah has a hot desert climate ( Köppen climate classification BWh ), with warm winters and extremely hot summers. The average daytime temperature during the summer ranges between 38 °C (100 °F) to 42 °C (108 °F), and on some days

654-435: A corpus of poetic texts, in addition to Qur'an usage and Bedouin informants whom he considered to be reliable speakers of the ʿarabiyya . Arabic spread with the spread of Islam . Following the early Muslim conquests , Arabic gained vocabulary from Middle Persian and Turkish . In the early Abbasid period , many Classical Greek terms entered Arabic through translations carried out at Baghdad's House of Wisdom . By

763-797: A critical long-term task. Planned by the SPTC since 2008, the Sharjah Metro will be the third metro system in the UAE after the Dubai Metro and the Abu Dhabi Metro . The Sharjah Tram has been planned since 2015, and will be the second tram system in the country after the Dubai Tram . The Sharjah International Airport is the third-largest Middle East airfreight hub in cargo tonnage, according to official 2015 statistics from Airports Council International . Sharjah International Airport

872-1081: A dialect of Arabic and written in the Latin alphabet . The Balkan languages, including Albanian, Greek , Serbo-Croatian, and Bulgarian , have also acquired many words of Arabic origin, mainly through direct contact with Ottoman Turkish . Arabic has influenced languages across the globe throughout its history, especially languages where Islam is the predominant religion and in countries that were conquered by Muslims. The most markedly influenced languages are Persian , Turkish , Hindustani ( Hindi and Urdu ), Kashmiri , Kurdish , Bosnian , Kazakh , Bengali , Malay ( Indonesian and Malaysian ), Maldivian , Pashto , Punjabi , Albanian , Armenian , Azerbaijani , Sicilian, Spanish, Greek, Bulgarian, Tagalog , Sindhi , Odia , Hebrew and African languages such as Hausa , Amharic , Tigrinya , Somali , Tamazight , and Swahili . Conversely, Arabic has borrowed some words (mostly nouns) from other languages, including its sister-language Aramaic, Persian, Greek, and Latin and to

981-560: A gold souq, clothing souq, and antiques and jewellery shops. It stands out due to its design by British architects Michael Lyle & Partners under the guidance of Sharjah's ruler, H.H Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, the building was completed in 1978. Its architecture evokes a grand-scale traditional bazaar. It is situated along the Khalid Lagoon and offers a stunning view of sunset, reflecting its beauty across

1090-487: A lesser extent and more recently from Turkish, English, French, and Italian. Arabic is spoken by as many as 380 million speakers, both native and non-native, in the Arab world, making it the fifth most spoken language in the world, and the fourth most used language on the internet in terms of users. It also serves as the liturgical language of more than 2 billion Muslims . In 2011, Bloomberg Businessweek ranked Arabic

1199-639: A millennium before the modern period . Early lexicographers ( لُغَوِيُّون lughawiyyūn ) sought to explain words in the Quran that were unfamiliar or had a particular contextual meaning, and to identify words of non-Arabic origin that appear in the Quran. They gathered shawāhid ( شَوَاهِد 'instances of attested usage') from poetry and the speech of the Arabs—particularly the Bedouin ʾaʿrāb  [ ar ] ( أَعْراب ) who were perceived to speak

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1308-490: A number of recreational areas and public parks such as Al Montazah Fun Park and Al Buheirah Corniche. The city is also acclaimed for its numerous elegant mosques. Downtown Sharjah or Sharjah City, Al Majaz is a large-scale, mixed-use complex in Sharjah. It serves as the cultural and commercial heart of the emirate. It is characterized by a blend of traditional architecture, modern amenities, and numerous cultural landmarks. It

1417-621: A playground for children, making it a hotspot for residents and visitors. The Arabian Wildlife Center opened in 1999 and was home to more than 100 species of animals. Situated at a convenient location, this center was quite close to the Sharjah International Airport. The Sharjah Wildlife Centre has introduced a pair of rare long-eared hedgehogs which is one of the fascinating species at the centre. These hedgehogs are known for their distinctive long ears, which help them detect predators and navigate their environment. Despite

1526-466: A population of over 1,800,000 (2022–2023). The sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited in the emirate of Sharjah without possession of an alcohol license and alcohol is not served in hotels, restaurants or other outlets in Sharjah, due to the Muslim majority in the area. This has helped Sharjah increase the number of Islamic tourists who visit the country. Sharjah has been officially named as

1635-484: A protectorate to keep the Ottoman Turks out. Like its neighbors Ajman , Dubai , Ras Al Khaimah , and Umm Al Quwain , Sharjah's position on the route to India made it important enough to be recognized as a salute state (be it of the lowest class: 3 guns). In 1829, English author and traveler James Silk Buckingham described Sharjah as such: "In the course of the night, we had passed the port of Sharjee, on

1744-519: A redeveloped arts and community center in 2020, The Flying Saucer, Sharjah is a brutalist building dating back to the 1970s. It was re-opened after a two-year renovation project by the Sharjah Art Foundation (SAF). The Flying Saucer building looks like a circular with a dome-like structure on top and its roof is wide, disc-shaped with a smooth and clean finish which is supported by several V shaped columns. The Sharjah Light Festival

1853-408: A redevelopment project was done involving a complete overhaul of the park, including the installation of a new irrigation system, construction of new walking paths, children's play areas, and a parking plot valued around 5.5 million AED which took 6 months to complete. This is the main attractions for family and friends in Sharjah where many activities like waterside destination which includes mini golf,

1962-594: A result, many European languages have borrowed words from it. Arabic influence, mainly in vocabulary, is seen in European languages (mainly Spanish and to a lesser extent Portuguese , Catalan , and Sicilian ) owing to the proximity of Europe and the long-lasting Arabic cultural and linguistic presence, mainly in Southern Iberia, during the Al-Andalus era. Maltese is a Semitic language developed from

2071-462: A script derived from ASA attest to a language known as Hasaitic . On the northwestern frontier of Arabia, various languages known to scholars as Thamudic B , Thamudic D, Safaitic , and Hismaic are attested. The last two share important isoglosses with later forms of Arabic, leading scholars to theorize that Safaitic and Hismaic are early forms of Arabic and that they should be considered Old Arabic . Linguists generally believe that "Old Arabic",

2180-470: A single language, despite mutual incomprehensibility among differing spoken versions. From a linguistic standpoint, it is often said that the various spoken varieties of Arabic differ among each other collectively about as much as the Romance languages . This is an apt comparison in a number of ways. The period of divergence from a single spoken form is similar—perhaps 1500 years for Arabic, 2000 years for

2289-470: A splash park, a mini-train and many more attractions are available for kids. Rain Room, an experiential artwork created by Hannes Koch and Florian Ortkrass of Random International in 2012, was permanently installed for the first time in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, in 2018. This artwork allows people to visit the installation and walk through a rain downpour without getting wet, as their movement in dark spaces

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2398-432: A state of art culture and a leisure destination that engages people with nature and inspires Sharjah's fast growing tourism sector. The island is accessible via a short boat ride from the mainland and also can reach through the pedestrian bridge that connects it to the mainland. It is designed to offer a serene escape from city life, boasting stunning lighting displays, art sculptures, and a tranquil Literature Pavilion such as

2507-507: A type of Arabic. Cypriot Arabic is recognized as a minority language in Cyprus. The sociolinguistic situation of Arabic in modern times provides a prime example of the linguistic phenomenon of diglossia , which is the normal use of two separate varieties of the same language, usually in different social situations. Tawleed is the process of giving a new shade of meaning to an old classical word. For example, al-hatif lexicographically means

2616-591: A unique experience at the Sharjah Aquarium which allow visitors to explore marine life closely. Visitors can walk along the aquarium floor while submerged in water, surrounded by a variety of fish and other sea creatures. Ready to explore? Here is everything one should know about this captivating attraction. Al Noor Island is located in the Khalid Lagoon covering an area of 45,470 m (489,400 sq ft). It has been developed by Shurooq to be

2725-507: A variety of regional vernacular Arabic dialects , which are not necessarily mutually intelligible. Classical Arabic is the language found in the Quran , used from the period of Pre-Islamic Arabia to that of the Abbasid Caliphate . Classical Arabic is prescriptive, according to the syntactic and grammatical norms laid down by classical grammarians (such as Sibawayh ) and the vocabulary defined in classical dictionaries (such as

2834-538: A wide range of products makes it a favorite for shoppers looking for deals and unique finds. Bank street is located near the main area of Rolla, many bank branches and offices are located on the street. The street has an urban park which is unique as local residents were invited to nominate significant urban features — like benches, trees, playgrounds, and signage — from various cities worldwide that hold personal meaning to them, representing anything from remarkable stories to fleeting memories. These objects were selected from

2943-476: A wider audience." In the wake of the industrial revolution and European hegemony and colonialism , pioneering Arabic presses, such as the Amiri Press established by Muhammad Ali (1819), dramatically changed the diffusion and consumption of Arabic literature and publications. Rifa'a al-Tahtawi proposed the establishment of Madrasat al-Alsun in 1836 and led a translation campaign that highlighted

3052-737: Is a Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world . The ISO assigns language codes to 32 varieties of Arabic , including its standard form of Literary Arabic, known as Modern Standard Arabic , which is derived from Classical Arabic . This distinction exists primarily among Western linguists; Arabic speakers themselves generally do not distinguish between Modern Standard Arabic and Classical Arabic, but rather refer to both as al-ʿarabiyyatu l-fuṣḥā ( اَلعَرَبِيَّةُ ٱلْفُصْحَىٰ "the eloquent Arabic") or simply al-fuṣḥā ( اَلْفُصْحَىٰ ). Arabic

3161-529: Is a Suburb, Community city and residential area in Sharjah, with direct access to Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road (E311) and Maliah Road. Its a prominent and rapidly developing area in Sharjah. It borders Industrial Area 15 and 17 to the south, and is close to the University City of Sharjah. It also features a diverse range of residential options, consisting of apartment buildings. It is named after

3270-590: Is a minimum level of comprehension between all Arabic dialects, this level can increase or decrease based on geographic proximity: for example, Levantine and Gulf speakers understand each other much better than they do speakers from the Maghreb. The issue of diglossia between spoken and written language is a complicating factor: A single written form, differing sharply from any of the spoken varieties learned natively, unites several sometimes divergent spoken forms. For political reasons, Arabs mostly assert that they all speak

3379-559: Is a sister language rather than their direct ancestor. Arabia had a wide variety of Semitic languages in antiquity. The term "Arab" was initially used to describe those living in the Arabian Peninsula , as perceived by geographers from ancient Greece . In the southwest, various Central Semitic languages both belonging to and outside the Ancient South Arabian family (e.g. Southern Thamudic) were spoken. It

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3488-535: Is a small mosque for prayers nearby Since its opening in 2008 Sharjah's Aquarium which is located in Al Layyeh, has become an attraction to adults and children. Managed by the Sharjah Museums Authority, renowned for its educational initiatives, the aquarium features 20 tanks across two floors, housing diverse sea creatures in a sprawling 6,500 square meter space. The Sharjah Underwater Walk is

3597-478: Is believed that the ancestors of the Modern South Arabian languages (non-Central Semitic languages) were spoken in southern Arabia at this time. To the north, in the oases of northern Hejaz , Dadanitic and Taymanitic held some prestige as inscriptional languages. In Najd and parts of western Arabia, a language known to scholars as Thamudic C is attested. In eastern Arabia, inscriptions in

3706-408: Is credited with establishing the rules of Arabic prosody . Al-Jahiz (776–868) proposed to Al-Akhfash al-Akbar an overhaul of the grammar of Arabic, but it would not come to pass for two centuries. The standardization of Arabic reached completion around the end of the 8th century. The first comprehensive description of the ʿarabiyya "Arabic", Sībawayhi's al - Kitāb , is based first of all upon

3815-472: Is credited with standardizing Arabic grammar , or an-naḥw ( النَّحو "the way" ), and pioneering a system of diacritics to differentiate consonants ( نقط الإعجام nuqaṭu‿l-i'jām "pointing for non-Arabs") and indicate vocalization ( التشكيل at-tashkīl ). Al-Khalil ibn Ahmad al-Farahidi (718–786) compiled the first Arabic dictionary, Kitāb al-'Ayn ( كتاب العين "The Book of the Letter ع "), and

3924-529: Is detected by motion sensors. The Sharjah Art Foundation constructed a purpose-built visitor center located in the city's residential area of Al Majarrah to house the permanent installation of Rain Room . The Sharjah Rain Room recycles about 1,200 liters of rainwater during each visit, by reusing water, the Rain Room set up with environmental goals, making it a great example of how art can contribute to ecological awareness. Reconstructed in 2015 and launched as

4033-620: Is held every year since 2010 in various landmarks around Sharjah. It is a display of lights using projectors and lasers on buildings. Usually, the shows have a small storyline or a theme. Sharjah's largest mosque, the " Sharjah Mosque " was inaugurated in May 2019. Located in the area of Tay, at the junction of the Emirates Road and the road to Mleiha . It can accommodate up to 25,000 worshipers, with an interior capacity of over 5,000 people. Two coins, one gold and one silver, each inscribed with

4142-574: Is not present in the spoken varieties, but deletes Classical words that sound obsolete in MSA. In addition, MSA has borrowed or coined many terms for concepts that did not exist in Quranic times, and MSA continues to evolve. Some words have been borrowed from other languages—notice that transliteration mainly indicates spelling and not real pronunciation (e.g., فِلْم film 'film' or ديمقراطية dīmuqrāṭiyyah 'democracy'). The current preference

4251-855: Is official in Mali and recognized as a minority language in Morocco, while the Senegalese government adopted the Latin script to write it. Maltese is official in (predominantly Catholic ) Malta and written with the Latin script . Linguists agree that it is a variety of spoken Arabic, descended from Siculo-Arabic , though it has experienced extensive changes as a result of sustained and intensive contact with Italo-Romance varieties, and more recently also with English. Due to "a mix of social, cultural, historical, political, and indeed linguistic factors", many Maltese people today consider their language Semitic but not

4360-505: Is one of the older parts of the city. It is a key of commercial and residential hub within the emirate. Situated east of Khalid lake Rolla Sharjah stands out as a prominent community within the city as a historical and significant landmark within the city of Sharjah. The neighborhood derives its name from a historic banyan tree that once flourished in the area. Rolla is an integral part of the Al Ghuwair development. Muwaileh Commercial

4469-468: Is planned to spread across 460,000 m (5,000,000 sq ft), with a built-up area of 310,000 m (3,300,000 sq ft). The Maryam Island development will feature 38 residential buildings with over 35,000 units. This community will offer residents many facilities which includes a 900-metre waterfront promenade, fitness clubs, swimming pools for kids and adults, an indoor garden, 4,000 square metre Maryam Park, jogging tracks, basketball courts,

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4578-552: Is provided through franchise companies. They are the major taxi operators in the emirates. If one goes from one emirate to another, taxi drivers will charge 20 dirhams as rent. They cover all parts of the Emirate and cities, including shopping centers, residential areas and airport. Arabic language Arabic (endonym: اَلْعَرَبِيَّةُ , romanized :  al-ʿarabiyyah , pronounced [al ʕaraˈbijːa] , or عَرَبِيّ , ʿarabīy , pronounced [ˈʕarabiː] or [ʕaraˈbij] )

4687-464: Is the home base of Air Arabia , a low-cost carrier . The first international flight in Sharjah landed on 5 October 1932 in the Mahatta Fort airstrip as part of a refueling stop on Imperial Airways 's India–Britain route. The former airport hosted a cinema, hotel, and a restaurant, and would eventually become a Royal Air Force military base until the UAE's independence in 1971. Mahatta Fort

4796-572: Is the third most widespread official language after English and French, one of six official languages of the United Nations , and the liturgical language of Islam . Arabic is widely taught in schools and universities around the world and is used to varying degrees in workplaces, governments and the media. During the Middle Ages , Arabic was a major vehicle of culture and learning, especially in science, mathematics and philosophy. As

4905-409: Is the city's largest green space, offering a wide range of attractions ideal for families which is popular among both locals and tourists, it features amenities such as barbecue areas with picnic tables and grilling stations, a playground with swings and slides under sheltering canopies, and a duck pond. Moreover, visitors can explore cycling tracks and a miniature clay model of Sharjah's landmarks. There

5014-863: Is the third largest city in the United Arab Emirates after Dubai and Abu Dhabi . The palace of the ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah, Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi , is located about 20 kilometres (12 mi) southeast of the city. The city of Sharjah overlooks the Persian Gulf and has a population of over 1,600,000 (2022). It includes the main administrative centres of the Government of Sharjah along with commercial, cultural and traditional projects. The city hosts several museums of archaeology, natural history, science, arts, heritage, Islamic art and culture. Distinctive landmarks include two major covered souks , reflecting Islamic design, and

5123-590: Is the variety used in most current, printed Arabic publications, spoken by some of the Arabic media across North Africa and the Middle East, and understood by most educated Arabic speakers. "Literary Arabic" and "Standard Arabic" ( فُصْحَى fuṣḥá ) are less strictly defined terms that may refer to Modern Standard Arabic or Classical Arabic. Some of the differences between Classical Arabic (CA) and Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) are as follows: MSA uses much Classical vocabulary (e.g., dhahaba 'to go') that

5232-413: Is to avoid direct borrowings, preferring to either use loan translations (e.g., فرع farʻ 'branch', also used for the branch of a company or organization; جناح janāḥ 'wing', is also used for the wing of an airplane, building, air force, etc.), or to coin new words using forms within existing roots ( استماتة istimātah ' apoptosis ', using the root موت m/w/t 'death' put into

5341-524: Is used to denote concepts that have arisen in the industrial and post-industrial era , especially in modern times. Due to its grounding in Classical Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic is removed over a millennium from everyday speech, which is construed as a multitude of dialects of this language. These dialects and Modern Standard Arabic are described by some scholars as not mutually comprehensible. The former are usually acquired in families, while

5450-445: The Lisān al-ʻArab ). Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) largely follows the grammatical standards of Classical Arabic and uses much of the same vocabulary. However, it has discarded some grammatical constructions and vocabulary that no longer have any counterpart in the spoken varieties and has adopted certain new constructions and vocabulary from the spoken varieties. Much of the new vocabulary

5559-684: The Andalusi Arabic usage of the word, which was used to refer to a fort. Sharjah was historically one of the wealthiest towns in this region with a settlement in existence for over 5000 years. In the early 18th century, the Huwayla tribe of the Qawasim clan established itself in Sharjah c. 1727, declaring Sharjah independent. On 8 January 1820, Sheikh Sultan I signed the General Maritime Treaty with Britain, accepting

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5668-506: The British . In the treaty, the sheikhdom was named as 'Jourat Al Kamra'. The town has also been called Jazirah Al Zaab, as it was predominantly settled by members of the Zaab (some 500 houses at the turn of the 20th century). A tidal island, it was split into two sections, the small northern quarter of Umm Awaimir and the southern Manakh. Although the Zaab had some 500 sheep and 150 cattle at

5777-547: The Royal Air Force during World War II , and after the war the fort became the headquarters of the Trucial Oman Scouts . The airport remained in use up to 1977, when Sharjah International Airport opened. The runway strip was converted into a highway and the buildings were renovated into Al Mahatta Museum, which opened in 2000. The Heart of Sharjah is an ongoing renovation and preservation project of

5886-568: The Xth form , or جامعة jāmiʻah 'university', based on جمع jamaʻa 'to gather, unite'; جمهورية jumhūriyyah 'republic', based on جمهور jumhūr 'multitude'). An earlier tendency was to redefine an older word although this has fallen into disuse (e.g., هاتف hātif 'telephone' < 'invisible caller (in Sufism)'; جريدة jarīdah 'newspaper' < 'palm-leaf stalk'). Colloquial or dialectal Arabic refers to

5995-494: The northern Hejaz . These features are evidence of common descent from a hypothetical ancestor , Proto-Arabic . The following features of Proto-Arabic can be reconstructed with confidence: On the other hand, several Arabic varieties are closer to other Semitic languages and maintain features not found in Classical Arabic, indicating that these varieties cannot have developed from Classical Arabic. Thus, Arabic vernaculars do not descend from Classical Arabic: Classical Arabic

6104-419: The "learned" tradition (Classical Arabic). This variety and both its classicizing and "lay" iterations have been termed Middle Arabic in the past, but they are thought to continue an Old Higazi register. It is clear that the orthography of the Quran was not developed for the standardized form of Classical Arabic; rather, it shows the attempt on the part of writers to record an archaic form of Old Higazi. In

6213-720: The "purest," most eloquent form of Arabic—initiating a process of jamʿu‿l-luɣah ( جمع اللغة 'compiling the language') which took place over the 8th and early 9th centuries. Kitāb al-'Ayn ( c.  8th century ), attributed to Al-Khalil ibn Ahmad al-Farahidi , is considered the first lexicon to include all Arabic roots ; it sought to exhaust all possible root permutations —later called taqālīb ( تقاليب ) — calling those that are actually used mustaʿmal ( مستعمَل ) and those that are not used muhmal ( مُهمَل ). Lisān al-ʿArab (1290) by Ibn Manzur gives 9,273 roots, while Tāj al-ʿArūs (1774) by Murtada az-Zabidi gives 11,978 roots. Al Jazirah Al Hamra The town

6322-499: The 'OVO' and 'Torus' displays. The island's peaceful ambience, complemented by the soothing sound of waves and meditative music, enhances the overall experience, making it an ideal family-friendly destination with playgrounds and ample seating. Maryam Island is a beachfront destination that oversees the Arabian sea. It is one of the largest projects in the emirate with an investment of 2.4 billion Dirhams (US$ 650M). Waterside development

6431-454: The 11th and 12th centuries in al-Andalus , the zajal and muwashah poetry forms developed in the dialectical Arabic of Cordoba and the Maghreb. The Nahda was a cultural and especially literary renaissance of the 19th century in which writers sought "to fuse Arabic and European forms of expression." According to James L. Gelvin , " Nahda writers attempted to simplify the Arabic language and script so that it might be accessible to

6540-511: The 20th century, Sharjah extended inland to the area now known as Wasit Suburb, the area between the city and Al Dhaid being under the control of the tribes of the interior. With a population of 15,000 inhabitants, Sharjah had some four or five shops in Layyah and a bazaar of around 200 shops in main Sharjah. In the midst of World War II , Nazi propaganda infiltrated the town. Loud propagating of pro- Hitler speeches could be heard emanating from

6649-571: The 4th to the 6th centuries, the Nabataean script evolved into the Arabic script recognizable from the early Islamic era. There are inscriptions in an undotted, 17-letter Arabic script dating to the 6th century CE, found at four locations in Syria ( Zabad , Jebel Usays , Harran , Umm el-Jimal ). The oldest surviving papyrus in Arabic dates to 643 CE, and it uses dots to produce the modern 28-letter Arabic alphabet. The language of that papyrus and of

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6758-779: The 8th century, knowledge of Classical Arabic had become an essential prerequisite for rising into the higher classes throughout the Islamic world, both for Muslims and non-Muslims. For example, Maimonides , the Andalusi Jewish philosopher, authored works in Judeo-Arabic —Arabic written in Hebrew script . Ibn Jinni of Mosul , a pioneer in phonology , wrote prolifically in the 10th century on Arabic morphology and phonology in works such as Kitāb Al-Munṣif , Kitāb Al-Muḥtasab , and Kitāb Al-Khaṣāʾiṣ    [ ar ] . Ibn Mada' of Cordoba (1116–1196) realized

6867-746: The Al Qasba community. The theatre in Qasba celebrates different types of cultural events every year. It became more crowded during the festival season. The Sharjah Heritage Museum is situated near the Bait Al Naboodah , directly across from Souq Al Arsah. It is built around a shaded courtyard as a reconstruction of traditional family life. There are many rooms which have display of traditional furniture along with household items including children's costumes, toys, and jewellery. Sharjah National Park spanning nearly 630,000 sq ft (59,000 m)

6976-402: The Arabian coast, which is not an island, Niebuhr 's chart, the only one in which it is inserted; but a small town, on a sandy beach, containing from five to six hundred inhabitants. It is situated in lat. 25° 34' north, and lies eleven leagues south-west of a small island, close to the shore, called Jeziret-el-Hamra ; and three leagues south-west of Sharjee is Aboo Hayle." With the approach of

7085-761: The Gulf seabed and held in place using Jus – a mortar formed by crushing and burning corals, limestone and shells. Located between the Blue Souq and Fish Market, near the Union Bank Tower, the floral call to cheer up engraved on the roundabout has given its name to the roundabout itself. "Smile, You're in Sharjah" is a welcome sign, spelled out in flowers in the middle of a roundabout notorious for its rush-hour traffic jams. Sharjah Central Souq , or Gold Souq ( Arabic : سوق , lit.   'market'), stands as Sharjah premier shopping destination and comprises

7194-412: The Middle East and North Africa have become a badge of sophistication and modernity and ... feigning, or asserting, weakness or lack of facility in Arabic is sometimes paraded as a sign of status, class, and perversely, even education through a mélange of code-switching practises." Arabic has been taught worldwide in many elementary and secondary schools, especially Muslim schools. Universities around

7303-690: The Qur'an is referred to by linguists as "Quranic Arabic", as distinct from its codification soon thereafter into " Classical Arabic ". In late pre-Islamic times, a transdialectal and transcommunal variety of Arabic emerged in the Hejaz , which continued living its parallel life after literary Arabic had been institutionally standardized in the 2nd and 3rd century of the Hijra , most strongly in Judeo-Christian texts, keeping alive ancient features eliminated from

7412-576: The Romance languages. Also, while it is comprehensible to people from the Maghreb , a linguistically innovative variety such as Moroccan Arabic is essentially incomprehensible to Arabs from the Mashriq , much as French is incomprehensible to Spanish or Italian speakers but relatively easily learned by them. This suggests that the spoken varieties may linguistically be considered separate languages. With

7521-424: The Sheikh and bin Faris ceased transmitting propaganda and doubled down on their support to the British. On 2 December 1971, Sharjah, together with Abu Dhabi , Dubai , Ajman , Umm Al Qawain , and Fujairah joined in the Act of Union to form the United Arab Emirates . The seventh emirate, Ras al-Khaimah , joined the UAE on 10 February 1972 following Iran 's annexation of Ras al-Khaimah's Tunbs islands. Like

7630-407: The Sheikh of Sharjah's palace during a period in 1940, and messages sharing a similar sentiment graffitied on walls in the town center according to British intelligence reports at the time, for the messages being propagated by the Germans was one of anti-imperialism , it found a sympathetic audience among some of the emirate's populace, particularly Abdullah bin Faris, a secretary of the Sheikh who

7739-509: The conversion of Semitic mimation to nunation in the singular. It is best reassessed as a separate language on the Central Semitic dialect continuum. It was also thought that Old Arabic coexisted alongside—and then gradually displaced— epigraphic Ancient North Arabian (ANA), which was theorized to have been the regional tongue for many centuries. ANA, despite its name, was considered a very distinct language, and mutually unintelligible, from "Arabic". Scholars named its variant dialects after

7848-475: The duck. Barbecues is prohibited on the site of the park, so visitors can bring their own food into the park. In December 2020, Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi inaugurated a library inspired by the original House of Wisdom in Baghdad . The building was designed by Foster and Partners , extending over 12,000 m (130,000 sq ft). On the grounds of the library is a large art piece entitled "The Scroll",

7957-493: The eastern area of Kalba . In 2001, The center assisted Yemeni zoos in Sana'a and Ta'izz with the management of their animals. Al Majaz Waterfront is a leisure area, a waterfront landmark of Sharjah Featuring an audio-video dancing fountain, miniature golf and a number of restaurants. At a distance of 1 km from Blue Souk, 18 km from Sharjah International Airport and 14 km from Dubai International Airport. In 2023

8066-652: The emergence of Central Semitic languages, particularly in grammar. Innovations of the Central Semitic languages—all maintained in Arabic—include: There are several features which Classical Arabic, the modern Arabic varieties, as well as the Safaitic and Hismaic inscriptions share which are unattested in any other Central Semitic language variety, including the Dadanitic and Taymanitic languages of

8175-728: The eve of the conquests: Northern and Central (Al-Jallad 2009). The modern dialects emerged from a new contact situation produced following the conquests. Instead of the emergence of a single or multiple koines, the dialects contain several sedimentary layers of borrowed and areal features, which they absorbed at different points in their linguistic histories. According to Veersteegh and Bickerton, colloquial Arabic dialects arose from pidginized Arabic formed from contact between Arabs and conquered peoples. Pidginization and subsequent creolization among Arabs and arabized peoples could explain relative morphological and phonological simplicity of vernacular Arabic compared to Classical and MSA. In around

8284-607: The fact that they participate in the innovations common to all forms of Arabic. The earliest attestation of continuous Arabic text in an ancestor of the modern Arabic script are three lines of poetry by a man named Garm(')allāhe found in En Avdat, Israel , and dated to around 125 CE. This is followed by the Namara inscription , an epitaph of the Lakhmid king Imru' al-Qays bar 'Amro, dating to 328 CE, found at Namaraa, Syria. From

8393-400: The first government sector in the Gulf region and the entire Middle East to fully adopt a four-day working week. The origin of the name of Sharjah is unknown, with most common interpretations linking the origin of the word Sharjah to the word sharq ( Arabic : شَرْق , lit.   'east') due to the fact that the city is located to the east of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and that Sharjah

8502-496: The former old city center of Sharjah. The project aims to develop the former old city center into an open-air museum with various smaller museums, galleries and commercial centers. The project is home to a 5-star hotel and the traditional Souk Al Arsa, a covered souk with an array of items for sale, including antiques. Al-Qasba Canal is a 1-kilometer-long canal that runs through the center of Sharjah. Located along its waterfront are several apartments, shops, and tourist attractions of

8611-510: The fourth most useful language for business, after English, Mandarin Chinese , and French. Arabic is written with the Arabic alphabet , an abjad script that is written from right to left . Arabic is usually classified as a Central Semitic language . Linguists still differ as to the best classification of Semitic language sub-groups. The Semitic languages changed between Proto-Semitic and

8720-619: The hot and dry conditions in most of Arabia , there were a number of mammal species who adapted to these conditions. The Breeding Centre for Endangered Wildlife, a sister facility, was a member of the EAZA , like Al Ain Zoo in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi , but is now closed to the public. The fauna, including the Arabian leopard , which are found in the mountains in the eastern part of the country, were transferred to Al Hefaiyah Conservation Centre in

8829-597: The inclusion of new words into their published standard dictionaries. They also publish old and historical Arabic manuscripts. In 1997, a bureau of Arabization standardization was added to the Educational, Cultural, and Scientific Organization of the Arab League . These academies and organizations have worked toward the Arabization of the sciences, creating terms in Arabic to describe new concepts, toward

8938-613: The language. Software and books with tapes are an important part of Arabic learning, as many of Arabic learners may live in places where there are no academic or Arabic language school classes available. Radio series of Arabic language classes are also provided from some radio stations. A number of websites on the Internet provide online classes for all levels as a means of distance education; most teach Modern Standard Arabic, but some teach regional varieties from numerous countries. The tradition of Arabic lexicography extended for about

9047-503: The large rolla (banyan tree) that once stood in the square, which inspired the sculpture at the center of the park, Rolla Square is a common location for people to stroll, unwind and enjoy the tranquil environment during the weekends. Rolla Square Market in Rolla Square is a vital and essential part of the Sharjah shopping experience. Its mix of traditional market vibes where visitors can get the their products with affordable prices and

9156-604: The late 6th century AD, a relatively uniform intertribal "poetic koine" distinct from the spoken vernaculars developed based on the Bedouin dialects of Najd , probably in connection with the court of al-Ḥīra . During the first Islamic century, the majority of Arabic poets and Arabic-writing persons spoke Arabic as their mother tongue. Their texts, although mainly preserved in far later manuscripts, contain traces of non-standardized Classical Arabic elements in morphology and syntax. Abu al-Aswad al-Du'ali ( c.  603 –689)

9265-420: The latter is taught in formal education settings. However, there have been studies reporting some degree of comprehension of stories told in the standard variety among preschool-aged children. The relation between Modern Standard Arabic and these dialects is sometimes compared to that of Classical Latin and Vulgar Latin vernaculars (which became Romance languages ) in medieval and early modern Europe. MSA

9374-883: The many national or regional varieties which constitute the everyday spoken language. Colloquial Arabic has many regional variants; geographically distant varieties usually differ enough to be mutually unintelligible , and some linguists consider them distinct languages. However, research indicates a high degree of mutual intelligibility between closely related Arabic variants for native speakers listening to words, sentences, and texts; and between more distantly related dialects in interactional situations. The varieties are typically unwritten. They are often used in informal spoken media, such as soap operas and talk shows , as well as occasionally in certain forms of written media such as poetry and printed advertising. Hassaniya Arabic , Maltese , and Cypriot Arabic are only varieties of modern Arabic to have acquired official recognition. Hassaniya

9483-782: The need for a lexical injection in Arabic, to suit concepts of the industrial and post-industrial age (such as sayyārah سَيَّارَة 'automobile' or bākhirah باخِرة 'steamship'). In response, a number of Arabic academies modeled after the Académie française were established with the aim of developing standardized additions to the Arabic lexicon to suit these transformations, first in Damascus (1919), then in Cairo (1932), Baghdad (1948), Rabat (1960), Amman (1977), Khartum  [ ar ] (1993), and Tunis (1993). They review language development, monitor new words and approve

9592-424: The one whose sound is heard but whose person remains unseen. Now the term al-hatif is used for a telephone. Therefore, the process of tawleed can express the needs of modern civilization in a manner that would appear to be originally Arabic. In the case of Arabic, educated Arabs of any nationality can be assumed to speak both their school-taught Standard Arabic as well as their native dialects, which depending on

9701-550: The other emirates of the UAE within a federal framework, although each emirate has jurisdiction over some functions such as civil law enforcement and provision and upkeep of local facilities. Sharjah has been ruled by the Al Qasimi dynasty since the 18th century. The city is a center for culture and industry, and alone contributes 7.4% of the GDP of the United Arab Emirates . The city covers an approximate area of 235 km and has

9810-567: The other former Trucial States , Sharjah's name is known by many stamp collectors because of the large numbers of stamps that were issued by the Sharjah Post Office shortly before the formation of the United Arab Emirates. These stamps that were printed in profusion became worthless to collectors and came to be known as Dunes . Many of the items featured on these stamps were unrelated to the emirate and therefore many catalogues do not list them. Download coordinates as: Sharjah

9919-549: The overhaul of Arabic grammar first proposed by Al-Jahiz 200 years prior. The Maghrebi lexicographer Ibn Manzur compiled Lisān al-ʿArab ( لسان العرب , "Tongue of Arabs"), a major reference dictionary of Arabic, in 1290. Charles Ferguson 's koine theory claims that the modern Arabic dialects collectively descend from a single military koine that sprang up during the Islamic conquests; this view has been challenged in recent times. Ahmad al-Jallad proposes that there were at least two considerably distinct types of Arabic on

10028-410: The region may be mutually unintelligible. Some of these dialects can be considered to constitute separate languages which may have "sub-dialects" of their own. When educated Arabs of different dialects engage in conversation (for example, a Moroccan speaking with a Lebanese), many speakers code-switch back and forth between the dialectal and standard varieties of the language, sometimes even within

10137-408: The residents' home countries or places they came across during their travels. They were either replicated in exact 1:1 scale or purchased and transported to the designated site. Al Hisn, also known as Sharjah Fort was a fortified complex built in 1823 as the headquarters of the then-independent Emirate of Sharjah and the residence of the Al Qasimi family. Its situated in the center of the city, and

10246-458: The same sentence. The issue of whether Arabic is one language or many languages is politically charged, in the same way it is for the varieties of Chinese , Hindi and Urdu , Serbian and Croatian , Scots and English, etc. In contrast to speakers of Hindi and Urdu who claim they cannot understand each other even when they can, speakers of the varieties of Arabic will claim they can all understand each other even when they cannot. While there

10355-458: The sole example of Medieval linguist Abu Hayyan al-Gharnati – who, while a scholar of the Arabic language, was not ethnically Arab – Medieval scholars of the Arabic language made no efforts at studying comparative linguistics, considering all other languages inferior. In modern times, the educated upper classes in the Arab world have taken a nearly opposite view. Yasir Suleiman wrote in 2011 that "studying and knowing English or French in most of

10464-563: The standardization of these new terms throughout the Arabic-speaking world, and toward the development of Arabic as a world language . This gave rise to what Western scholars call Modern Standard Arabic. From the 1950s, Arabization became a postcolonial nationalist policy in countries such as Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, and Sudan. Arabic usually refers to Standard Arabic, which Western linguists divide into Classical Arabic and Modern Standard Arabic. It could also refer to any of

10573-400: The temperature exceeds 45 °C (113 °F) mainly during the hottest months of July and August. During winter, the average daytime temperature rarely exceeds 30 °C (86 °F). Rainfall is generally light and erratic, and occurs generally from November to July. February and March account for nearly two-third of the year's rainfall. Development of transportation services in Sharjah is

10682-569: The time, there were no palm groves, although the tribe tended groves at Khatt . Jazirah Al Hamrah maintained a fleet of some 25 pearling boats, the principal source of income for the tribe until the crash of the pearl market in the late 1920s. Following an agreement between Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmad Al Qasimi of Sharjah and Sheikh Sultan bin Salim Al Qasimi of Ras Al Khaimah in 1914 , the town became part of Ras Al Khaimah, but

10791-501: The towns where the inscriptions were discovered (Dadanitic, Taymanitic, Hismaic, Safaitic). However, most arguments for a single ANA language or language family were based on the shape of the definite article, a prefixed h-. It has been argued that the h- is an archaism and not a shared innovation, and thus unsuitable for language classification, rendering the hypothesis of an ANA language family untenable. Safaitic and Hismaic, previously considered ANA, should be considered Old Arabic due to

10900-637: The water. The Central Souq which is also called the Blue Souq includes around 600 shops and each shop has the unique masterpiece design. Mahatta Fort , now known as the Al Mahatta Museum, is a museum on the site of the first airport built in the region in 1932 by Imperial Airways . The adjacent fort was constructed by then-Ruler of Sharjah Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi as a rest stop for travelling crew and for protection against any potential attacks. The fort and airport were used extensively by

11009-451: The world have classes that teach Arabic as part of their foreign languages , Middle Eastern studies , and religious studies courses. Arabic language schools exist to assist students to learn Arabic outside the academic world. There are many Arabic language schools in the Arab world and other Muslim countries. Because the Quran is written in Arabic and all Islamic terms are in Arabic, millions of Muslims (both Arab and non-Arab) study

11118-652: Was Hussein Bin Rahma Al Zaabi, who was later the Sharif of Al Zaab area in Abu Dhabi . His eldest son Rahma was the United Arab Emirates ambassador to many Arab countries. Portions of 6 Underground for Netflix were shot in Al Hamra in 2018. Director Michael Bay said about the place: "We shot in Al Hamra – an ancient ghost city they called it – that we played for Afghanistan. And literally right around

11227-499: Was closed for renovations from 1996 to 2015, and it reopened its doors as an open-air museum under the administration of the Sharjah Museums Authority . The materials that were used for the building of the fort — ceilings are made out of Chandal (mangrove poles), Kumbar (rope), Du’un (bound palm branches) and haseer (palm matts). The walls, which is 70-80cms thick, are plastered with corals, harvested from

11336-630: Was consecrated to accommodate a growing population of Syriac Christians, many of whom are migrant workers from Kerala and southern India. In March 2021, the Sharjah Investment and Development authorities opened two parks in Al Rahmaniyah, Kshisha and Shaghrafa, built in a total area of 147,700 m (1,590,000 sq ft). It included a female-only park, along with entertainment, social, sports and educational facilities. It also includes an artificial pond where visitors can feed

11445-534: Was often in dispute with the Ruler. This led, in 1968, to a dispute with Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammed Al Qasimi of Ras Al Khaimah which resulted in the majority of the tribe accepting an offer from Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan to move to Abu Dhabi . This movement left behind an almost completely abandoned village which had housed some 2,500 people. The last Al Zaab Sharif ( mayor ) of Jazirah Al Hamra

11554-581: Was originally a tidal island and, by 1830, was home to some 200 people mostly occupied in pearl fishing. At the time, it was a dependency of Sharjah. The Sheikh of Jazira Al Hamra in 1820, Rajib bin Ahmed al-Zaabi, was one of four independent signatories to the original 1820 treaty between the Trucial States and the British, following the 1819 punitive expedition mounted against Ras Al Khaimah by

11663-521: Was responsible for the broadcasts. After the Sheikh was confronted by the British, he wrote a letter reaffirming his support for the British war efforts and disputed the charges laid out against bin Faris. Attached to the letter was a petition signed by 48 prominent individuals testifying to bin Faris' character, which, according to the British, had been misrepresented to the signees. The incident resolved after

11772-411: Was the easternmost settlement at the time. However, other interpretations have disputed the origin of the name based on location, and suggested instead that it refers to the word shurūq ( Arabic : شُروق , lit.   'sunrise'). Further theories have linked the name to a pre-Islamic idol called Abed Al Shareq that transformed into Sharjah . The origin of the word has also been linked to

11881-513: Was the main international airport for the city until 1976, when traffic moved to Sharjah International Airport . There are two major series of highways in Sharjah, which are "E" and "S". E represents roads connecting other emirates, and S for roads within the emirate. The major roads in Sharjah include: The Sharjah Public Transportation Corporation organizes and supervises the operations of taxis in Sharjah Emirate. Sharjah taxi service

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