Living Choices in Sharjah - click on interactive Sharjah city map
High-rise towers now dominate the Sharjah skyline, the other option are villas which all have high walls around them, some block-size where residents share pool, gym & courtyard. The cost of things at stores is comparable to the US, with a choice of modern malls, small ground-level stores at street level of many high-rise buildings, or an Arabic souq (market).

For western expat social gatherings there is really only the Sharjah Ladies Club and the Sharjah Wanderers sports and social club which offers rugby, diving trips, a pool, tennis courts; and has the only licensed bar in all of Sharjah (which is "dry" unlike all other emirates, although even in those you can only get a drink in a licensed hotel restaurant or hotel bar).

All permanent residents have to get a residence visa ASAP from their sponsor's emirate, which is a tamper-proof insert pasted into your passport good for three years up until age 60, then annually up until 70 for professionals like engineers and doctors - retirement age for other jobs is 65.

By mid-December of 2010, all degreed expatriates plus their families will have to get an e-card (similar to a U.S. "green card", which is no longer green!) from the Emirates Identity Authority: click appointment to schedule, after completing pre-registration form

Sharjah is strictly zoned for industrial buildings and for larger, non-mall retail e.g. car dealers and vehicle repair shops, furniture showrooms. Sharjah industrial zones are inland from the main E-11 road that crosses from Ajman through Sharjah to Dubai - longest road in all of UAE, changing names as it goes! Further inland is E311 Sharjah Ring Road, called Emirates Rd within Dubai.

Driving in Sharjah - click on Sharjah Police website
Vehicles drive on the right-hand side of the road. Most T-junctions allow right turns only to avoid crossing traffic lanes, and some major intersections are becoming either roundabouts or flyovers. With the explosive growth in UAE population many roads in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah are currently torn up for widening.  Unlike Abu Dhabi which has a new bus system, or Dubai which has a brand-new Metro, Sharjah only has taxis for public transport, plus express Dubai RTA buses

Drivers with a US or UK. license (plus 32 other countries) do not have to take a driving test when getting their emirate's driving license, which is needed to buy and to register a car. Get an International Driver's License before leaving your home country. When you first arrive use taxis for a while to get oriented. If you want to get around more, you'll need to rent a car for up to a month, or at least until you get your residence visa, since you can't get a driver's license without a residence visa ... or sign a lease, or ANY contract beyond your initial 30-day visitor visa

Religion in Sharjah
Islam is the official religion. The aren't very many Western expats in Sharjah - most live in nearby Dubai, and not very many are church goers. Along with international schools, Sharjah churches are all together in the Al Yarmook district, including the Anglican church St. Martin, part of Holy Trinity chaplaincy of the UAE

Sharjah City map	Petrofac Tower	A Mosque at Night
Al Khan District	Arabian Horse	City Centre Mall