L ooking to get a quick snack, I left the Hilton Sharjah hotel property and walked along the waterfront of Khalid Lake in the sultry nighttime air. Save for a few pedestrians and some cars motoring along Corniche Street, the outdoor area was rather serene amongst the lights of myriad windows from all of the tall buildings surrounding the lake.
I approached the Al Majaz Waterfront in both the third largest and third most populous city in the United Arab Emirates located in the emirate of Sharjah, of which I have conducted little research prior to arriving in this eponymous city. In fact, I had never heard of Sharjah prior to planning my trip to the United Arab Emirates; and staying at the Hilton Sharjah — a trip report is forthcoming despite already being significantly delayed — was less expensive than many lodging options in Dubai just a few miles to the southwest.
Plenty of dining options of various types are located at the Al Majaz Waterfront — including doughnut rivals Dunkin Donuts and Tim Hortons — Caribou Coffee could be considered a rival as well for your Java fix — as well as TGI Fridays, Elevation Burger, Elmanza and Pizzaro, which initially brought to my mind a bizarro Edward Pizzarello.
Please accept my apologies, Ed. I could not resist.
Surprised by the Mesmerizing Sharjah Fountain at Al Majaz Waterfront
Not long after I approached the waterfront was I suddenly surprised by loud music — which had me initially wondering whether it emanated from one of the dining establishments; or perhaps some inconsiderate clod was blasting music.
Then: let there be light — and there was plenty of light.
Despite having already seen the famous Dubai Fountain adjacent to Burj Khalifa — billed as the tallest performing fountain in the world; and yes, another forthcoming trip report with which I am attempting to catch up — I must say that I was mesmerized by Sharjah Fountain…
…which was accompanied by lights of assorted colors…
…laser beams…
…and even holograms, which seemed to appear out of nowhere…
…all choreographed to the music which accompanied it.
Videos and movement also accompanied the fountain show.
I sat on one of the benches along the shoreline of Khalid Lake…
…but some of the restaurants and cafés at Al Majaz Waterfront provide outdoor seating for patrons to view the fountain display while dining comfortably at their leisure.
Sharjah Fountain is one of the largest fountains in the Gulf region…
…from which the jets of water can soar to as high as 100 meters into the air.
Sharjah Fountain is almost 40 years old, as it was first installed in the late 1970s.
Included at Sharjah Fountain are cybernetic fountains which span greater than 220 metres wide that overlook the piazza.
The lights of Sharjah in the background seem to complement the fountain display…
…as well as the reflections in Khalid Lake itself.
While they did not accompany this particular presentation, some fountain shows do include fireworks displays.
The illuminated sign of Hilton Sharjah can be seen through the green mist just to the left of the center of the above photograph.
Sharjah Fountain is closed on Sundays…
…but it is otherwise open every day of the week — basically every half hour — between 6:30 in the evening and midnight.
There is no charge to watch the fountain shows, of which there is a complete schedule of fountain displays — with all times at night:
| Day and Time | 6:30 – 7:00 p.m. | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | 11:00 | 11:30 | Midnight |
| Monday | Musical Show | Poetry Show | Musical Show | Heart Beats of Sharjah | Musical Show | Ebru Show | Musical Show | Sharjah Main Show (English) | — | — |
| Tuesday | Musical Show | Variety Show | Musical Show | Sharjah Main Show (Arabic) | Musical Show | Poetry Show | Musical Show | Ebru Show | — | — |
| Wednesday | Musical Show | Heart Beats of Sharjah | Musical Show | Ebru Show | Musical Show | Sharjah Main Show (English) | Musical Show | Variety Show | — | — |
| Thursday | Musical Show | Sharjah Main Show (Arabic) | Musical Show | Children’s Show (Freej) | Musical Show | Variety Show | Musical Show | Heart Beats of Sharjah | Musical Show | Ebru Show |
| Friday | Musical Show | Poetry Show | Musical Show | Sharjah Main Show (English) | Musical Show | Children’s Show (Freej) | Musical Show | Sharjah Main Show (Arabic) | Musical Show | Variety Show |
| Saturday | Musical Show | Ebru Show | Musical Show | Poetry Show | Musical Show | Sharjah Main Show (English) | Musical Show | Heart Beats of Sharjah | — | — |
The building with lights behind the image almost appears as though it is a skeleton or structure holding up the image — a little unintentional tromp l’oeil effect of sorts.
After these fountains appeared to dance together, the photograph at the top of this article shows the conclusion of the show.
Summary
This is one of those times where sometimes discovering something spontaneously can seem to be better than planning in advance.
After staying overnight in Sharjah, I then headed east to Fujairah — and there will also be forthcoming trip reports on that portion of my trip as well…
…but in the meantime, if you find yourself in Sharjah at night — or even if you want to embark on the short trip from Dubai — consider visiting Al Majaz Waterfront and watching the many effects offered by Sharjah Fountain.
Photograph ©2015 by Brian Cohen.
