Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization

The museum occupies the old Souq Al Majarrah on the Sharjah waterfront, a 1987 market building with a central gold-coloured dome, converted in 2008. The collection runs from a gallery of Islamic faith and its practice through four chronological galleries of art, and one of the strongest sections is on science: astrolabes, celestial globes, maps and instruments from the periods when astronomy and medicine were being written in Arabic. The dome ceiling carries a painted zodiac.

What you actually see

• The science gallery - astrolabes, globes, maps and medical instruments.
• The zodiac dome - the painted signs of the zodiac on the central dome ceiling.
• The chronological galleries - Islamic art from the earliest centuries onwards.
• The faith gallery - manuscripts and objects covering practice and the pilgrimage.

When to go

October to April for comfortable weather outside; the museum is air conditioned year round. It closes on Monday mornings in some seasons and hours change in Ramadan. Fridays open in the afternoon only.

Honest expectations

Labelling is thorough but dense and the galleries take concentration. The building is a converted market and the circulation is awkward in places. The creek outside is a working waterfront rather than a promenade.

Nearby

Sharjah Central Souk is northeast, and Al Noor Island is east.