Ramadan treats at Sahara Centre

The leading shopping and entertainment centre in Sharjah will be giving away three brand new Nissan Muranos to shoppers who spend in any of Sahara Centre's retailers, many of whom are offering discounts of up to 70 percent.

Sahara Centre has also set up a replica of a traditional Arabic house, which is expected to be a major attraction during the Holy Month, furnished with a selection of antique furniture, where shoppers can sample delectable home-made traditional sweets, dates and bread over a cup of aromatic coffee. With the traditional house set up, Sahara Centre hopes to give shoppers a truly authentic experience of Ramadan.

"It is going to be a busy month at Sahara Centre. We are expecting retail activity to pick up considerably. In addition to world-class shopping and entertainment services, we are staging cultural activities such as calligraphy and painting exhibitions, as well as pottery and ceramic exhibits and workshops because we want our shoppers to have a truly pleasurable shopping experience during Ramadan," said Gavin Cox, Sahara Centre managing director.

The pottery and ceramics workshops will be conducted by a prominent Iraqi artist, Mr. Wissam Al Haddad, a teacher of ceramics at the Sharjah Arts Institute who made a name for himself staging various exhibitions in Egypt, Iran, Iraq, the UAE and Italy. He will be showcasing a collection of creative ceramic pieces inspired by Islamic tradition. The workshops are open to the public from 8:30 to 10:30 pm every night during Ramadan.

Al Haddad's ceramic pieces incorporate calligraphy, giving the artworks a unique texture and impression - when hung on the wall, the similarity to a painting is striking; when left to stand on a vase, they look like sculptural pieces. "We are honoured to have Wissam Al-Haddad's exhibit on display at Sahara Centre. His artistry and craftsmanship are exceptional," noted Gavin. "We would like to encourage the public to join the workshops that he will conduct to learn from a great artist."

Another fascinating exhibition on calligraphy and painting will showcase more than 30 pieces of rich creative images on Islamic arts that depict Ramadan customs and traditions using various styles and colours. The calligraphy paintings use a variety of colours in depicting the beauty of nature, as well as the Islamic tradition taking inspiration from the Holy Quran and Islamic literature.

Sahara Centre is a key sponsor of the Sharjah Ramadan Festival, which is being organized by the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry. A favourite shopping and entertainment destination for the family, Sahara Centre has consistently drawn huge crowds during Ramadan, and entertains more than half a million customers a month for their shopping and entertainment pleasure, more than the average footfall of malls in the UAE.

"Sahara Centre is both pleased and proud to be a key sponsor once again of the Sharjah Ramadan Festival," said Cox. "I would like to take this opportunity to invite everyone to come to Sahara Centre, where we guarantee shopping experience at its finest - from a wide selection of retail shops and world-class entertainment features to excellent customer service."