Sharjah: Culture, History and Eco Tourism

The Sharjah Collection is a group of luxurious eco retreats purposefully located in key locations throughout the Sharjah Emirate to celebrate the region’s history and culture. Sharjah is the third largest of the seven emirates, well known for its culture as well as an education hub and for its eco-tourism.

Ahmed Obaid Al Qaseer is Chief Operating Officer of Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), the government entity behind the Sharjah Collection. “We do three things; we have an investment arm, we develop our own projects and we manage tourism destinations, including hotels and resorts,” he says.

Sharjah has a rich history and incredible geography boasting coastlines on both on the Arabian Gulf and the Arabian Sea. Sharjah is home to four UNESCO listed sites and 11 officially protected areas. “We work closely with other bodies in Sharjah including those involved in archaeology and the environment to create tourism destinations,” says Al Qaseer. “We did not want to build big city hotels, we wanted to see what potential Sharjah could offer to guests,” he adds. “The Government has been investing a lot into the wildlife, a lot into protecting the archaeological sites – we decided to concentrate on eco and adventure tourism and see how we could build on that and make smaller hotels and to be honest it is paying off!”

This certainly appeared to be the case during the pandemic when the Sharjah Collection hotels bucked the global trend, boasting high occupancy rates. “In March of 2020 It was very tough for us but in April and May a big change happened – we started to see occupancy above 50% - then 70% and then in some cases 100%,” says Al Qaseer.

People who lived in cities wanted to go somewhere where they could isolate themselves and enjoy some time while feeling safe.

“Because these hotels were not built for masses, people felt safe – they had their own rooms, they didn’t need to go to reception as we gave them self-check in. Food was brought to them and they had their own private pools. So, people who lived in cities wanted to go somewhere where they could isolate themselves and enjoy some time while feeling safe,” adds Al Qaseer.

Al Faya Retreat

The trend has continued with excellent occupancies into this year, while a lot of city hotels are still struggling. In December, the region started to see some international tourists return, spurred on by the efficient Government vaccine programme. As a result, the Investment and Development Authority is continuing its roll out of new hotels which combine eco-tourism with a celebration of the heritage of the region.

“We have three more hotels in the pipeline – using the lessons learnt from our existing locations,” says Al Qaseer. “We will keep on depending on internal tourism and small hotels as we have proved it works.”

Some of the jewels of the Sharjah Collection:

The Chedi

“The Chedi was the first hotel we worked on – we took old houses and converted them into a luxury hotel, which is managed by The Chedi and Albait – which means home. It has a museum which talks about the families who lived in these houses and it has a library, spa and two restaurants. You can smell the spices from the souks and when the prayer time comes you can hear the sounds everywhere in the rooms, corridors and alleyways. It’s very magical. It is so authentic, we retained the same passageways and some of the separate houses as rooms. My father used to live in this area and when he visited he was still able to find his way around,” says Al Qaseer.

Al Faya Retreat

“Situated in Mleiha, which is in the central region of Sharjah known for its archaeological history dating back 120,000 years,” says Al Qaseer. “It is known to be the passageway for the movement of mankind to this region from Africa.

“We did a whole study of the area, a masterplan, where we identified archaeological sites, we pinpointed every single tree in the area with the aim of protecting them and the animals that live here. There is an old tomb that dates back 3,000 years and nearby we found some abandoned buildings, which had been a clinic and shops in the 1930s and created the Al Faya Retreat – a boutique hotel with 5 rooms and a restaurant and spa. Our guests can combine cultural visits with other activities such as star gazing.”

The Moon Retreat

In March 2021, the Moon Retreat opened in the same desert as Al Faya. This is created around geodesic domes – each with their own pool. There are 10 single bed domes, two single-bed tents and four tents for families. There is no service to the tents but prepared meals are available for guests to grill themselves.

The Kingfisher Retreat

The Kingfisher Retreat

Set on an island along the east coast of Sharjah, within the grounds of the Qurm Nature Reserve. Kalba is the most popular destination for ecotourism in the UAE, famous for its creek (Khor Kalba), an area populated by mangroves forests, tidal creeks and sandy beaches. Once guests have reached the arrival centre in Kalba, they are taken to their private island by boat.

Accommodation comes in the form of 20 safari tents in either a one-bedroom layout or three-bedroom layout. Each of these units has a private bathroom with an outdoor rain shower and an indoor bathtub, private plunge pool and an outdoor decking area to make the most of the ocean views on one side and the mountains views on the other. The site also features a spa and a restaurant with multiple dining options including private dining, BBQ and beach picnics.

The eco-retreat also features a number of activities that highlight the site’s incredible surroundings. Guests can kayak through the mangrove forests, take a trip to visit the local sea turtle population or go birdwatching to see some of the many rare and beautiful bird species of the area.

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Ahmed Obaid Al Qaseer, Chief Operating Officer Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq)

Ahmed Obaid Al Qaseer graduated from Dubai Men’s College with a Bachelor degree in Business Information Technology. He became Shurooq’s Chief Operating Officer in 2011, and in this capacity is responsible for the operational execution of all of Shurooq’s projects and destinations. Al Qaseer presented at our Eco Hotel Investment Summit in January 2021.