Heritage Days return to Sharjah on 4 February

February 03, 2026 / 11:41 PM

Sharjah 24: The 23rd edition of Sharjah Heritage Days opens on Wednesday, 4 February, and continues until 15 February, with wide international participation representing 27 countries. The annual event celebrates human heritage in all its forms and reinforces Sharjah’s position as a global platform for preserving cultural heritage and strengthening identity.

Events across seven cities

This year's programme extends across seven cities and areas in the Emirate of Sharjah, including Sharjah City, Khorfakkan, Kalba, Dibba Al Hisn, Wadi Al Helo, Al Dhaid, and Al Hamriyah. Together, these locations form a unified cultural landscape that brings the past into dialogue with the present and reflects the diversity of Sharjah’s heritage environments.

A rich intellectual and cultural programme

Sharjah Heritage Days features a broad intellectual and cultural agenda hosted at the Cultural Café and Bait Al Naboodah. Through lectures, discussions, and special sessions, the programme brings together academics, researchers, and cultural figures from around the world to explore issues related to heritage, identity, and collective memory.

Cultural café dialogues

The Cultural Café begins its programme on Thursday, February 5, with a seminar on the Islamic presence in Portugal and its impact on educational development. A session on heritage representations in visual arts follows this. On Saturday, 7 February, discussions will address Portuguese presence in the United Arab Emirates and the role and influence of traditional crafts.

Subsequent sessions will cover a wide range of topics, including contemporary perspectives on heritage, institutional efforts to safeguard cultural legacy, folk narratives, Arabic dialects, traditional games, and folk arts. The programme concludes with discussions on Arab folk literature, jewellery and adornment, traditional medicine across cultures, and public and private museums.

Traditional markets and new publications

Bait Al Naboodah (Al Naboodah House) hosts a programme titled Guide Me to the Market, which highlights the history of traditional markets and their social and economic roles. The program includes special lectures presented by researchers and experts from the UAE and abroad.

The venue also serves as a platform for the launch and signing of new publications in the fields of heritage and folk literature, supporting the presence of heritage-focused publishing and enriching the wider cultural movement surrounding the event.

A global message of heritage and identity

Through its 23rd edition, Sharjah Heritage Days reaffirms the Emirate’s cultural and humanitarian commitment to safeguarding tangible and intangible heritage. By promoting cultural diversity and civilised dialogue, the event presents heritage as a living bridge between people, combining knowledge, celebration, and shared human values