HE Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Director General, Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority, has hailed the rich repertoire of museums in Sharjah as one of the most prominent tourist attractions the emirate has to offer to international visitors.

“Our museums are the home and receptacle of the history of various peoples and civilizations, including the largely yet to be discovered collective treasure trove of renaissance and heritage and civilizational growth witnessed by the emirate,” said Al Midfa. Emphasizing the relationship between man and history chronicled by Sharjah’s museums, he said that all visitors to the emirate ought to read and see it.

This came in Al Midfa’s remarks on the occasion of the International Museum Day being celebrated in cooperation with the Sharjah Museum Department across the emirate renowned for its large number of rich museums and cultural centres. This comes at a time when massive preparations are underway for celebrating Sharjah as the Capital of Islamic Culture for Year 2014.

Al Midfa said Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority has joined hands with the Sharjah Museums Department to mark the International Museum Day as part of its efforts to promote and highlight Sharjah’s tourism experience in all its aspects, especially in cultural sphere for which the emirate rightly enjoys worldwide fame. He said that Sharjah Tourism has long invested its efforts in this area promoting the concept of cultural tourism, locally, regionally and globally.

Al Midfa said the Authority has been making all efforts to exploit the wealth of historical and cultural heritage in the emirate’s high-end museums showcasing Sharjah in all its diversity to attract international visitors.

Besides including the emirate’s museums in the professional training and orientation courses conducted for tourist guides by the Authority, Sharjah’s museums are also promoted in international exhibitions and promotional tours hosted by the SCTDA in in the Gulf and European cities.

The SCTDA Director General said that each of Sharjah’s16 museums was devoted to a different facet of life in the emirate and history, culture, heritage and civilization. Combining culture and entertainment, Sharjah’s museums annually attract more than half a million visitors of all age groups and nationalities.