Around Sharjah

Around Sharjah are places in the desert and foothills inland, worth a half-day trip by car: a large green park, a zoo of Arabian wildlife and the Mleiha archaeological centre.

What is where

Sharjah National Park is the emirate's largest and greenest park, with lawns, palm groves, cycle paths and playgrounds. About 30 km from the centre is the Arabia's Wildlife Centre, where leopards, cheetahs, monkeys and almost all the animals of the peninsula live in near-natural conditions. Furthest away is the Mleiha Archaeological Centre, built around a tomb some 4,500 years old; the surrounding Faya Palaeolandscape was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2025.

How to get there

Public transport barely reaches these places, so you need a car or taxi. The National Park and the wildlife centre are 20–40 minutes from central Sharjah, Mleiha about an hour.