The Ajman Museum is one of the most visited historical sites in the emirate. The ancient fort hosts a fantastic collection of artifacts displayed in beautifully restored halls.

Built in the 18th century, the fort served as the residence of the emirate ruler until 1970, and it was the headquarters of the emirate’s police until 1978. A few years later, in 1981, the Ajman Museum was opened in the ancient building, and the fort has become a public building. So today, both the locals and tourists can enjoy the historic premises.

The collections reveal the local way of life and show it as it once was. The exhibits offer you to travel back in time to study Ajman’s past. History is in everything: from centuries-old manuscripts, gifts to rulers, and weapons to wooden boats and models of ancient irrigation systems. You can see rare objects of Bedouins, such as tools for pearl diving and fishing. Some of the most significant exhibits are items discovered in the Al Muwaihat burial site: you can see here pottery and funerary decorations dating back to 3000 BC.

A separate section of the exposition is devoted to the pearl trade. A while ago, this occupation dominated other trades in the region. A series of dioramas takes visitors back to ancient times, depicting the daily life of the locals: you can see staged marketplaces, weddings, the work of artisans and craftsmen of various fields. And the fort itself is like a huge museum exhibit, a living example of the traditional architecture of the emirate.

One of the main sites of the museum opens to guests right at the entrance, where two old cannons greet visitors. Here the early settlement of Ajman was located. The archaeological discovery was made by a stroke of luck in 1986: workers excavating for a future construction found fragments of pottery, beads, copper goods, and other artifacts leading back to the Bronze Age of Ajman.

The museum is located to the east of the central square, in the Al Bustan district. It is open for visits from Saturday to Thursday (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.) and Friday (from 2.30 p.m. to 8 p.m.). All exhibited items are complemented with annotations in English and Arabic.