The Islamic Museum was first inaugurated in the Heritage Area on the sixth of November 1996. This museum was then transformed, under the directions of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, to the traditional Souq Al Majarrah (opened as a souq in 1987). The museum was then re-opened under the name “Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization” on the sixth of June 2008, after transferring the re-interpreted and re-displayed collections from the previous museum to this redesigned state-of-the-art museum.

The museum is an important cultural and touristic landmark. It is unique for its location along the Al-Majarrah Waterfront in the Heart of Sharjah and for being the first of its kind in the United Arab Emirates. The museum displays thousands of unique artifacts that highlight the great Islamic Civilization from the first century AH (7 AD) to the fourteenth century AH (20 AD). Visitors to the museum can explore the discoveries and inventions of Muslim scholars throughout the ancient Islamic history.

The museum’s collection of Islamic arts and culture exceed more than five thousand distinct pieces collected from various parts of the Islamic world, and displayed according to their time periods in six distinct galleries. Visitors can enjoy learning about the magnificent Islamic history, art, culture, sciences, and Islamic discoveries.