Unmapped Gems
CityBest November – March

Sharjah

The UAE's cultural capital, with a heritage district restored building by building rather than rebuilt from scratch.

Heart of Sharjah is the restoration project that gives the emirate its old-town feel — courtyard houses, wind towers, and a souq, rebuilt to look and function like the pre-1960s city rather than a themed replica. Alcohol is banned across the emirate, one of the more conservative in the UAE.