Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization: A Complete Visitor’s Guide

Introduction

On the waterfront of the Sharjah Corniche, in a beautifully restored building that was once a traditional market souk, one of the most accessible and affordable Islamic art museums in the UAE tells the story of 1,400 years of Islamic civilisation through 5,000+ artifacts. The Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization charges just AED 10 for adult entry — a price point that makes it one of the best-value museum experiences in the Gulf — and its Quran collection includes a folio of the celebrated Blue Quran, 7th-century manuscript fragments, and a section of the Kiswa (Ka’bah covering).

For visitors combining this museum with the nearby Holy Quran Academy’s 7-in-1 museum complex, a single day in Sharjah provides a Quran cultural education matched almost nowhere else in the world.

What Is the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization?

The Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization (متحف الشارقة للحضارة الإسلامية) is a major Islamic art and civilization museum operated by Sharjah Museums Authority under the patronage of HH Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah. It opened in 2008 in a completely restored historic building on the Sharjah Corniche.

The Quran Collection: What to See

7th-century Quran manuscripts:
The museum holds early Quran manuscripts in Kufic script from the first century of the Islamic calendar — among the oldest Quranic materials on display in the UAE. These fragments, written on parchment in the angular early Kufic tradition, are direct physical connections to the earliest Islamic community.

Blue Quran folio:
The museum’s most visually striking Quran artifact is a folio of the Blue Quran — gold Kufic calligraphy on indigo-dyed parchment from 9th-10th century North Africa. The Blue Quran is widely described as “one of the most extraordinary luxury manuscripts ever created,” and the folio here sits alongside the museum’s other early manuscripts in the Islamic Faith gallery. The folio’s gold letters retain their full lustre after 1,100 years.

Kiswa section:
Sections of the Kiswa — the embroidered black silk cloth that covers the Ka’bah in Makkah, changed annually — are displayed in the museum. The Kiswa’s gold and silver embroidery of Quranic verses on black silk represents one of the most powerful intersections of Quranic text and material culture. Historical Kiswa sections from different periods illustrate how this tradition has evolved.

Quranic inscriptions throughout:
Beyond the dedicated Quran artifacts, Quranic verses appear in calligraphic form throughout the museum’s collection — on ceramic tiles, metalwork, architectural panels, and textiles — demonstrating how the Quran’s text permeated every aspect of Islamic material culture.

The Seven Galleries

The Islamic Science Gallery is often cited by visitors as the most surprising gallery — a comprehensive documentation of Islam’s contributions to astronomy, mathematics, medicine, optics, and geography that provides essential context for understanding why Islamic civilisation was the world’s most advanced between the 8th and 13th centuries.

The Al-Idrisi Map: The museum holds a reproduction of Muhammad al-Idrisi’s 12th-century world map — one of the most important cartographic documents in history, commissioned by the Norman King Roger II of Sicily, that placed south at the top (following Islamic geographic convention) and documented the known world from Iceland to Sub-Saharan Africa with extraordinary accuracy for its time.

The Building: Souk Al Majarrah Restored

The Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization occupies the completely restored Souk Al Majarrah — a traditional trading souk (market) built in the early 20th century on the Sharjah Corniche. The original souk was a whitewashed Moorish building with pointed arches, wind towers (barjeel), and a central courtyard — a classic example of Gulf Arab commercial architecture.

The restoration, completed for the museum’s 2008 opening, preserved the external Moorish character while completely redesigning the interior for museum use. The result is a museum building that is itself a demonstration of the Islamic architectural tradition its contents celebrate — arched doorways, geometric tile patterns, and traditional ventilation elements frame the contemporary museum installations inside.

The building’s location on the Sharjah Corniche — with the Khalid Lagoon on one side and the historic Heart of Sharjah district behind it — gives it one of the most pleasant settings of any museum in the UAE.

Practical Information: Location, Hours, Tickets

Getting there:

Visitor tip: The museum is on the Sharjah Corniche waterfront. Combine with a walk along the Corniche and a visit to the Heart of Sharjah historic district (Blue Souk, heritage area) for a full Sharjah cultural day.

Combining with the Holy Quran Academy

The Holy Quran Academy’s 7-in-1 museum complex (see our full guide) is located in Sharjah’s University City area — approximately 15-20 minutes by taxi from the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization. These two institutions are the natural combination for a complete Sharjah Quran and Islamic culture day:

This combination covers: Quran writing history, rare manuscripts, Qira’at sciences (Holy Quran Academy) AND Islamic science, calligraphy, Islamic art across civilisations, Blue Quran folio, Kiswa (Sharjah Museum) — an unmatched educational double-header for Islamic school groups or serious individual visitors.

For Islamic School Groups

Why it works for Islamic school groups:

• AED 10 per adult makes it genuinely affordable for school budgets
• The Islamic Science Gallery is particularly valuable for students who need to understand Islam’s contribution to world knowledge
• The Blue Quran folio and Kiswa section connect students to the material heritage of the Quran
• The museum’s layout is clear and navigable without a guide, though guided tours are available

Curriculum connections:

• Quran and Islamic studies: Islamic Faith gallery (Blue Quran; early manuscripts; Kiswa)
• Islamic history: Timeline; all galleries covering Umayyad to Ottoman periods
• Science (STEM connection): Islamic Science gallery (astronomy, mathematics, medicine)
• Art and calligraphy: Islamic Arts gallery

Booking group visits:
Contact Sharjah Museums Authority through sharjahmuseums.ae for group rates and educational programming.

Conclusion

The Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization is one of the Gulf’s finest Islamic cultural institutions and, at AED 10, one of its best-value. Its Blue Quran folio, 7th-century manuscript fragments, Kiswa section, and remarkable Islamic Science gallery make it an essential visit for any Muslim cultural itinerary in the UAE.

Combined with the free Holy Quran Academy 7-in-1 museum 15 minutes away, a single day in Sharjah provides a Quran and Islamic civilisation education that rivals far more expensive museum experiences anywhere in the world.

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