If you’re genuinely looking for the Eye of the Emirates at Al Qasba, you simply won’t find it. The observation wheel that used to define this district’s skyline — a 60-metre wheel with 42 air-conditioned cabins, first opened in 2005 — began its move to Al Montazah Parks on Flag Island on 10 March 2018 and reopened there later that year, after 13 years in this exact spot. What’s left today is arguably still just as good for a relaxed evening out: a walkable canal, the Maraya Art Centre, and a laid-back strip of cafes.
Right beside Al Majaz and only minutes from Dubai, it remains one of Sharjah’s most genuinely enjoyable evenings out, as part of our main Sharjah guide.
Updated: July 2026 — by Monica Bonalto
Getting your bearings at Al Qasba
A pedestrian canal runs through the district, lined with cafes and the Maraya Art Centre, with Al Majaz just across the water. Developed by Shurooq and opened in 2000, the district covers around 1.36 square kilometres, with a roughly kilometre-long canal linking Al Khan Lagoon and Khalid Lagoon.
Where to eat at Al Qasba
The canal promenade is lined with cafes and restaurants of every kind, making it a genuinely easy spot for a relaxed meal right by the water, with tables angled towards the abras and the evening fountain rather than a single stand-out kitchen. Sumo Sushi & Bento covers sushi and ramen for a quicker canal-side meal, while Shababeek serves modern Lebanese dishes developed by chef Maroun Chedid of Top Chef Middle East fame in a dining room built right over the still water, while Beit Setti brings Syrian home cooking — mezze, kebabs and its well-reviewed hummus — to a Damascene-style dining room right on the canal.
Things to do at Al Qasba
Take a proper abra ride along the canal — AED 15 for adults and AED 10 for children, running from 4pm into the evening — and catch the musical fountain, or let the kids loose on the zip lines and obstacle courses at Wire World Adventure Park, but make time for the Maraya Art Centre itself — launched as a gallery in 2006, relaunched by Shurooq as a three-storey, 1,500-square-metre non-profit art space in 2010, and now home to the Barjeel Art Foundation’s collection alongside rotating shows from across the Arab world. Many of the district’s best highlights are genuinely low-cost or entirely free, so see free things to do across the UAE. The canal is also home to Masrah Al Qasba, an open-air theatre that hosts concerts, comedy and film screenings, and every winter it anchors the Reflection festival of live art and music along the water. Al Qasba itself sits directly across Khalid Lagoon from Al Majaz Waterfront, so most visitors do both in a single trip.
Borrow a bed from next door
Al Qasba itself is light on hotels; most visitors base themselves at neighbouring Al Majaz instead, putting the canal and lagoon both within an easy walk. Families travelling with kids often build in time for the Kid’s Fun House, an indoor play centre charging around AED 30 for the first hour, right alongside the canal-side dining.
A five-minute walk from Al Majaz, best at night
Compact and entirely walkable, right beside Al Majaz; easiest reached by taxi or car, and comfortably under an hour’s drive from Dubai. Evenings are genuinely best, when the canal and fountain light up properly; the cooler months from October to April are especially ideal for the waterside stroll.
Top things to do at Al Qasba
- Maraya Art Centre — launched as a gallery in 2006, relaunched by Shurooq as a three-storey, 1,500-square-metre non-profit art space.
- Wire World Adventure Park — zip lines and obstacle courses for the kids, right on the canal.
- The musical fountain and canal walk — a free, relaxed evening stroll along Al Qasba’s waterway.
Al Qasba, quick questions
Is the Eye of the Emirates wheel still at Al Qasba today? No, it genuinely is not — the 60-metre wheel moved to Al Montazah Parks on Flag Island in 2018 after a full 13 years on the canal; Al Qasba itself simply kept the canal, its cafes and the Maraya Art Centre.
Is Al Qasba worth visiting without the wheel? Yes — the canal walk, evening fountain and Maraya Art Centre still make it a solid hour or two, especially paired with Al Majaz across the water, and the annual Reflection festival now brings live art and music performances to the same stretch of canal each winter.
Is it free to visit Al Qasba? Walking the canal and watching the musical fountain both cost absolutely nothing; you only pay for food, drinks, or a Maraya Art Centre exhibition with an entry fee.
Where should I actually stay near Al Qasba? Al Qasba itself has very few hotels of its own, so most visitors base themselves at neighbouring Al Majaz instead, such as Copthorne Hotel Sharjah, and simply walk over whenever they fancy the canal.
Al Majaz, directly across the canal
Right across the water: Al Majaz. Or simply head back to the main Sharjah guide.
Is the Eye of the Emirates wheel still at Al Qasba?
No — the 60-metre wheel moved to Al Montazah Parks on Flag Island in 2018 after 13 years at Al Qasba. If you’re after the wheel specifically, head to Flag Island instead.