Emirati columnist, researcher and founder of the Barjeel Art Foundation Sultan Sooud al Qassemi speaks with Gilles about his book, Building Sharjah, co-edited with Todd Reisz, which explores how the discovery of oil in Sharjah in the 1970s propelled the Emirati city onto the world stage, as well as the many local, Arab and Persian influences on the art and architecture of the emirate.
This article originally appeared on Al Monitor on December 15, 2021. A screenshot of this article can be downloaded here.