Sharjah: The Capital of Culture

SHARJAH: The Capital of Culture was published by Assouline in collaboration with Sharjah Investment & Development Authority (Shurooq). Book Launch: November 10, 2025. House of Wisdom.

I was invited to author Sharjah: The Capital of Culture, a new Assouline volume that celebrates the emirate’s remarkable cultural journey. This publication captures the vision, leadership, and longstanding commitment to knowledge that have shaped Sharjah into a global capital of culture. It includes my essay and hundreds of incredible photographs that are woven together in a narrative, which is told through the lens of Assouline’s distinctive craftsmanship and dedication to cultural storytelling.

It was a great privledge and honour to be part of creating this narrative, which is centred around the story of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, whose lifelong devotion to literature, education, history, and the arts has built Sharjah into the capital of culture (with both a small and a capital “C”). His impressive achievements, both in his own authorship and in his support for cultural and educational institutions, as well as safeguarding heritage, have inspired generations of creators and thinkers and are a major reason why Sharjah stands today as a shining beacon of culture.

I am profoundly grateful to Her Highness Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi and to Shurooq for entrusting me with the opportunity to write this book. As a global champion of the written word — from founding Kalimat Group and the Kalimat Foundation for Children’s Empowerment to her wider work in supporting Arabic children’s literature and the publishing industry — Sheikha Bodour has created pathways for stories to be told and voices to be heard. Her work strengthens the very foundations on which Sharjah’s cultural ecosystem continues to flourish.

This book is a tribute to Sharjah’s past and present, and to the ruling family whose vision continues to inspire and connect.