Al Noor Island

Al Noor Island was laid out in 2015 on a small island in the Khalid Lagoon and reached by a footbridge from the corniche beside the Al Noor Mosque. It is a designed garden rather than a natural one: planted walks, sculptural light installations that come on after dark, a literature pavilion, and the OVO, a white latticed dome by Kroeger and Wolfgang Buttress. The butterfly house holds around five hundred butterflies of some thirty species in a climate-controlled enclosure.

What you actually see

• The butterfly house - around five hundred butterflies in a controlled enclosure.
• The OVO pavilion - a white latticed dome set among the planting.
• The light installations - sculptural works lit after dark through the gardens.
• The lagoon setting - a garden island reached by footbridge from the corniche.

When to go

October to April; evenings are best because the lighting is the point after dark. Weekends are busiest. The island closes on some weekday mornings.

Honest expectations

It is small and an hour or two covers it. The butterfly house is included but has timed entry and can queue. It is a designed leisure attraction with nothing historic about it.

Nearby

Sharjah Central Souk is west, and the Museum of Islamic Civilization is southwest.