The Lure of the EAST

Shakespeare wrote a speech in As You Like it about the 7 Ages of Man, and it's funny as kid I was dragged through many museums and did not take much interest unless there were aircraft involved. However during my adventure in Sharjah, I have been "doing" the Museums and for the first time in a very long time I can say I was really enthused and emotionally moved by a set of paintings.

The exhibition The Lure of the East had been cleverly marketed – about 6 weeks ago – Taxis and Billboard started running strap line "Feed your Curiosity" – The exhibition has been put together Tate Britain and featured paints from Collections mainly in the UK, but also the US and New Zealand.

The Sharjah Art Museum is not the most stunning of building, but with calls to prayer sounding from a nearby mosque and some great lighting the ambience for viewing was great. There was heavy security in terms of people, armed police + contract security, but you could get close to the painting unlike normal museums in the UK.

The paintings were wonderful, a mixture of great portraits, landscapes and City scenes. Truly breathtaking unfortunately No Piccies as cameras were banned. I guess being a lover of the mixed cultures in the Middle East I have great affinity with the British, who travelled around the MENA in the 1700 and 1800s, recording what they saw in these great paintings. I guess now I have my digital camera.

The only disappointment is there seems very little local interest in the Exhibition despite the best efforts of the Sharjah Museums department and H.H. Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qassimi for bringing the exhibition here.

'nother little gem in Sharjah

Visited the Al Mahatta museum of flight - excellent museum based in buildings on the site where Sharjah aerodrome was built in 1932 by Imperial Airways & RAF - 4 fully restored planes + some great photos of the historic field and how it operated  until it was shut in 1972 + a museum of flight - (if you don't like stuffed birds stay away I counted at least 40 stuffed birds)
The photo above right shows the atc tower, the hanger (now holds the plane exhibits), + the fort the original Sultan built for the airfield to act as a rest house.
The modern day appartment blocks behind were built on the airfiled. The runway became one of the main roads in Sharjah the King Abdul aziz road. The black white image below is RAF aerial photgraph circa 1960. the town of sharjah is top of the photo.

Has anybody seen a Palm Tree in a weird place ?

On the Al Khan lagoon, there is new luxury tower - it's a very dynamic building, arrowhead in shape, and has a Palm tree on its outside on about the 18th Floor!
You can just see it in the first photo, but its leaves are presently tied up.
Please let me know if you have seen a Palm tree in a wierder position in the comments.

Hull Chamber of Commerce are you reading ?

The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce used to be in a fairly faceless modern block by the Al Hijem fort. (those photos to come). However last month they moved into a new building - yes this the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce:

Now the ID card

The new challenge is to get an ID card as well as your Visa.
The UAE authorities want all Western Expats to register for them - they were expecting about 600,000 expats to register but the process and particulay the ID website has been such a disaster they have struggled to register even 20% of this number. Therefore they were forced to extend the the deadline until end March (3 months)
It took me a month to fill out the forms, and I was only successful when they changed the web site software. The appointment system (webform and texts) frustrated me 10 times - each time the text came 24 hours too late to register on the 2nd stage of the webform.
So finally I phoned the help line - really helpful emirati genetlemen, who was very apologetic and booked me appointment, except everytime he meant to say January ( as we debated to find a time that fit my diary) he said June, so I was bemused until I finally received a text confirming my appointment from the IDA in January.
Will let you know how I get on.
Update 10/1 - Reconnoitred the Al Taawun Centre this am where I have to register - huge queues does not bode well.

It does rain in Sharjah!

Myths 2023 b
It never rains in the UAE

It does and heavily.
Apparently the normal average for UAE in December is actually 3.6 days when it rains but this year so far we have had 5 days. Thus far 130mm have fallen since 01/12/2008.
Sorry folks must have bought it from Hull.

UAE National Day Celebration in Sharjah

Well I warned you about what happens at football matches well UAE day (Bank holiday) it's even more crazy - they started in the same form i.e. 20 mile traffic jam around the Corniche, blaring horns, decorated cars, streamers etc. at 1700 - 7 hours later they're still going strong - complete mayhem but great fun to watch.
Wonderful Arab contradictions here is a really young nation (they are celebrating being 37 years old today in the UAE) really partying yet above the blare of horns, cracks of fire crackers etc. you could still hear the call to prayer (just !) ringing out from the mosques at dusk and then at 1930.
The other great thing - there is no alcohol and everyone form 3-80 years old is involved !