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Al Qasba (previously Qanat Al Qasba - QAQ)

Al Qasba (renamed from Qanat Al Qasba, QAQ, in March 2008) is a small art, culture, leisure, and tourist area in Sharjah with facilities including the Maraya Art Center, Eye of the Emirates Ferris wheel, restaurants, cafes, canal with abra rides. During Ramadan, the QAQ holds the Ramadaniat Al Qasba Festival.

• Al Qasba is an interesting place to visit for a few hours including coffee time and good views from the Ferris wheel.
• Al Qasba also called Qanat Al Qasba or Al Qasbah, but probably not the Kasba/Kasbar/Kasbah.

List of Qanat Al Qasba activities, attractions, and facilities

• Abra boat rides along the canal
• Al Qasba Musical Fountain - not quite the same as the Dubai Fountain, but the Al Qasba one was there first.
• Etisalat Eye of the Emirates - the largest Ferris wheel in the Middle East, at least until the Dubai Wheel gets built (if it ever does).
• Maraya Art Gallery

Al Qasba Weekend Market 2011

• Arts and crafts and typical weekend market style booths. Maybe some old books, pottery and other antiques.
• Dates are 27 January to 29 April 2011.
• Tel +971-6-5560777 to make a booking or for more information.

Al Qasba events

• Al Qasba Food Festival 2008
• Al Qasba Flowers Festival
• Al Qasba Luxury Flea Market, second Saturday of the month from October 2009 to May 2010. Organised by Green Spot Entertainment.
• Al Qasba Summer Activities
• Al Qasba Summer Fun Weekend Activities (2012) - started 29 June 2012, during weekends. Events and shows include illusionist Gaston Quieto from Argentina, "The Story of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory" on 14 and 14 July 2012 - 1800 (6pm) in English and 2000 (8pm) in Arabic.
• Brazilian Exhibition (well, that's what the press release said ... it's probably not what we first thought it meant).
• Euro 2008
• FIFA Football World Cup tent 11 June - 11 July 2010
• Italian Art Exhibition (Artie Aitaliana)
• Life in Ramadan - photography exhibition during Ramadan 2010
• Opera Under The Stars
• Sharjah Biennial - the Art of Arabic Calligraphy
• Ramadaniat Al Qasba festival (part of the Sharjah Ramadan Festival) - held annually during Ramadan in Sharjah since the first one in 2005. A series of lectures and other activities about Islamic culture and the Holy Month of Ramadan.

Qanat Al Qasbah cafes, coffee shops, and restaurants

• Bert's Cafe - with a name like that, it is of course a French cafe.
• Candyland kiosk
• Caribou Coffee Shop
• Carino Cafe
• Dunkin Donuts
• Fish Corner - seafood restaurant
• Gerard's Cafe
• Jucito - fruit juices
• Limetree restaurant - Thai food
• Masala Craft - Indian restaurant
• Nando's - chicken and other grilled food restaurant, Portuguese
• Napoli Gelato - Italian ice cream
• Shababeek - Lebanese restaurant
• Stafano's - Italian restaurant
• Starbucks - coffee shop
• Sugarbox - boxes of sugar disguised as cakes
• Sumo Sushi & Bento - eat enough and you too can become a Sumo wrestler. Or maybe not.
• Yogurberry - frozen yoghurt kiosk

Al Qasba retail shops

• Bookmall - book shop
• Extra Extra - small grocery store / mini-mart
• Garden Art - landscape architects and irrigation
• N-Collection - designer fashion abayas and sheilas

No smoking at Al Qasba

• Al Qasba is a non-smoking area, both indoors and outdoors, except for a few designated areas (since January 2011 or 2012?).

Maraya Art Gallery - Maraya Art Center

Maraya Art Centre exhibitions

• Life in Ramadan photography exhibition during Ramadan 2010.
• Regarding Borders photography exhibition - depicting the social, cultural, and geographical frontiers of the Arabian Peninsula. Dates to be announced - expected in late 2010. Acceptance dates for submissions from 28 Aug to 25 Sep 2010. In partnership with The Shelter.

Barjeel Art Foundation

• The Barjeel Art Foundation was founded by Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi and hosts contemporary art from the Arab world in a 500 sq meter area in the Maraya Art Centre.
• Hosts the Barjeel Collection consisting of over 200 works from Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi's art collection.
• Also hosts rotating exhibitions displaying artworks of political, social and cultural importance to the Arab world.

Al Qasba future plans

• Business centre
• Children's entertainment area
• Conference and meeting rooms
• Gym and health club

Qanat Al Qasba personnel

• Chairwoman of the Al Qasba Development Authority is HE Sheikha Bodour Bint Sultan Al Qassimi
• CEO of the Al Qasba Development Authority is Marwan Al Sarkal
• Business Development Manager is Ahmed Al Qaseer
• Events manager at AQDA is Dina Al Nakhi
• Sales and Marketing Director at the Al Qasba Development Authority is Hazem Sawaf

Al Qasba Development Authority (AQDA)

• The Al Qasba Development Authority was established to oversee the development of the Al Qasba area and promote it as the "entertainment, leisure and cultural hub of the Middle East."
• The AQDA is a member of Shurooq - the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority.

Qanat Al Qasba name change and rebranding - March 2008

• Qanat Al Qasba renamed and rebranded as just Al Qasba (press release 13 March 2008).
• Hazem Sawaf, the Marketing Manager of the AQDA said "Al Qasba's new identity expresses not only our ambitions but also goes well with the whole transformation of Al Qasba to a family and tourism attraction with all the meaning of the word - especially in the sense that we are gearing up currently for more development within the destination and some and major projects. The new Al Qasba brand identity reflects the experience of Al Qasba which is exciting, rich, lively, and unique in a way that refreshes the mind and soul and unites people in one place. The brand is charismatic, enriching, energized, and indulgent. And the essence of it is to be impassioned." Erm, what?

Qanat Al Qasba location and contact details

• Qanat Al Qasba is located in the Al Khan area of Sharjah, near the Al Tawun shopping mall. From Dubai it is signposted off the Al Ittihad Road (or Sharjah-Dubai highway).
• Al Qasba location map (new window)
• Al Qasba tel +971-6-5560777, fax +971-6-5560444, email info@alqasba.ae.
• Maraya Art Center (MAC) tel number +971-6-5566555.
• Barjeel Art Foundation email info@barjeelartfoundation.com or tel +971-6-5566555 (MAC).

Last update Monday 28-Apr-2014. Page development 4L 5C.

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