Page 80 - Shj Tourism Annual Report 2019 English

80 A. Sharjah is the leading center for family tourism: The Emirate of Sharjah is rich in heritage with historical and cultural monuments that reflect its Islamic identity, and therefore it is considered the cultural capital of the UAE. Sharjah is proud to highlight its historical and heritage monuments and highlight its beauty in all the tourism and promotional campaigns that it organizes to reaffirm the outstanding merits it has acquired over the years, including the UNESCO’s Culture Capital of the Arab World 1998 and the Islamic Culture Capital 2014 awards, 2015 Capital of Arab Tourism and most recently, UNESCO’s World Book Capital for 2019. The SCTDA seeks to enhance the role of its heritage and historical sites. Therefore, the emirate submitted a proposal to include eight of the emirate’s cultural heritage sites in the prestigious list of tentative World Heritage sites by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). These sites included the historic area in Sharjah (Heart of Sharjah), with its historical landmarks and traditional markets, the Sharjah Fort, Al Hisn, which is considered one of the most famous and historical buildings in the emirate, and the Khorfakkan Fort, with its beach village and the archaeological area surrounding it. Sharjah is the only emirate which enjoys access to both the Arabian Gulf (to the west) and the Gulf of Oman (on the Indian Ocean) to the east. It plays a very Chapter 3: Tourism Sector in the Emirate of Sharjah