Sharjah, long branded the cultural capital of the Arab world, will soon have a landmark to match the title. The Barjeel Art Foundation, one of the region's best-known champions of Arab art, is building a permanent museum in the emirate, with doors expected to open in early 2028.
The institution isn't new. It was founded in 2010 by Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, the Emirati columnist and researcher who wanted to make Arab art publicly accessible rather than locked away in private collections. Until now, much of its holdings have toured the region in exhibitions, but the new building gives the collection a permanent home.
Construction broke ground in April this year on a site along Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road. The museum spans more than 4,000 square metres and will display over 2,000 works drawn from across the Arab world, including pieces that have never been shown publicly before.
Al Qassemi sketched out the original concept himself, with Mohamed Essa of Architecture Corner Consultants handling the design. The idea behind the building is a transformation of sorts: taking the bones of an age-old, weathered structure and refining it into a space that both houses art history and continues to support working Arab artists.
The collection promises range as well as volume. Alongside contemporary pieces, there are works decades old that have survived war and displacement, objects carrying stories well beyond the canvas. For visitors, that means a visit will be as much about context and history as it is about aesthetics.
Why it matters for travellers: Sharjah often plays second fiddle to Dubai next door, but it has quietly built the strongest cultural credentials in the UAE — a dense cluster of museums, the Sharjah Art Foundation's galleries in the restored Al Arsah and Al Mureijah quarters, and a well-preserved old town around the Heritage Area. A dedicated Arab art museum of this scale gives art lovers a concrete reason to build a day or overnight stay in Sharjah into a UAE trip, and by 2028 the metro and road links from Dubai should make the hop even easier. Anyone planning ahead for a 2027–28 Gulf itinerary may want to time their visit to catch the opening programme.
