Living Choices in Sharjah - click on interactive Sharjah city map
High-rise towers now dominate the Sharjah skyline, another option is villas: some with high walls around them; others block-size where residents share pool, gym and courtyard. The cost of things at stores is comparable to USA, with a choice of modern malls, small stores at street level of many high-rise buildings, or an Arabic souq (market). Enjoy the Gulf and lagoon beaches

For expatriate social gathering there is really only "Sharjah Ladies Club" or the Sharjah Wanderers Sports Club with rugby, diving trips, pool, gym, tennis courts, sing-alongs, quiz night & mystery theatre.

(click photo at left to see full-size)

SWSC has the only liquor license in all Sharjah (which is "dry", unlike all the other emirates, although even there you can only get a drink in a licensed hotel restaurant or a licensed hotel bar).


All permanent residents have to get a residence visa ASAP from their sponsor's emirate, which is a tamper-proof insert pasted in your passport, renewed every two years up until retirement age of 65, or until 70 for professionals like engineers & doctors.

All degreed expatriates plus all their family have to get an e-card (similar to a U.S. "green card", which is no longer green!) from Emirates Identity Authority: click appointment to schedule picture-taking, after completing pre-registration form

Sharjah is strictly zoned for industrial buildings and larger, non-mall retail e.g. car dealers, vehicle repair shops and furniture showrooms. Sharjah industrial zones are inland of main E-11 road that crosses from Ajman through Sharjah to Dubai - longest road in all UAE, changing names as it goes! Inland is E-311 Sharjah Ring Road - called Emirates Rd within Dubai - then further out E-611.

Driving in Sharjah - click on Sharjah Police website
Vehicles drive on the right-hand side of the road. Most T-junctions allow right turns only to avoid crossing traffic lanes, and some major intersections are becoming either roundabouts or flyovers. With the explosive growth in UAE population many roads in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah are currently torn up for widening.  Unlike Abu Dhabi which has a new bus system, or Dubai which has a new Metro, the Sharjah Public Transport Corporation has on older bus system, taxis, plus express RTA commuter buses to Dubai.

Drivers with a US or UK license (plus 32 other countries) do not have to take a driving test when getting their emirate's driving license, which is needed to buy and to register a car. Get an International Driver's License before leaving your home country. When you first arrive use taxis for a while to get oriented. If you want to get around more, you'll need to rent a car for up to a month, or at least until you get your residence visa, since you can't get a driver's license without a residence visa ... or sign a lease, or make ANY contract beyond your initial 30-day visitor visa

Religion in Sharjah
Islam is the official religion. The aren't very many Western expats in Sharjah - most live in nearby Dubai, and not many of those are churchgoers. Along with international schools, Sharjah churches are set all together in the Al Yarmook district, including the Anglican church St. Martin, part of Holy Trinity chaplaincy of the UAE

Sharjah City map	Petrofac Tower	A Mosque at Night
Al Khan District	Arabian Horse	City Centre Mall