Sharjah

Sharjah is a major port city in the United Arab Emirates and the country's third most populous city after Dubai and Abu Dhabi, serving as capital of the Emirate of Sharjah. Its population was over 1.8 million in 2022-2023. Ruled by the Al Qasimi dynasty since the eighteenth century, Sharjah was designated Islamic Culture Capital in 2014 and UNESCO World Book Capital in 2019, is regarded as the UAE's cultural capital, and in 2022 became the first government in the Gulf region to fully adopt a four-day working week.