The focus on culture defines Sharjah

Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi explains what being Islamic Culture Capital means for the emirate.

Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, the chairman of the Executive Committee for Sharjah Islamic Culture Capital. Pawan Singh / The National / March 2014

Sharjah was selected as the ­Islamic Culture Capital of the Arab Region for 2014 by the Islamic Education, Science and Culture Organisation. How will you use this title to ­further cultural awareness?

We are starting with a big event – Clusters of Light tells the story of Islam. It is the message from Sharjah to the rest of the world. We have 21 other developments happening over the year.

Why was Sharjah chosen?

Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah, has always focused on culture. Sharjah was the cultural capital of the Arab World in 1998 and this year it is the cultural capital of the Islamic World. Sharjah has more museums than all the other emirates put together. We have a lot of cultural festivals, book fairs – the department of culture alone has more than 5,000 activities a year.