Bait al Naboodah Museum, Sharjah
Obaid bin Eissa Bin Ali Al Shamsi, otherwise known as Al Naboodah, was a man who knew something about pearls. Operating as a pearl trader, he bought natural pearls from across the southern Gulf, and exported them to Europe. The Museum is located in what was his family home from 1860 until his death at the age of 80 in 1940.
Unusually for a resident of Sharjah at this time, he travelled widely for his work, going as far as London, Paris and Zanzibar. Sadly in the last decade of his life he would also have witnessed the complete collapse of the natural pearl trade, and with it Sharjah’s economy, after both the Global Depression and the development of the cultured pearl in Japan reduced the demand and value of natural pearls, such as those being farmed in Sharjah.
Bait Al Naboodah was one of the largest houses in Sharjah at the time, and was clearly both comfortable and grand. The Museum presents stories of Al Naboodah’s life and work against the backdrop of an old Gulf town on its way to modernity.
Much research and care was undertaken in restoring the site and its structure in accordance with Sharjah’s ambitions for World Heritage listing, and this is explored in the displays as well.
Bait Al Naboodah interior courtyard. Image © Annette Welkamp
Address Opposite the Al Arsah Souq, The Heart of Sharjah, The Corniche, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Opening hours Saturday to Thursday 0800-2000; Friday 1600-2000